This Ask an Expert segment features Brittney Feit, a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP), who supports neurodivergent children through education and learning. Brittney is the founder of Mind Body Connection for Kids, a neurodiversity-affirming platform that provides virtual yoga and creative movement classes. In this interview, Brittney shares more information about Mind Body Connection for Kids and how physical health benefits mental health in neurodivergent populations.
What inspired you to develop a yoga program specifically for neurodivergent individuals?
I started Mind Body Connection for kids because I saw a need for neurodivergent kids to have a place to access yoga movement, and I wanted to create a safe space for them to access neurodiversity-affirming classes. Even in the future, I'll have dance classes. Right now, I help develop classes for young adults, ranging from cooking to movement classes. However, I noticed these students can't access many of these classes in the post-school field. For example, someone over 21 can't access services from an IEP or school anymore. So that motivated me to develop this program.
Also, having experience working with kids, I wanted to bring accessibility to a wide range of ages. When I was first looking into school psychology, and I was teaching dance and creative movement, I had a wonderful opportunity to work with both an autistic young girl and a student who had ADHD. That opened the door to understanding how to differentiate the instruction, learn what they needed, and how to custom tailor it to each individual. As I became a school psychologist and gained more experience, I continued to learn how to be a neuro-diversity-affirming practitioner. Therefore, I brought that to my mission with Mind Body Connection for Kids.
Is there evidence or research that you've found that supports the effectiveness and benefits of physical activity or even yoga for the neurodivergent populations?
During my master's program, I started researching how exercise is beneficial for individuals with ADHD. I found that yoga is great for people and that it increases health benefits and mental health benefits. Of course, mental health is health, but I wanted to emphasize how yoga has benefits in both physical and mental aspects. My idea was to create an overall wellness approach while making it accessible, appropriate, and affirming for neurodivergent students.
For example, instead of everyone having to do the same poses in the same way during the classes, there's a lot more freedom, and the students are aware of that. It's not expected that everyone is doing everything the same. Also, I provide more opportunities for breaks, movement, and stimming, while emphasizing that yoga is a great place to get in touch with yourself and learn to love yourself because everyone needs that. It's a great place to have this discussion about neurodivergence and how all brains are beautiful.
How would you specifically tailor certain practices within the program to meet those individuals' needs and preferences of the participants?
When I'm teaching live classes, I try to get to know the students and understand their sensory needs. For example, maybe I'm keeping the lights at a certain tone- not too light or too dark. I try to get to know the students in the room by understanding their physical needs. For example, I take into account their preference on whether or not they want to take off their socks for a yoga class. Since individuals have different comfortability levels, I try to get to know who is comfortable with what.
With this in mind, I also take approaches that would be beneficial for everyone by making sure that all the information is presented in multiple ways. For example, I have verbal instruction and written instruction, usually on a whiteboard or smartboard behind me. I also have visuals, like pictures that coincide with what I'm talking about. Thinking about the population that's in the room, I try to make sure that everyone is on the same page and able to access the information with equity.
That being said, what I'm doing with Mind Body Connection for Kids is recording classes, and I'll be posting them on my site for on-demand streaming. So, it doesn't necessarily mean that I can differentiate for every student who's watching that video. But, I'm taking neurodiversity-affirming approaches that I've learned how to use with people in person, and applying them to these videos. For example, many of my students thrive on having a preview of what we're going to learn. They like to look at the agenda because everything is written out, and therefore they know what to expect. So, at the beginning of the videos, I will talk through and write out everything we do in the class so there are no surprises. Also, using the visuals is something that I'll edit into the videos as well, so that as I'm talking, or moving there will also be visuals available on the screen.
I'm trying to bring all of those elements into a streaming situation because I want these videos to be accessible to as many people around the country as possible. I'm finding that a lot of parents are having a hard time finding neurodiversity-affirming activities for their kids. So eventually, in the future, I'll have in-person classes in New York City, whether it's a group class or private lessons. Right now I'm starting with the videos, but it's an exciting new venture.
What advice would you give to parents or caregivers considering enrolling their neurodivergent child or loved one into Mind Body Connection for Kids or any physical activity program in general?
So in terms of advice, I would think about the goal that either you have for your child or that the child has because kids have goals too. It's important to be child-centered by thinking about what they want and need. Also, acknowledge that some neurodivergent individuals have sensory aversion, meaning they try to avoid certain visual or tactile senses, or sensory experiences and sensory-seeking behaviors. Of course, in a virtual setting, it's not necessarily applicable. However, for example, if bright lights are something that might be bothersome to the individual, consider lowering the lights as they're doing the class.
Also, it's important to include breaks. For example, when the teacher (or when I) implements a break, pause the video, check in with the students, let them take a break, and then return to the video. It's also important that the participants understand what yoga is. In my classes, I pride myself in explaining the benefits of yoga, what it is, and what mindfulness is. But for younger folks, it might be important to give a preview of what yoga is, because they might be unclear. For example, kids might think, "Yoga is when we sit here and meditate." They'll do mudras, or know certain poses, but they might not know that yoga is great for getting centered, calming down, and understanding our emotions.
A lot of the work that I do, specifically with this population, is getting in touch with your body and where your body is in space. This is known as proprioception which is understanding how your body feels and developing a deeper understanding of your own emotions. So, some neurodivergent folks and kids might not understand why they're feeling a certain way, or they can't label the emotion as easily as a neurotypical child might. Because of this, I try to teach them how they know the certain type of emotion they're feeling, almost like a therapeutic approach to yoga.
How can individuals or organizations interested in participating get involved or contribute?
We have a website mindbodyconnectionforkids.com, which will be updated regularly. We're still in the phase of recording the videos, and we'll be uploading them on a rolling basis. They'll be able to be streamed for either rent or purchase, both at different costs. My goal is to make these very accessible. If you go to mindbodyconnectionforkids.com and sign up for the newsletter, you'll get all the latest information about the videos and any other offerings and resources. I also have an Instagram for the company- @mindbodyconnectionforkids
If there's anyone with questions, whether you're a parent, a clinician, learning about neurodiversity, or you're just getting to know about psychology for the first time please feel free to reach out. I'm very happy to discuss with anyone interested.
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