NEW ALBANY - Educational gadgets are spread throughout a new classroom at New Albany Elementary School.

At one end of the school's new Behavior and Sensory lab, an eassel sits next to a glass bubble tube that glows different colors. Arranged on shelves above lie games and toys. Along a side wall is a plastic box filled with rice. Covering the back wall are grooved wooden panels on which students can slide a block of wood back and forth.

The lab is available for all students at the school. It has proven especially useful for reaching special needs students.

Students who struggle to communicate might come paint a picture or use play dough to convey a message. Those who are over-stimulated can turn the lights off, sit in a bean bag and watch air pocket travel up the bubble tube while they relax.

"They can go in there right before they have a breakdown," said Bailey King, who teaches a developmentally delayed class at the school. She said that spending time in the lab can also be a reward for good behavior for students with behavior problems.

The lab can be particularly helpful for students on the autism spectrum who may become agitated easily. Teachers also use it to help students with speech therapy.

"Ability is of little account without opportunity," King said. "The sensory lab gives them the opportunity to learn in a different way and to show us what they know."

King said she will often bring students into the lab in small groups to work with them. Sometimes students will come to the lab to take tests. Teachers can also check out materials from the lab to use in their classroom.

The Behavior and Sensory lab was created as part of the Carol M. White Physical Education Program Grant that the district received this year. The district spent about $4,000 on the lab and the school began using it this year.

"This lab will help us meet the needs of children on the spectrum," said Kelly Coltharp, director of special services for New Albany Schools.

"We started identifying more children with sensory intelligence disorders. This was something they needed during the day. We want to keep them in class as much as possible."

By having a place where they can calm down, students can then participate better in the classroom with their peers.

The lab has visual stimulants like lava lamps and disco balls. King will often have the students tell her what color they see on the lamps.

"Sometimes they are over-flooded, so this gives them a quiet place to go," King said. "It is fun so they don't feel singled out."

Kids can also put on plastic "moon shoes" that give them the sensation of jumping up and down. It can provide a good kinesthetic exercise.

"Our goal is that we meet the needs of children in our district," Colthap said. "If we can help them with these issues, they can stay in the classroom more and learn more and be more productive citizens. That is our goal."

Contact Chris Kieffer at (662) 678-1590 or at chris.kieffer@djournal.com.