The Therapy Chair

One of the tricky things Whitney's teachers discovered at school this year is how difficult it is to keep her sitting still in a chair for any length time.  She squirms and scoots and refuses to stay still.  Sometimes it's cute like when she crosses her legs and sits like a cultured little lady.  But if she wants to go anywhere in school she needs to learn to stay in her chair with her feet planted on the floor.

So to help Whit stay put in her chair her teachers came up with a great solution.  They found a chair that is just the right height for her sat her in it, put her feet on the floor and then looped a foam strap around her feet to keep them where they should be.  The strap is fastened to both sides of the chair at the feet with velcro.  That foam strap is a firm reminder to Whitney to sit still and keep her feet on the floor, but it's not tight enough to make her feel bound in.  When it's time to stand up the velcro can come loose and off she goes.

And here's the best part of all, Whitney's teachers let us take it home for the summer so we can keep working with her while she's out of school.  So now each day Whitney takes some time in the therapy chair to help her remember the structure of school and the importance of sitting still.  The only difference is during the summer she gets to watch The Little Mermaid or a Signing Time episode while she practices.