In the heart of the Luxembourg province, a new Snoezelen multisensory room brings calm, comfort, and connection to up to 50 children with autism spectrum disorder each year.
La Porte Bleue, a project of CAPAL asbl (Centre d’Action pour l’Autisme en Province de Luxembourg), is a therapeutic and diagnostic centre based in Libramont-Chevigny. Founded in May 2017 in response to families in need, it supports children and young adolescents aged 0 to 18 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), accompanying both the child and their family throughout the process. Its mission: to help every child and family learn to live well with autism, with more serenity, more autonomy, and more connection.
A multidisciplinary team of speech therapists, psychologists, a neuropsychologist, a psychomotrician, an orthopedagogue, and a child psychiatrist works together using behavioural and systemic approaches, always in close collaboration with parents. The centre is officially recognised by the AVIQ as a Functional Rehabilitation Centre (CRF), and its diagnostic unit operates as a local branch of the autism reference centre of CHU UCL Namur.
When sensory overload has nowhere to go
For children with ASD, the world can feel overwhelming. Sensory stimulation, noise, light, texture, movement, is not processed the same way as for neurotypical children. Without a safe, adapted space to decompress and self-regulate, the impact on a child’s emotional state, behaviour, and ability to connect with others can be significant.
La Porte Bleue had long identified the need for a dedicated Snoezelen space: a secure, multisensory environment with soft lighting, gentle sounds, and varied textures, designed without demands or performance expectations. In such a space, a child moves at their own pace, supported by a professional, in a setting that builds emotional safety and trust. Thanks to UFB’s support of 6,000 euros, this space is now a reality within the centre’s premises, and its impact is already being felt.
Children who access the Snoezelen sessions show measurable improvements: reduced stress and anxiety, fewer episodes of agitation, and greater emotional regulation. These effects carry beyond the session itself. A calmer child is a more available child, more open to connection with the adults around them, more able to participate in educational, social, and family life.
“The Snoezelen space addresses children with autism spectrum disorders, a particularly vulnerable group due to their difficulties with communication, emotional regulation, and sensory integration. The calm it provides enables children to be more relationally available, which facilitates bonding with the accompanying adult and, more broadly, openness to others.” – Stephanie Rutten, Fundraiser, CAPAL asbl
Help us open more doors
Thanks to donors like you, organisations like La Porte Bleue can build the spaces and tools that truly make a difference, not just for a child, but for an entire family. Every contribution helps create environments where the most vulnerable among us can feel safe, seen, and supported.
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