PT/OT

Adapted Seating Interventions for Children with Medical Complexity

January 18, 2024 by Tanya Myers, PT, DPT, AnnMarie Stauffer, PT, DPT, and Lisa Gradziel, PT, DPT
A boy sits on a Rifton Activity Chair and plays with a toy train with his therapist.

As school-based therapists, we are frequently asked to provide input on seating, standing, and movement opportunities (including walking and gross motor participation). The school is a naturally supportive setting for children of all abilities to participate more.

PT/OT Positioning for Functional Seating May 13, 2020 by Lori Potts, PT
A boy sitting in a Rifton Activity Chair with a forward-leaning tilt
Active sitting promotes trunk and head control and can improve a child’s posture and functional use of the arms and head. Learn how to position and adjust an adaptive chair to encourage active sitting.
PT/OT Stabilizing the Pelvis with the Rifton Pelvic Harness February 18, 2020 by Lori Potts, PT
the pelvic harness on the Rifton Activity Chair
The Activity Chair pelvic harness is more effective than a seatbelt or abductor for securing the pelvis and enabling functional sitting.
PT/OT Teaching Weight Acceptance with the Rifton Activity Chair January 07, 2020 by Elena Noble, MPT
a girl sitting on a Rifton Activity Chair washing her hands
Beyond the comforts of the sofa or the academics of a classroom, sitting is a learning position – for motor skill building. For those with disabilities that limit standing and walking opportunities, this means engaging in seated postures and activities that challenge core stability, endurance, trunk and head control. And the start of the learning process always begins with transferring out of a...
Evidence Based Practice Evidence Update: Dynamic Seating for Children with Autism May 30, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
dynamic seating children autism
Teachers and therapists working in inclusive classrooms continue to work to improve academic outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  One fascinating area of inquiry is seating modification to improve in-seat performance, as students may need to sit for five hours during a normal school day. In one recent article on the topic, researchers examined how dynamic seating options...
Evidence Based Practice Evidence Update: The Relationship of Trunk Support to Head Stability May 09, 2017 by Lori Potts, PT
head stability control
Trunk and head control is a challenge for many children with cerebral palsy (CP). This fascinating recent study examines how providing varying levels of biomechanical trunk support affects neural control of head stability, specifically for children with CP in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Levels IV or V. By definition, GMFCS Level IV indicates children whose walking ability is severely...
PT/OT Tilt and Recline in Pediatric Mobility March 06, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
tilt recline pediatric mobility
We know that there are over fifteen body functions and body structures affected by the orientation of an adaptive seating system. So needless to say, when setting up such a seating system for a child with disabilities, it’s important to get it right. That task falls on the child’s therapist or ATP. Successful positioning and functional results depends on thoroughly understanding the...
Stories An Unlikely Hero January 02, 2017 by Susanna Mommsen, Marketing Associate
A man plays a guitar and sings to help a boy in a special needs chair focus on the task he is performing
At Rifton we talk a lot about heroes. They are the people we meet at schools and hospitals who care for people with multiple – and sometimes overwhelming – disabilities. People like Alicia in the photo at right, a physical therapist at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in Yonkers, who is helping Derrick learn to walk. But take another look. Something has caught Derrick’s eye. Notice the...
PT/OT Survey Results: Building a Case for Dynamic Seating July 26, 2016 by Lori Potts, PT
The Rifton Activity Chair showing incremental adjustments for dynamic seating and adaptive positioning
Occupational therapist Michelle Lange recently conducted a survey on dynamic seating. Her questions focused on wheelchairs that have dynamic components integrated into or added to the design. Over 100 clinicians and suppliers responded and it’s clear that we’re seeing an increased appreciation for dynamic adaptive equipment for children and clients with unique positioning needs. Michelle...
PT/OT Positioning Checklist for the Activity Chair May 31, 2016 by Lori Potts, PT
The Rifton Activity chair is a special needs positioning chair in purple
By popular request we now have created a positioning checklist for the Rifton Activity chair. Therapists know how tough it can be to remember each client’s specific support prompts and settings, especially with an adaptive chair that is used between multiple clients.
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