>>> IT'S NO SECRET THAT IT CAN REALLY HARD FOR LITTLE
ONES TO SETTLE DOWN FOR A LONG DAY AT SCHOOL.
FOR CHILDREN WITH ADHD AND OTHER SENSORY
CHALLENGES, A FULL SCHOOL DAY CAN BE PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS AND EDUCATORS IN HOLYOKE ARE
TRYING SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO HELP STUDENTS RE-FOCUS.
IT'S CALLED A SENSORY WALK.
I SAT DOWN WITH THOSE INVOLVED TO
FIND OUT HOW THE SENSORY WALK I HELPING BOTH STUDENTS AND
TEACHERS GET THROUGH THE DAY.
>> SO A BUNCH OF US AT LAWRENCE SCHOOL COLLABORATED
ABOUT -- IT CAME THROUGH WHEN KENDRA WAS TALKING ABOUT
PUTTING TOGETHER A SENSORY ROOM FOR THE THERAPEUTIC
INTERVENTION PROGRAM WHICH NOEL WAS ALSO A PART OF AND
THE CLINICIAN AT THE SCHOOL FOR THE THERAPEUTIC
INTERVENTION PROGRAM, ALLISON, AND WE CAME TOGETHER AND HAD
THIS GREAT IDEA ABOUT USING A SENSORY WALK, WHICH WAS SEEN
THROUGH A YOUTUBE VIDEO, I BELIEVE.
SO WE THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT IDEA AND KENDRA SAID, I THINK
WE CAN DO THIS FOR REALLY CHEAP IF WE DO IT OURSELVES
INSTEAD OF BUYING A KIT THAT THEY SELL, AND THEN IT ALL
WENT FROM THERE.
WE HAD BACKUP FROM THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO FUND
THE RESOURCES, AND WE WORKED OVER FEBRUARY VACATION.
>> TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE LAYOUT OF THE WALK AND
WHAT FEATURES IT INCLUDES?
>> SURE.
SO WE ARE PRETTY STRATEGIC IN THE WAY WE SET IT UP TO MAKE
SURE IT HAD ACADEMIC COMPONENTS, THERE'S LIKE
ABC'S, AND NUMBERS THROUGHOUT, AND THEN THE MOVEMENT IS
PRETTY SPECIAL TOO, BECAUSE THEY START OFF SLOW AND THEN
END UP PRETTY SLOW TOO.
IN THE MIDDLE THERE'S INPUT THROUGH THE JOINTS AND MUSCLES
WHICH CAN HELP CALM STUDENTS, VESTIBULAR INPUT, WHICH
INVOLVES MOVEMENT OF THE HEAD AND EYES, CROSSING THE LINE,
WHICH IS PROVEN TO CARRY OVER WITH READING AND WRITING
SKILLS, PRETTY STRATEGIC IN THAT WAY.
THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD MOVEMENT TO HELP CALM THEM THROUGHOUT
AND THEN AT THE END THEY TAKE A NICE, DEEP BREATH TO RELAX
AT THE END OF THE WALK.
>> LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A FIGURE 8, LILLY PADS, ARE THEY
HOPPING ON ONE FOOT?
>> THEY DO SOME HEEL TO TOE WALKING AND DO SOME HOPSCOTCH,
SOME JUMPING, THEN THEY GET DOWN LIKE A FROG AND JUMP FROM
LILLY PAD TO LILLY PAD AND THEN ONTO THE LOGS.
IT'S REALLY GOOD.
>> NOEL, HOW EFFECTIVE IS THIS FOR KIDS AND WHAT KIDS IS THIS
MOST APPROPRIATE FOR WE ARE SEEING MORE OF A TREND OF KIDS
HAVING TROUBLE MANAGING THE SENSORY INPUT THROUGHOUT THE
DAY, THEY ARE WALKING THROUGH THE CLASSROOMS, REALLY
FIDGETY, THIS IS A TOOL TO HELP US CALM THEM AND
APPROPRIATELY HAVE THEM ASK FOR BREAKS SO THEY CAN.
THEY HAVE INPUT AND LEARN THE LESSON THEY NEED.
>> THIS IS ESPECIALLY BENEFICIAL FOR A CHILD WHO
MIGHT HAVE AUTISM OR ADHD.
>> A HUGE ONE, YEAH.
ADHD, KIDS WITH -- >> CHILDREN WITH SENSORY
ISSUES, ALL STUDENTS TO HELP THEM ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES,
EVEN AS ADULTS WE NEED BREAKS, DAILY.
SO JUST TO HELP THEM ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES AND SAY HEY, I
NEED TO A BREAK AND RETURN TO WORK.
>> WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT'S A LONG DAY, WHEN YOU'RE 6, 7, 8,
9, 10, HOWEVER OLD, SCHOOL IS A LONG DAY.
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF MOVEMENT ALWAYS.
HOW EFFECTIVE DO YOU FIND THIS, I KNOW YOU GO TO
DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AS WELL, THAT'S PART OF YOUR JOB, WHAT
DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU'RE GOING ON SCHOOL VISITS IN THE
CLASSROOM.
>> I SEE A LOT OF DIFFERENT BEHAVIORS AND I THINK WE
ALWAYS WANT TO CATCH THE BEHAVIORS BEFORE THEY TURN
INTO BIGGER BEHAVIORS, AND, YOU KNOW, I FIND THIS REALLY
EFFECTIVE BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT DATA ON STUDENTS AND THEIR
BEHAVIORS, WE WANT TO GET TO THAT ANXIETY LEVEL OF
BEHAVIORS AND BE SUPPORTIVE AND BE ABLE TO STOP IT.
THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO GET THE KIDS TO SELF REGULATE AND SAY,
YOU KNOW WHAT?
I'M STARTING TO FEEL FIDGETY OR GETTING UP AND GOING TO USE
THE BATHROOM 4 TO 5 TIMES A DAY MAYBE I CAN MOVE MY BODY
IN A WAY SO I CAN GET BACK TO CLASS AND BE PRODUCTIVE.
>> HOW IS THIS RECEIVED BY THE TEACHERS, DO THEY FEEL LIKE
IT'S DISRUPTIVE OR ARE THEY ALL FOR IT.
>> SOME OF THEM WANTED TO TRY IT.
>> HAVE IT SET UP SO IT'S LIKE ON TRANSITION SO THAT THE KIDS
COMING IN FROM RECESS COME IN REALLY RILED UP, LET THEM GO
THROUGH THE SENSORY WALK AND CONTINUE ON TO THE CLASSROOM,
IT'S LIKE A PURPOSEFUL WALK, AND IT HELPS THE TEACHERS GET
THE CLASS ABLE TO SETTLE DOWN SO THEY BEGIN TEACHING SOONER
THAN THEY NORMALLY DO.
>> RECESS IS NOT VERY LONG FOR THE DAY, RIGHT?
BAY THE TIME THEY PUT ON THE SNOW BOOTS AND PATS, IT'S A
LONG DAY FOR THEM TO BE FOCUSED, WOULD YOU AGREE?
>> YEAH.
IT'S AN EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM, SO THEY'RE THERE LIKE 8 HOURS
A DAY, AND SOME KIDS ARE MORE BECAUSE THEY HAVE MORNING
DROPOFF AND AFTERNOON CARE, THIS IS A GREAT THING FOR THEM
TO HAVE THAT CAN GET THEM THE BREAK AND RETURN AND FOCUS.
>> KENDRA, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GO THROUGH THE SENSORY
WALK?
>> IT TAKES ABOUT 2 TO 3 MINUTES.
>> DO IT TWICE?
>> YEAH.
DO IT TWO TIMES, TWO OR THREE TIMES.
>> SOME OF THEM, THEY GO THROUGH TWO TIMES, YEAH.
>> OKAY.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT JUST -- YOU WANT TO CATCH
BEHAVIORS BEFORE IT BECOMES DISRUPTIVE, WHAT ABOUT FOR
KIDS THAT HAVE EMOTIONAL NEEDS, THEY JUST HAVE THINGS
GOING ON, AT HOME OR THEY JUST GET TO THAT POINT SOMETIMES
AND THEY CAN'T CONTROL THOSE EMOTIONS, DOES THAT HELP WITH
THAT AS A DISTRACTION?
>> I WOULD DEFINITELY SAY SO, WHEN WE HAVE STUDENTS WE
MOTIONAL AND SOCIAL DISABILITIES, THEY THINK ABOUT
STUFF THAT CAN REALLY GET THEM JUST REGULATED AND USING A
SENSORY WALK, IT MAKES IT SO THEY'RE TAKING A COGNITIVE
BREAK INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON WHAT MIGHT BE WORRYING THEM,
THEY CAN FOCUS ON DOING FROG LEAPS OR DOING THE JUMP FROM
LOG TO LOG OR THE HOPSCOTCH, AND IT CAN KIND OF GIVE THEIR
BRAIN THAT BREAK AND MAYBE BE ABLE TO GET THEM BACK ONTO
TASK THAT WE NEED THEM TO.
>> WHEN I SEE TEACHERS AND I GO INTO SCHOOL, MY KIDS ARE IN
SCHOOLS AS WELL, I FEEL LIKE THEY'RE ABSOLUTE MAGICIANS,
JUST TO GET THROUGH A READING BLOCK OF 30 MINUTES IS A LONG
TIME FOR 6 AND 7-YEAR-OLDS, IT'S AN ETERNITY, TO THINK
ABOUT STRETCHING THAT OUT TO THE ENTIRE DAY, WHAT ARE
TEACHERS TELLING YOU ABOUT KIDS, OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE
MANAGING THE ACADEMIC PIECE, BUT ALSO HAVING TO MANAGE THE
MOTIONAL PIECE, IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT WHEN YOU HAVE 22
KIDS IN THE CLASSROOM.
WHAT ARE THEY TELLING YOU?
>> I WOULD SAY TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS JUST IN GENERAL ARE
REALLY TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS THAT
REALLY NEED THAT EXTRA HELP, AND BY HAVING A TOOL LIKE
THIS, YOU CAN SEE WHAT KIDS NEED IT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE
DAY AND CAN WE TAKE SMALL GROUPS DOWN INSTEAD OF A
BEHAVIOR THAT MIGHT DISRUPT THE ENTIRE MOVE, THEY SAY
AFTER RECESS, I NEED TO TAKE THESE FIVE STUDENTS AND GO
THROUGH THE SENSORY WALK AND MAKE THE TRANSITION EASIER.
>> IT'S PRETTY CHEAP, RIGHT?
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST YOU TO PUT IT TOGETHERES WE DID IT
FOR UNDER $100.
>> IT CHANGES THE WHOLE DYNAMIC OF THE DAY, RIGHT?
>> THEY'RE SELLING ON LIGHT FOR 1500.
TO BE -- THESE TWO PUT THEIR MINDS TOGETHER, REALLY
CREATIVE ON HOW TO PUT IT DOWN.
SO IT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.