REINFORCEMENT VS. BREAKS - PART 1

BREAKS

Over time, I've heard well-meaning special educators confuse reinforcement with scheduled breaks with leisure breaks with heavy work breaks, with language used interchangeably. In my opinion, they aren't the same. 

Students don't EARN breaks. 

An effective special educator wouldn't take a break away from a student as a consequence.

My hope is to explain how they are different so that special educators can then communicate clear expectations to students. Behavior modification will not happen if students don't understand expectations. Worse yet, students often don't trust adults who are not consistent in enforcing expectations.

A caveat here is that these strategies are most easily implemented in an elementary or middle/high self-contained setting. It is possible for them to happen in resource with older students, but requires more coordination with school staff.

Another caveat is the adult support required - like we have extra bodies floating around! Part of successful implementation of scheduled breaks, leisure breaks, or heavy work breaks is having people to staff them. Training adults is also required, to be sure that all adults consistently enforce expectations during leisure activities - or consistently teach how to engage in leisure activities.

In my mind, here is how scheduled breaks, leisure breaks, and heavy work breaks are different.

Scheduled Breaks

These are built into the student's day. They are intentional, based on the number of breaks a student requires. (There is no one size fits all!) A helpful hint is to work with the general education teacher and/or conduct observations so that the breaks are scheduled at a time when the student will most benefit. (Does he get fidgety when the ELA block is 90 minutes long? Why don't we take a break after 45?) Obviously, ideally, these breaks would not happen during core instruction, but if you give a student 3-5 minutes at a time when they would either be overstimulated and not attending or disrupting others' learning, it's a small price to pay.

My favorite way to schedule breaks is to write the student's daily schedule down, including core content, lunch, recess, specialists, related services, late start/early dismissal (yes, this includes different schedules for anytime there's a variation, and sometimes that means 5+ different schedules!), and build breaks out from there. 

I love when students are old enough to give their own input. I may say, "This looks like a long block of math, and I know sometimes math makes you feel frustrated. What if you take a break at 10:30?" If they agree, then we also decide together on length, what activities are appropriate, how to signal to the teacher when they're taking a break, how they know when it's time to return from the break, do they stay in the classroom or leave the classroom, where can they go... BUT it is so important that these parameters are clear.

For younger/primary students or students who require adult supervision, these breaks are monitored by an adult. In the past, I have staffed the breaks, or we've had paraeducators staff the breaks. We've had students sit in the front office at a small table, where they engage in approved activities, like drawing or coloring. In a bind (like adult absences!), our administrative team helps out. In a self-contained setting, having an adult in proximity is enough.

For older students (4th-5th grade, usually) who have been given clear parameters (see above!), them taking their own scheduled break is a blessing because we don't have to have an adult staff it. Sometimes a written contract with expectations is helpful. Also, I like putting signs outside classroom doors that indicate that is where the student is to stand/sit. No one has to know what the sign means (it could just be a picture of something the student enjoys), but it could also say "Break Area" with printed expectations as a reminder. Spoiler: often these "Break Areas" are used by more students than just those with IEPs!

Leisure Breaks

What I've learned working with students of all ages and ranges of disabilities is that many of them have never learned how to take a leisure break. Or, they may take leisure breaks, but they are dependent on technology. In this way, teaching skills like how to wait or what to do if you have to pass the time and don't have technology available are very valuable. Some leisure activities also teach students social skills, communication skills, fine motor skills, and sometimes allow students practice with coping strategies! Some examples of teaching leisure skills is reading a book or magazine, putting together a puzzle, playing a board game, or building with blocks or Lego.

One thing I would mention is that typically we DO have technology these days, but I found when working with students with Level 2 or Level 3 autism, sometimes taking technology away would lead to significant behaviors. If a student is waiting for a medical appointment, their caregiver may want to avoid those behaviors when it is time for the appointment. Or, what if a student has to wait for transportation? Or maybe they have a day at home and their families don't want them to watch tv or play on their tablets all day? In that way, explicitly teaching leisure skills is a functional life skill.

In a self-contained classroom, it is my opinion that time for a leisure break is so important, and should be part of the daily schedule. For students in a resource setting, these leisure breaks may be built in as scheduled breaks.

I will mention again later when I talk about reinforcement, but reinforcer choices (e.g. earn items, choice board) should NOT overlap with leisure break choices. This is confusing for students and gives the impression that a leisure break is earned. See above: BREAKS ARE NOT EARNED. (I'm not yelling; caps are for emphasis. 💃)

Heavy Work Breaks

Disclaimer: I am not an Occupational Therapist! BUT I've been around a while, and have seen first hand the benefits of heavy work breaks with neurodiverse students. 

The input their bodies get is often enough for regulation - and isn't that the goal?!

Just like with any intervention, there are SO MANY opportunities for heavy work throughout a student's day. If the one you pick (or better - the one that the student helps you pick!) doesn't seem to be effective, try a new one!

Heavy work breaks may be scheduled, or there could be a menu for students to choose from when they are feeling overstimulated - on an as-needed basis.

Here are some of my favorite heavy work break ideas:

• helping the custodian (push trash cans, collect recycling)
• helping school nutrition staff (collect trays, clean tables)
• help in the library shelving books
• help the PE teacher set out and pick up materials, move mats
• help recess teachers put out and pick up recess materials (balls, hula hoops, jump ropes)
• deliver reams of paper from the workroom to copiers throughout the building
• deliver items to another teacher's classroom (this one can be sneaky - but often there is more buy-in if it is a meaningful/real job, and not something you're making up on the fly)
• put chairs on desks, take chairs down
• help rearrange desks/furniture
• wall push-ups
• weighted backpack (can also use backpack to deliver items around the school)

Sometimes with these "helping" jobs, students inadvertently make connections, build relationships, and create a sense of belonging within the school community. It's a win-win!

Next time is Part 2: how reinforcement is different from breaks. 😎