Written by Abbey Williams // Graphic by Ben Evans
Harding University’s communication sciences and disorders department will provide the second annual free sensory-sensitive photo sessions with Santa this winter. Taylor Howard Photography will take photos Dec. 13, in the speech clinic inside the Swaid Center for Health Sciences 4-8 p.m.
Assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders and externship director Tim Chance said these photos with Santa will provide a soothing experience.
“The lighting is muted,” Chance said. “Santa is very attuned to his interactions. We also will station it in our waiting room — they will come in and go to a waiting area. That’s also soothing, calm and with some sensory toys, those kinds of things.”
Chance said he hopes this event will get the speech clinic’s name out into the community, and that it will bridge Harding and the community.
“We want our purpose here to be reaching out to the community and reaching out to those that might not have the opportunity to get to do those things,” Chance said.
Associate professor and department chair of communication sciences and disorders Dr. Melanie Meeker said this event will provide a much different atmosphere than most Santa meet and greets.
“If a kid is at Park Plaza, waiting to see Santa, it’s loud there,” Meeker said. “Lots of people are in line, and they have to wait a long time. It’s rushed, you know, on the lap with a stranger. And it’s pretty overstimulating even to a typically developing child. So I think for this experience, we try to be sensitive to those things that are upsetting.”
Meeker said every kid deserves to be seen and heard regardless of their needs.
“I think it’s a neat way to to provide a service to members of our community who do often feel not seen or heard,” Meeker said. “And when they’re seen and heard it’s with, you know, sometimes negativity. We want to bring a positive Santa experience to every little kid … regardless of what their needs are.”
Assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders and speech clinic director Laura Mulvany said the Santa actor will have a list of what each child uniquely needs.
“I think Taylor came up with those, or Santa did, but they have a list of questions of what sensory needs the child has — what is overstimulating and things like that — so that Santa knows ahead of time,”
Mulvany said. “So Santa already has an idea of what the child likes and what they don’t like, so you can kind of suit that session to that child.”
Mulvany said this event provides a safe environment for participants and has already helped families feel seen and heard, according to feedback the department received after the event last year.
“They said they felt heard,” Mulvany said. “They felt seen. Because otherwise, it’s like you have the unruly child that is in line and can’t sit there and can’t be patient [and] they’re a behavior problem. And here, they feel like they are understood. So it’s kind of nice to provide that to the community.”
