Children’s sensory needs are impacting their ability to attend to their speech language pathology treatment sessions in a meaningful and effective way. There is a gap in the education for SLPs on sensory integration which limits their ability to recognize the challenges and know how to support them in a productive way

Cardenas, George

Given, Marisa

Jones, Julie

Rustia, Nisha

Wallace, McKayla

Scholarly Commons

University of the Pacific Scholarly Commons Occupational Therapy Student Research Occupational Therapy Program 12-1-2022 Adaptive Seating Julie Jones University of the Pacific McKayla Wallace University of the Pacific Marisa Given University of the Pacific Nisha Rustia University of the Pacific George Cardenas University of the Pacific Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/ot-student-research  Part of the Occupational Therapy Commons Recommended Citation Jones, Julie; Wallace, McKayla; Given, Marisa; Rustia, Nisha; and Cardenas, George, "Adaptive Seating" (2022). Occupational Therapy Student Research. 5. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/ot-student-research/5 This Poster is brought to you for free and open access by the Occupational Therapy Program at Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Occupational Therapy Student Research by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact mgibney@pacific.edu. PROBLEM STATEMENTTECHNOLOGY SOLUTION SEATING DESCRIPTIONOCCUPATIONAL IMPACTFUTURE IMPLICATIONSOVERVIEWADAPTIVE SEATINGCOST STRUCTURERESOURCESPREVALENCEREVIEW OF LITERATURE Universal Design Strategy Implementing adaptive seatingoptions for all children can allowuniversal opportunities for selfregulation and sensory integration tosupport all forms of learning.  The RiteCare Childhood Language Centeris a non-profit, community-basedprogram that provides free Graduatestudent led speech-language pathology(SLP) services to children in the Stocktonarea. While gathering data from SLP students,their supervisors, and current literature,there is an identified need for sensoryintegration education for SLP students.This AT product can support thecommunity by extending the attentionspan of children with various vestibular orexecutive functioning needs.Common examples of adaptive seatinginclude wiggle seats, wobble chairs, andtherabands.Educating SLPs on how to use adaptiveseating will increase their productivity andconfidence going into pediatric settings.The primary occupation in focus forchildren in an SLP session iscommunication. Being dysregulatedor having a short attention span dueto hyperactivity prevents childrenfrom being able to focus on thisoccupation.Use of adaptive seating impacts thechild's attention span, sensoryprocessing, and willingness toparticipate in the treatment session.For children with specific sensoryneeds, use of adaptive seating canhelp to regulate their body's internalenvironment and response to stimuli,allowing them to stay calmer.The SLP is able to focus on the tasksthat they have planned to addresslanguage and communication ratherthan focusing on regulating orcalming the child. Impact curriculum at UOP ineducating SLP students onsensory integration in practiceContinued education and lectureon sensory processing forundergraduate and graduateSLP studentsImprove overall quality of carethrough education of SLPsChildren’s sensory needs are impactingtheir ability to attend to their speechlanguage pathology treatment sessionsin a meaningful and effective way.There is a gap in the education forSLPs on sensory integration whichlimits their ability to recognize thechallenges and know how to supportthem in a productive way. Fedewa, A.L., & Erwin, H.E. (2011). Stability balls and studentswith attention and hyperactivity concerns: Implications for on-task and in-seat behavior. American Journal of OccupationalTherapy, 65(4), 393- 399. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2011.000554Gochenour, B. & Poskey, G. (2017). Alternative seating systemsfor students with attention difficulties: A systematic review.American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 71(4_Supplement_1),7111505149p1. doi: https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2017.71S1-PO6145  Morgus, K., Benson, J., Brown, E.D., & Smitsky, D. (2018) Effectsof alternative seating on attention and in-seat behavior forchildren with autism. American Journal of Occupational Therapy,72(Supplement 1). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.72S1-PO3023Pfeiffer, B., Henry, A., Miller, S., & Witherell, S. (2008).Effectiveness of Disc 'O' Sit cushions on attention to task insecond-grade students with attention difficulties. The AmericanJournal of Occupational Therapy, 62(3), 274–281.https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.62.3.274 Schilling, D.L., Washington, K., Billingsley, F.F., & Deitz, J. (2003).Classroom seating for children with attention deficithyperactivity disorder: Therapy balls versus chairs. The AmericanJournal of Occupational Therapy, 57(5), 534-541.https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.57.5.534Seifert, A. M., & Metz, A. E. (2017). The effects of inflated seatingcushions on engagement in preschool circle time. EarlyChildhood Education Journal, 45(3), 411-418.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-016-0797-7 SLPs treat children with language andcommunication delays who oftentimeshave an existing primary diagnosis suchas: Autism (ASD), Down Syndrome, orAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD).1-3% of children in the United Stateshave an Autism diagnosis.1 in 6 children have sensory processingdifficulties. 80-100% of children with Autism havesensory processing difficulties. Mission Statement: To educate SLPs on delivering pediatric speech services that will enhance clientrapport, sensory regulation, attention, and learning through the use of adaptive seating. Presented by:  Julie Jones, McKayla Wallace, Marisa Given, Nisha Rustia, & George Cardenas (Fedewa & Erwin, 2011)Clinical observations of speechsessions revealed patterns ofchildren struggling with shortattention spans, meltdowns anddysregulated behaviors.SLP Survey data collection andinterviews revealed the SLPs didnot posess the knowledge orconfidence in identifying orsupporting sensory processingchallenges. The review of the literatureprovided a compilation ofevidence-based researchpromoting the positive impact ofadaptive seating on children'sattention spans and selfregulation.  Adaptive seating can replace achair or modify it to meet  theposture and sensory needs ofthe child. Wiggle seats are Inflatabletextured disc shaped cushions 12-15 inches in diameter that can beplaced on a chair seat. Yoga ball seats are bouncy ballswith stability feet to replace achair.Wobble stools replace a chair.  Researchers found that alternativeseating accommodations, such as wiggleseats, can significantly help childrenimprove their attention and engagementduring school-related activities(Gochenour & Poskey 2017; Pfeiffer, 2008;Seifert & Metz, 2017). Adaptive seating allows students to shiftweight in different directions and offersdeep pressure and vestibular input(Pfeiffer, 2008; Seifert & Metz, 2017). Some adaptive seating options have“nubs” on one side to offer tactile input ifdesired (Seifert & Metz, 2017). Research has also found improvements inchildren's self-modulation and classroomparticipation while promoting in-seatbehavior (Morgus et al., 2018).Adaptive seating was found to improvebalance, posture, and core strength whichresults in a calming effect to improvebehavior (Seifert & Metz, 2017).Fedewa and Erwin (2011) found thatadaptive seating improved attention forthose with ADHD and undiagnosedhyperactivity.Evidence-Based ResearchTheraband; <$5 each Wiggle Seats; $15-25 Yoga Ball Chair; $30-40 Wobble Stool; $80 Zenergy Chair; $200+

English

Adaptive Seating

Pacific McGeorge School of Law

https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=ot-student-research

Adaptive Seating

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Scholarly Commons

Pacific McGeorge School of Law