30 More Frequent Breaks
Definition
Separating structured activities by adding break time in between to help a student rest and before returning their effort and focus on a specific task.
In action
Teachers can schedule breaks for students by adding them into a task schedule or prompting them between activities.
Support Strategies
- Teachers can create a designated break area in the classroom that students can use when they need extra time between tasks
- Teachers can ask students to help by erasing the board, collecting papers, or dropping something off before starting something else
- Teachers can encourage students to take a walk, draw, or read to themselves before starting an academic activity
- Teachers can provide students with breaks for access to different sensory input (e.g., playing with sand).
- Teachers can break up the instructional period into smaller discrete parts for all students by having all students participate in a “body break” activity
- Teachers can create signals for students to use when they feel they need a break but are not ready to communicate it verbally
Case Study
Student: A Grade 4 student with ASD in a social studies class.
Content: The teacher spends 15 minutes reviewing the previous lesson before the class transitions into 20 minutes of independent work.
Problem: The student with ASD is looking out the window while the teacher is assigning the class activity.
Solution: The teacher can instead incorporate a structured break (e.g., body break) between instruction and independent work so students are able to maintain their focus. When the break is over, the teacher explains the independent task and ensures that the student with ASD knows to ask for a longer break should they need one.
Additional Resources
- Reading Rockets article on managing attention, with a description of brain breaks
- Detailed information on providing predictable and scheduled breaks for students with ASD by using sensory equipment, breaking up instructional periods, and providing quiet spaces for students from the Ontario Ministry of Education
- Article on the benefits of body breaks from Edutopia
- Tips for taking sensory breaks at school from Autism Speaks
- Why breaks are important and how to incorporate them into the classroom from The Friendship Circle
- Handbook on movement breaks including tips for transitioning back to learning from the National Council for Special Education
