Does Your Brain Need a Break?

How do you "get your brain ready or centered" to take on a new activity?

If you're like 15 to 20 Keith Valley Middle School students, a few minutes of walking on the treadmill, lifting a weighted ball, or playing with putty is all it takes, according to Karyn Flocco, the school's special education instructional coach. 

Aptly called the Brain Break Room, the supervised area–which is open to special learners on an as-needed basis–offers various tactile, aerobic and coordination activities for use in four to six-minute intervals, according to Flocco. 

Designated areas help students to retreat, move and work based on their individual needs. 

"We just had to think outside the box a little bit," Flocco said. "A lot of kids, it centers their body."

Flocco said the ideas to help students with Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and other developmental difficulties were there prior to this year, but finding a space and funding for equipment didn't come until this school year. 

As part of the Hatboro-Horsham Educational Foundation's award of 20 Innovative Learning Grants totaling more than $165,000, Flocco said roughly $1,300 was earmarked for the program's equipment. 

Staff movement throughout the district left a previously occupied classroom empty and ready to be converted into the Brain Break Room, Flocco said. The room accommodates a maximum of four students at a time, she said. 

Research has shown that a sensory room can provide students with sensory processing disorders opportunities for relieving stress, self-regulation, calming, and stimulation which enhances learning. 

Students at Pennypack Elementary School regularly take five-minute walks outside, Flocco said. The idea of "movement and the brain" is taking off district-wide, as well as nationally, she said, adding that it's beneficial for students with and without special learning needs.