Sensory Hallway Provides Chilhowie Students with Focus
Teaching young children can be a difficult task, especially if the student has problems focusing on the material. One way to refocus the students in the classroom is a sensory hallway, four of which are being developed at Chilhowie Elementary School with help from Emory & Henry College occupational therapy and physical therapy students.
A sensory hallway is a series of decals on the walls and floors that create an interactive pathway for students to follow, giving them focus and allowing the students to burn excess energy that could prevent them from focusing in the classroom.“The main purpose of a sensory hallway is to give proprioceptive sensory input to help kids stay calm and regulate their bodies which helps with focus and attention in the classroom setting,” according to Ashlee Medley, who helped coordinate the SHS participation, along with Teri Gilley. “Appropriate sensory processing can help a child master more complex learning tasks which promotes cognitive growth, problem-solving skills, language development, gross motor skills, and social interaction. We are grateful to be a part of this wonderful project which not only helps our students learn, but will also help so many children in our local community.”
“We are grateful for our partnership with Emory & Henry’s School of Health Sciences. The students from Emory & Henry did a great job in helping adhere the stickers in our hallways,” said Jason Kilbourne, principal of Chilhowie Elementary. “After months of planning, we are very excited to have our sensory hallways ready for our students’ return in August. We believe our new, colorful hallways will be a fun learning experience for all of our students.”
The project was spearheaded by Kilbourne and involved administrative and rehab teams at Chilhowie Elementary, in addition to Graphic designers at Twelve45 Graphix in Marion, Va. who created the decals.
The sensory hallway creation is just one of many civic engagement projects in which the School of Health Sciences students engage.
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Appropriate sensory processing can help a child master more complex learning tasks which promotes cognitive growth, problem-solving skills, language development, gross motor skills, and social interaction.
-Ashlee Medley, Clinical Instructor
