Generally, children are not able to sit with a perfect posture for a long period of time because of the stamina required. They get tired quickly and will constantly change their position, particularly when the chair they are sitting in is not suitable or comfortable. They will fidget / slouch / lean on anything within their reach or stand up and move around. This is so their muscles don’t have to work so hard to do what they’re supposed to do.
We expect children to perform many tasks in sitting positions in home and school environments. For example toileting, feeding, bathing, reading, handwriting and scissors skills. Most children will change their position simultaneously, remaining attentive to their environment and still be able to perform complex tasks.
However, some children with special needs such as Autism, Sensory Processing Difficulties, Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia), Cerebral Palsy and other learning and physical disabilities will be unable to simultaneously change their sitting position in order to participate in activities of daily living.
If they do manage to change their sitting position, it is often strenuous for them and they are very likely to experience fatigue. They will, therefore, not be able to focus and participate in the functional tasks required of them. Children who are unable to sit well will struggle to use their hands effectively and will have poor attention and fine motor skills.
A seating assessment by an Occupational Therapist (OT) within your child’s home, school and any other environment deemed necessary for your child’s full participation will identify specific seating difficulties. It will also help us find a suitable type of supportive chair needed to enable your child to find a correct sitting posture.
Doing so allows joints, muscles and ligaments to be in alignment to reduce strain and fatigue on these structures, enabling your child to change position easily when they need to. As a result of this intervention, they will have more energy and motivation to be interested in their environment enabling them to better engage and participate in complex everyday tasks.
A child with sensory processing difficulties will also benefit in the same way. We will be able to establish and process their body position and movement coordination in relation to the tasks in which they are expected to engage with.
Cerebral Palsy, brain injury and other complex conditions
A child with complex physical disabilities, for example, cerebral palsy, brain injury and any other complex conditions can also be assessed for a more specialist supportive chair. This is to find maximum support as they may not be able to sit independently in any capacity.
A child may need more than one chair for different purposes in order to be able to participate in all activities of daily living.
For example:
- bath/toilet chair, to enable sitting on the toilet, in the bath or shower
- wheelchair for movement
- multipurpose chair where they may spend most of their time sitting in school/home, e.g. feeding, playing