Stories
The Compass Chair: A Classroom Seating Option for the Child with Autism
May 21, 2019
by Belinda Horning, BS, Ed.
It’s an ongoing discussion, and one that anyone involved in some way with students with autism are familiar with. How do I get my students to concentrate so that they can learn? Can they ever sit still enough at a desk to learn the basics of reading, writing and math? Can I expect my student with autism to sit and attend in class in the same way I expect it of my regular education students? If there...
Videos
Compass Chair
Over the past few years, we've had many requests for a simple chair for mildly involved students, for students with autism spectrum disorder, and we decided to redesign the Compass Chair.
Evidence Based Practice
Evidence Update: Dynamic Seating for Children with Autism
May 30, 2017
by Elena Noble, MPT
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...
PT/OT
Studying Neurodevelopmental Disorders with the Rifton Activity Chair
November 12, 2015
by Elena Noble, MPT
From school classrooms to radiology departments to hospital feeding clinics, the Rifton Activity Chair meets a range of positioning needs in a variety of environments.
Recently we learned of yet another clinical setting where the Activity Chair has found a niche: in the study of neurodevelopmental disorders at the UC Davis MIND Institute, an internationally respected research facility. Here, the...
News
Found Today on the Web
January 02, 2015
by Carmen Hinkey
Every time a major media source writes a serious story about the challenges faced by those with developmental disabilities we should be encouraged and reminded that our society has made strides in accessibility and acceptance.
Facilities like the Lee Specialty Clinic in Louisville Kentucky are to be commended for creating an environment where these challenges are more easily met and the DD...
Evidence Based Practice
Evidence Update: Autism in the News
February 07, 2012
by Elena Noble, MPT
This evidence update is focused on autism. It is a topic that’s been in the news lately, and the Spring 2012 Pediatric Physical Therapy Journal features two great articles and one commentary on this subject which I summarize below. Additionally, it is timely for the Rifton autism chair which is now available.
I have also included a remarkable (and provocative) ABC news video at the end which you...
Tips & Advice
Teaching Children with Autism in the Classroom
January 24, 2012
by Elena Noble, MPT
Contributed by: Denise Keene who has been a Special Ed teacher for 15 years.
All children in special education classes are introduced to the same subjects that are taught in the regular class: math, reading, writing, science, etc. However, because they have different needs, new concepts may be introduced at a slower pace. For example, most children learn to read a short book by the end of kindergarten, but...
PT/OT
Autism Chair by Rifton: Providing Movement Sensory Input through Adaptive Seating
June 14, 2011
by Lori Potts, PT
Children with an autism spectrum disorder find it difficult to focus. And when a child’s autism manifests in combination with profound intellectual disability or with a developmental syndrome with physical limitations the difficulties with social interaction and attention to task are compounded. For the special education teacher, having children with autism in the classroom is challenging.
The...