HEMPFIELD AREA SCHOOLS RUNNING NEW PILOT PROGRAM THAT USES LEGOS TO HELP SOCIAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Leaders with Hempfield Area Schools are running a new pilot program that uses Lego blocks to help kids develop social skills.  Carnegie Mellon University is working with an organization called Matt’s Maker Space to introduce the Brick Club initiative to schools in the Pittsburgh area.  The program was first developed in England to help neurodivergent and special needs students learn how to interact with one another better by placing them into small groups to build Lego sets together.  Experts say the the approach can also help with a wider array of students who may lack social skills because play is now more technology-based than in the past.  Hempfield Deputy Superintendent Emily Sanders is one of roughly 100 educators in the region who are certified to oversee the Brick Club program.