FAQ’s

All of our paths are made to order and returns are not accepted. 

We realize that some schools and organizations may not have the funding for the larger packages but still want to provide a sensory experience for their students. We are more than happy to work with you and limited budgets/spaces. Since we design everything, we want to offer your kids the best path you can afford. We can break components apart, and restructure a Sensory Path™ using some basic elements that will still be engaging to your students and aesthetically beautiful to your facility. 

The benefits of a Sensory Path are endless. The Sensory Path is NOT just for students with autism. There are hundreds of benefits and positive outcomes that result from daily use of our products. With over 10,000 Sensory Paths installed worldwide and high praise from physicians, therapists, teachers, and parents, The Sensory Path is the GOLD STANDARD. The Sensory Path is trusted by countless experts and professionals in the medical and education field.

If you found us, you’re in good hands. The Original Sensory Path, you know that viral video from a few years ago that launched the whole Sensory Path movement, that was US! Developed by founder Holly Clay, The Sensory Path is not just a set of “stickers” on the floor. With proper use and instruction, The Sensory Path can revolutionize the educational and therapeutic outcomes in your school or clinic. To learn more about proper use, you can read our recent blog series titled “Understanding Why, How, and When to Use a Sensory Path.” All of our products include comprehensive movement guides that help instruct your faculty and staff on proper Sensory Path use.

 The Sensory Path™ is designed to target sensory seeking behaviors. I researched and collected data for 9 years on movement and the effects on the neurological system in children with Autism in the educational environment as a Special Education Teacher. I consulted with Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Orthopedic Physicians, Pediatricians, Educational Psychologists, Autism Doctoral Fellows, BCBA Therapists, Speech Language Therapists, and Autism researchers to determine how to provide proper proprioceptive and vestibular sensory input through a series of movements that are designed to target key areas of the sensory nervous system. Using these specific moves, The Sensory Path helps the child’s body realign the sensory signal pathways that have become misaligned due to external environmental sensory stimuli.

NOPE! The Sensory Path is a universal education tool that promotes inclusivity and sensory regulation for all students. You may find The Sensory Path beneficial as a resource to support the therapy objectives of your occupational and physical therapists.  The Sensory Path can provide a place for alternative assessment and remedial interventions for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Our product was initially designed to help with self-regulation of the sensory system in children with Autism, but schools have found it to be a Universal Educational tool that promotes an inclusive learning environment. Students of any ability can find the use of movement a powerful tool to help their brain and body connect. The Sensory Path products are now being used by children with Autism, children dealing with Trauma, children with ADHD, children in Physical Therapy, and as a movement space for peer social development.

You can read more about Certified Autism Resources here.  The Sensory Path company is the ONLY company selling Sensory Paths that have been certified by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards.

 The Sensory Path™ is a decal system that is designed to transform a school space into a child friendly, thematic, safe area for movement which provides appropriate proprioceptive and vestibular sensory input to help decrease sensory seeking behaviors and increase cognitive function.

The most important thing to remember is that The Sensory Path™ is so much more than just a bunch of stickers on the floor that kids hop around on. What sets us apart, is that we can back up our work with the research. We have developed a plan, and then gone a step further and found information about providing the best possible materials on the market for added quality of our product. We will provide you with installation guides, maintenance guides and movement guides for a true sensory experience. Plus, your students will be engaged when they are actively moving through our Sensory Path movement system, because we designed them for kids!

As a special education teacher, Holly Clay, the founder of The Sensory Path™, served a large percentage of students with autism. She noticed when a child started losing cognitive functioning during the learning process, it helped to give the child some sensory input. She began studying which series of movements seemed to offer the child the necessary proprioceptive and vestibular input to help the child regain focus and control, which ultimately increased cognition and retention of new information. She saw a huge reduction of sensory seeking behaviors and an increase in cognitive functioning. The Sensory Path company is the only company offering research based Sensory Paths. The Sensory Path is proud to be the only company offering Sensory Paths that have been reviewed by The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards and received the Certified Autism Resource distinction.

We now have repeat customers who have placed a significant value on the use of The Sensory Path products in their schools. Our product was initially designed to help with self-regulation and the sensory system in children with Autism, but schools have found it to be a Universal Educational tool that promotes inclusion. Students of any ability can find the use of movement a powerful tool to help their brain and body connect.

The Sensory Path products are now being used by children with Autism, children dealing with Trauma, children with ADHD, children in Physical Therapy, and as a movement space for peer social development.

As a retired teacher with over 22 years of teaching experience, I spent over half of my career researching and learning how children with neurodivergences learn in the academic setting as well as the social and emotional impacts that corelate to their development. As I dove headfirst into research papers, medical journals and through countless hours of professional observations and data collecting, I began zeroing in on how the environment and daily routines within a school building affect children with Autism. At the suggestion of a parent to one of my first Special Education students, I began researching movement specifically and the effects movement had on the sensory system in children with Autism.

We have sold more than 15,000 Sensory Paths in the last five years. The Sensory Path products have been installed in schools, medical clinics, youth services facilities, military bases, museums, hospitals and orphanages across America, and 13 foreign countries and counting. Since the launch of our product into the consumer market, we modestly estimate that our product has reached well over one million users, as most customers have found that The Sensory Path is also beneficial to other children who are struggling with sensory issues or self-regulation.

The Learning Noodle™ is not recommended for use outside.

The Learning Noodle™ does not include an adhesive backing.

The Learning Noodle™ is the latest offering by The Sensory Path™. The Learning Noodle™ offers instructional support in and out of the classroom for endless kinesthetic learning activities.

The Learning Noodle™ is a non-permanent educational support resource. Turn your lessons into active learning opportunities with the help of The Learning Noodle. When your lesson or playtime is over, simply roll up your Noodle and store it away. Each “Learning Noodle” Path is flexible and washable, making learning fun and safe.

The Learning Noodle™ by The Sensory Path™ is designed to offer schools with limited space or carpeted floors sensory solutions. The Noodles are flexible games for kinesthetic learning. Use The Noodles to re-enforce curriculum goals and incorporate movement opportunities for all students.

The Learning Noodle™ is made of a durable, thin vinyl material.

We do not recommend our indoor Sensory Path Packages be applied to carpet. If you’re looking to add a Sensory Path to your carpeted areas, consider our Learning Noodles™. These are portable Sensory Path solutions. These are non-adhesive learning mats and offer ultimate flexibility. At an affordable price range, you can bring Sensory Paths inside the classroom. Learn more about the adaptability of the Learning Noodle™ by The Sensory Path™.

Hardwood floors which have been properly sealed and maintained with a commercial hard wax should offer the adhesive the proper surface to adhere. Do not use on shellac or polyurethane sealers as they degrade more rapidly than commercial wax and our films.

Ceramic floor which have a sealed surface such as a glaze will offer a good surface for adhesion. Breaks between tiles where grout may be, will need to be cleaned and sealed to offer proper performance. We do not recommend using the product on porous surfaces or tiles without a smooth finish. 

Indoor finished concrete surfaces that are sealed with a concrete finishing sealant or stained and sealed should offer a proper adhesive surface. Painted concrete which is prepared properly and sealed and cured, will offer the proper surface for adhesion. Finishing with a commercial wax will help keep the paths from lifting when applied.

Laminate flooring with a textured surface is fine for adhering the pathways. Laminate flooring has a properly finished coating and if properly cleaned before application, will offer a good surface to hold the film. The film we use is very strong but thin and the texture of the floor may be visible on the surface of the film, but it should not compromise the quality of the product.  

All commercial locations with high traffic flow over the surface of the path should use additional wax as they normally would to offer the proper protection from usage, and any environmental factors such as snow and salts which would typically degrade the normal surface.

If you have a unique flooring situation, please contact our sales team for more information.

Removal is as simple as stripping off the protective wax layers and applying the same chemical stripper to the decal. Using a scraper and lifting the edge slightly of the path piece will allow for the floor stripping solution to release the adhesive from the floor.

Should there be any sticky residue from the adhesive, it will easily come up with rubbing alcohol.

The Sensory Path™ makes premium Sensory Paths using waterproof commercial grade floor film with an adhesive backing. If installation and maintenance guidelines are followed correctly, your path will last for several years. We recommend installing on a clean, waxed vinyl composition tile. A clean waxed floor will offer a great surface for adhesion. Bare tiles, or previously stripped tiles that do not have a layer of wax will need at minimum one layer of wax to offer a sealed surface for proper adhesion.

We also like to say you should treat your path like the hood of your car. If you wouldn’t drag something over the hood of your car, then you don’t need to drag it over the sensory path. So moving desks or hard objects over the path has the potential to scratch or damage the image. We DO NOT recommend using a mechanical scrubber, polisher, or mopper over the path.

We recommend once the path is installed, to give it time to settle and the adhesive to grip the floor surface. Since the adhesive is pressure sensitive, allowing students to use it after a 12 hour settling period will help settle the adhesive. Maintenance can manually mop and sweep during this initial settling period. To get the longest life from your installed sensory path, we recommend using an non-yellowing commercial wax on top of the installed path. Apply a minimum 5-10 layers of wax liberally in thick, heavy coats will be your friend! Adding this extra protection is strongly recommended to protect your path from peeling or lifting. We DO NOT recommend using a mechanical scrubber, polisher, or mopper over the path. If you do, it has the potential to completely damage and destroy the decals. Hand mopping is the way to go after installation! 

 Longevity really depends on the type of service your maintenance staff can provide. If the surface is waxed, as we strongly recommend, the longevity will be as long as you need or until stripping the floors of all wax. Usually janitors like to use chemical strippers on their building’s floors once a year.  We instead suggest performing a “lite” strip by diluting the stripper to not agitate the floors as much.  They will shorten the length of time the chemical stripper is applied, this will take only 1-2 layers of wax off of the floor where the indoor Sensory Path was installed. 

We have previously worked with schools in all 50 states and are approved vendors with hundreds of districts across the country. Send us an email and we can look up your district. If we aren’t yet registered, we are happy to complete the registration process with your school. Send us an email with the required paperwork and we’ll take it from there!

Our paths are designed using a semi-permanent adhesive. We considered a removable adhesive, but upon testing found that any removable adhesive products we tested, did not follow the standards for ensuring a quality and safe path. Removable adhesives degrade over a 6 month period thus resulting in lifting of edges, and potentially causing a safety hazard. Our Sensory Paths use a permanent adhesive designed to stay until you want them off. We do not recommend removing the decals once they’re placed. 

Absolutely! Our pathways are made using commercial grade products and can be applied to tile flooring and sealed to protect them from medical equipment passing over them. Kids with limited immune systems and long treatments for illnesses, may find our pathways an enjoyable activity to offer movement to their daily routine. Placing The Sensory Path™ in an indoor playroom or down a clinic hallway would not only be aesthetically and visually appealing, but it would make children happy to move! 

​YES! We accept Purchase Orders from US schools and companies.  You can now upload your purchase order at check out.  Please include all contact information and tax exempt information with your order.  We do not take International Purchase Orders due to export rules and regulations. Payment must be received before we can cross US borders. 

YOU BET! We even have our website built to make ordering easier for you. You can submit your tax details at check-out to remove sales tax on your order. Simply check the box at the top right and enter your exemption number in the following box. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3! If you’re purchasing with district purchase orders, just include us a copy of your tax exemption form when you submit the PO. We will take care of the rest.

We realize that some places may not have the funds for the larger packages but still want to provide a true Sensory Path™ for their students. Do not worry, we will work with you and within a reasonable budget. Since we design everything, we want to offer your kids the best path you can afford. We can break components apart and restructure a Sensory Path using some basic elements that will still be engaging to your students and aesthetically beautiful to your facility. 

Yep! The sky is the limit with us. We have talented graphic designers on staff that can make your dreams come true. Whether you want to make some changes to existing packages or have an idea for an entirely new theme, we’d love to work with you. Get in touch today and we can start the brainstorming process.

We hold multiple state contracts that may allow your district to piggyback. Contact our experienced sales team for more information on current contracts.

If you’re looking to make a purchase for your entire district, we can offer special pricing. Contact us today for more information.

The Sensory Path can work with ANY budget. Our mission is to get Sensory Paths in EVERY SCHOOL. A limited budget won’t stop us. We can create custom bundles that can maximize the sensory benefit with whatever funds are available. Contact our sales team today for more information.

Title One schools receive special federal funding that can only be used for certain items and The Sensory Path Products qualify for this earmarked spending. As a universal educational tool, The Sensory Path meets the requirement that Title I funds be spent on resources that serve ALL students and can be beneficial to the educational attainment of the lowest achieving students. Learn more about Title I Funding

Ordering is easy as 1, 2, 3! You can order directly on our website using a credit card or purchase order. Alternatively, you can send your PO directly to us and we’ll take care of the rest. You’re busy, let us help make the process easy! We’ve got you covered. We do not accept international purchase orders. All international orders are required to use credit card to purchase. All payments are collected in USD.

Most orders ship within 48 hours of a completed order.  We use Fedex 3 day shipping as our standard shipping method. If you need express shipping, please email us at Holly@thesensorypath.com.

 All of our products are printed in-house, on demand. Due to the highly refined process and our commitment to superior quality products, shipping lead times may vary.

We require either payment-in-full or a signed purchase order before we can ship your items. 

If your school or organization is tax exempt, we will need a copy of your tax exemption letter before we can release your items for shipping. 

You can include your tax exempt number at checkout!

If you have requested custom items, please contact us regarding the status of your order.

If you need assistance please email Holly@thesensorypath.com

Purchase ordered packages will not ship until payment or a copy of a signed PO has been received. We will make every attempt to accommodate Purchase Orders, but we only allow PO’s from US territories at this time. No international PO’s will be accepted.

We can handle tight turnaround times for most orders. Don’t let your federal funds or grant money expire! We can have orders of any size delivered to meet your funding deadlines.

If you have additional questions we have not addressed here or on another FAQ page, please email  Holly@thesensorypath.com or call 662-607-0448

Thanks for Shopping with us! 

Yes, The Sensory Path is an awarded TIPS vendor. Please email Holly@thesensorypath.com to obtain a TIPS quote. Purchasing through our TIPS contracts unlocks special price and volume discounts.

Purchase Orders 

We accept signed Purchase Orders from all U.S. Institutions. We will invoice at time of shipment with net-30 terms.

Major Credit Cards

All major credit cards are accepted via our website. If you need help with a credit card purchase, our sales team would be happy to assist.

Checks 

We accept checks in USD for all orders. If paying with a check, we do require receipt and clearance of check before items are released for shipping. Please contact Holly@thesensorypath.com

for more information on using a check as your payment method.

The most important thing to remember is that The Sensory Path™ is so much more than just a bunch of stickers on the floor that kids hop around on. What sets us apart, is that we can back up our work with the research. We have developed a plan, and then gone a step further and found information about providing the best possible materials on the market for added quality of our product. We will provide you with installation guides, maintenance guides and movement guides for a true sensory experience. Plus, your students will be engaged when they are actively moving through our Sensory Path movement system, because we designed them for kids!

As a special education teacher, Holly Clay, the founder of The Sensory Path™, served a large percentage of students with autism. She noticed when a child started losing cognitive functioning during the learning process, it helped to give the child some sensory input. She began studying which series of movements seemed to offer the child the necessary proprioceptive and vestibular input to help the child regain focus and control, which ultimately increased cognition and retention of new information. She saw a huge reduction of sensory seeking behaviors and an increase in cognitive functioning. The Sensory Path company is the only company offering research based Sensory Paths. The Sensory Path is proud to be the only company offering Sensory Paths that have been reviewed by The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards and received the Certified Autism Resource distinction.

We now have repeat customers who have placed a significant value on the use of The Sensory Path products in their schools. Our product was initially designed to help with self-regulation and the sensory system in children with Autism, but schools have found it to be a Universal Educational tool that promotes inclusion. Students of any ability can find the use of movement a powerful tool to help their brain and body connect.

The Sensory Path products are now being used by children with Autism, children dealing with Trauma, children with ADHD, children in Physical Therapy, and as a movement space for peer social development.

Having trouble narrowing down all the FABULOUS Sensory Path options on our website? We can help! Whether you need help determining which items are most age appropriate for your school, what movements are best for your unique population, or what will work within any space limitations, we’ve got you covered. Our customer service representatives are experts. Everyone at The Sensory Path is intimately familiar with our products and can answer any and every question that may come up during the ordering process. We know sensory and we know schools. We’d love to help get a Sensory Path in your school. Email us for more information

Yes, The Sensory Path™ designs products that are not only for schools, but they are great in playrooms, in indoor sensory rooms, or just in the hallway. The sensory paths are designed using the best materials and will not hurt your floors. We will be offering smaller units that will be perfect for home usage. 

First, talk to your principal, give them the research and explain why you think it will help the students. You would be surprised what funds are available to title one schools. Every school in America runs on a shoe string budget, but when approaching the administration about investing in a path helps when we provide the research to back up our methods. 

Another great source of funding is Parent Teacher Organizations. We have schools that are in rural, low income districts, that have a small group of parents who took the initiative to go out into their small community and talk with the leaders, churches, civic groups, businesses to have them sponsor the larger package for their school. 

Fundraising is easy when the money is going directly to something that is going to benefit all students. Get creative with fundraising, if the funds are not available. Have the kids get involved in raising funds too. Simply have a change drive is a great way all levels of children can participate. Have students bring in loose change and challenge classrooms to compete in the change drive will foster support. Get responsible parents involved to collect the change each day and create a bridge for community involvement. It is not impossible for funds to be allocated, but reaching out and getting more people engaged in the need for the Sensory Path at your school will increase the potential for funds to become available.

Yes! Our outdoor stencils are reusable an unlimited number of times. 

Absolutely! If you’d like to choose your own paint colors for the stencils, you can add the paint bundles separately and choose each color. If you need help, contact us and we’d be glad to assist. 

Porch and Patio paint cost anywhere from $30-70 a gallon and is made to withstand a little more wear and tear. Exterior Quarts of premium paint with a primer (which makes the paint coat better) is about $15-20 a quart. 

You will also need 4 to 10 paint brushes and a couple of 4 or 6-inch rollers, and disposable paint trays or plastic plates and cups. Number of brushes and rollers depends on how many colors and people are willing to help with your project. 

The Sensory Path ™ Outdoor Stencils are made from a very durable Mylar plastic. Preserving them for future use is very important for longevity. Keep the box your stencils arrived in so you can store them. Store in a clean dry space, away from direct sunlight.  

Remove all tape and any extra adhesive that might have stuck on the stencil. Using a solvent like rubbing alcohol or a product like Goo Gone will not harm the stencil material. 

Dried paint can be removed easily, by soaking the stencil in soapy water, or covering the area with a wet cloth and allowing for the paint to rehydrate so it will peel off the stencil easier. Remove as much of the paint as possible before rolling the stencil for storage.  Do not scrape dried paint off the stencil. Damage could occur from sharp edges of a scraper. Lay stencils in the sun to dry.

Once all pieces of the stencil are clean and dry, organize the stencil by pieces. Some pieces might need to be placed in plastic zipper bags so they do not get lost. Label each bag or part and make sure layout guides are placed back in the box for future teams.

Using a bulletin board paper layer each stencil set in groups with additional paper in between, to keep stencils from getting mixed up. Roll the stencils in paper and secure with rubber bands. Place back in the shipping box for storage.  

Store in a clean dry space, keeping stencil materials out of direct sunlight. 

Durability and longevity of the finished painted paths depend on the area, prep, number of layers applied, maintenance and traffic of the area. Luckily, our Sensory Path Stencils can be stored and reused for multiple applications, and maintenance for many years. 

If you’ve decided to purchase paint bundles from The Sensory Path™, the pre-assembled bundles have enough paint for at least one iteration of the stencil set. You may have some extra paint in some colors. Each can of paint covers approximately 20 square feet. 

If you’re sourcing paint on your own, a gallon will cover approximately 200-foot space. If you are using black on the concrete area, it might take several coats, so may take a little more than that for a large area. A quart of paint will cover about 100 square feet.

Space requirements will vary from stencil to stencil, and most stencils can be slightly modified on-site to lengthen or shorten to meet the needs of your space.  See each listing for specific required space dimensions needed for each design.  

Brushes can come from the hardware section but get some that are a little better than the disposable foam or wooden handled chip brushes. Cement and Asphalt surfaces will tear up cheap brushes! The better brushes we recommend might cost a few dollars more initially but will last throughout your project if washed out each day. Craft brushes with long, soft hairs will help clean around edges and create crisp lines. Paint Rollers – Short fibers (smooth surface rollers) or foam rollers help keep paint from bleeding too much.

            9-inch rollers are recommended for Large Areas – such as the Create a Road Stencil

            6-inch rollers are recommended for Medium Areas – such as Sunflower Petals

            4-inch rollers are recommended for Small Areas – such as Hopscotch blocks

You have two options for paint. The Sensory Path™ now offers paint bundles that can be added to every stencil order. The paint bundles will be shipped directly to your building. The paint bundles listed on our website are for highly pigmented spray paint. This paint is industrial grade, water resistant, and eco-friendly. The paint is among the highest quality available on the market. The paint has built in UV protection and can hold up to salt-water air. 

If you’d like to source paint on your own, the best paint we have found is Porch and Patio paint which you can have colored at Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, or Sherwin Williams. It only comes in gallons, so you would want to make sure you can incorporate the use of the same color on multiple areas, like using a stencil package. Or, you can go with a latex exterior with a paint and primer, it may not last as long as the Porch and Patio, but it can always be touched up as needed, and would cost less on the front-end budget. 

Make sure the space you select is free from standing water after periods of rain. If the playground has multiple elevations, be cautious of low-lying areas that might collect dirt and debris after periods of rain. When selecting and planning the painted area, look for the areas that might need additional water divergent systems, or irrigation channels to help with standing issues. Consult your building and grounds professionals for help with any issues where standing water remains or collects debris. 

Asphalt and concrete pads make great play areas for outdoor sensory paths. The area selected should be free of loose rocks, uneven payment, large rocks or bricks that may cause tripping hazards, and large cracks. If any of these such areas exist, repairs should be made before starting the painting project. Any crack that has weeds should be treated days before you paint day to allow for removal.  Power washing the area and treating with a degreaser will help remove natural organic debris such as tree saps, stains or oils which could prevent proper paint adhesion. Before painting, sweep the washed area to remove any additional bits of sand and dirt that may have settled in the area. If painting over a series of days, it is best to sweep at the start of each day, as winds, birds, and children will inevitably carry dirt and sand over the area between painting sessions. 

Our Stencil Material is made from a 10 Mil Mylar which offers a great blend of durability and flexibility. 

The thin material allows for crisp images with sharp edges and minimal bleed.  

Outdoor Sensory Paths can be placed in several different areas.  We have designed for public parks walking paths, school sidewalks, as well as repurposing and redesigning old basketball courts. One of the most important elements to consider is the safety of the children when the space is being used.