Instructional Playbook

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Classroom Adjustment: Structured Breaks

Structured Breaks are a proactive behavior support strategy designed to provide students with a safe and appropriate alternative to escape maintained behaviors such as elopement, refusal, disruption, or shutdown. Rather than avoiding tasks through unsafe or disruptive actions, students are explicitly taught how to appropriately request and use a break before returning to learning.

Level of Teacher Effort

Structured breaks help students: Regulate emotions and sensory needs Practice self-awareness and coping skills Reduce unsafe or disruptive behavior Increase independence and successful participation in class

Low High Medium

Protocol

Identify a Safe Break Space Choose a calm, supervised location, i.e. calm corner, Sensory area, check in space. Teach a Way to Request a Break Examples: Break card, Hand signal, Verbal request. Define What Happens During the Break Students should have structured choices such as deep breathing, quiet sitting, fidget tools, coloring. Set Clear Time Limits Use a visual timer. Typical breaks last 3–10 minutes. Teach the Return Procedure Students should put materials away, transition calmly, return within 1 minute of timer ending. Pre-Teach and Practice Frequently The process should be practiced during calm moments—not only during crises. Target Students Considerations Structured Breaks are most effective for behaviors maintained by: Escape or avoidance of tasks Sensory overload Connect successful break use to: Token systems Check-in/check-out Preferred activities Praise and recognition

Fade Gradually Move from:

Emotional overwhelm Anxiety or frustration

Unlimited access → limited breaks Immediate breaks → delayed access Adult prompting → student independence