Sitting with peers - The process of finding a seating solution for one child

By: Carrie Portrie, EC-SEAT Project Coordinator

Each semester, students in Assistive Technology courses at the University of New Hampshire with Therese Willkomm are required to go into the field, find someone who may benefit from AT, and develop a solution for them.

For one of my projects I found an AT solution for a 6-year old boy (J.) with Angelman Syndrome who is just beginning to walk independently. His mother wants him out of his wheelchair. His individual education plan (IEP) team and I talked about multiple solutions to potentially increase his inclusion in school (from the art room to outdoors).

Ultimately, we decided on a floor seating solution. J. can sit independently, but he likes to move, touch, and mouth materials with interesting textures. He struggles to sit among his peers without positioning supports. He needs a floor seat that secures his body in a seated position but also allows him some movement and textural interaction.

The goals for the solution included:

• Getting J. out of his wheelchair onto the floor sitting with peers during group meetings and floor activities
• Finding a portable and light weight solution that can be carried to multiple locations in the school. 

Solutions Tried

Hand constructed chair fashioned out of AstroSheild white, pink board, foam pipe insulation 3/4in (all available at hardware stores) and stacking bin.

Pros: The chair was lightweight and customizable. It could be used other ways if the solution no longer works. J. liked sitting in it and leaning on it. 

Cons: J. was more interested in touching and looking at the AstroShield than sitting on it. J. likes rocking, and when he tried to rock he fell backwards on the mat. This solution was not safe or sturdy enough for J. 

A large piece of AstroWhite (donated by Therese).

Pros: J. liked the texture, and he willingly sat on it. It is light, foldable, portable, washable, and easy to disinfect. Also, J. likes to rock, and he could rock on the sheet. 

Cons: J.’s back, sides and legs had little support. He easily relaxed into a supine or crawling position. 

Camping chair** (REI - $24.50) with AstroShield placed on bottom of seat.

Pros: The chair provides side and back support. J. can rock, and the chair is foldable, lightweight, and portable. It can easily be brought to multiple settings. It is washable, and aesthetically common and non-medical; other kids use these. 

Cons: can fall backwards, and tilt sideways easily, may wear quickly if J. mouths the straps, continuous rocking or movement may cause increased wear.

**chosen solution

Next Time:

I would like to go back and try the basket solution with a sturdier basket or base. Knowing J. likes to move a lot and is tall, the stackable basket may have not been the best choice. For a shorter child it may have worked better. Next time, I would leave time to go back and see how the solution was working out.

This is a simple example of finding AT solutions for children. LDOnline shares a brief from the National Center for Technology Innovation and Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) called "Tools for Evaluation: Assistive Technology Tools Kits." This brief lists four different tool kits and four models for AT evaluation. Also the Center for Parent Information and Resources provides a simple guide for IEP teams. As we know finding the right AT solutions takes collaboration, trial and error, and time for adaptions. Finding a framework to support your selection process will help ensure what your selection benefits the person who will be using the solution and makes sense to those who may support that individual daily.