Ideas to Help Students with Autism Sit

Is your special student having a hard time sitting in class or at a table? We've put together this list to help your special kiddo survive sitting.

Chewies, gum, chewy tubes and chewelry, work well to help students calm or refocus.

Fidgets Fidgets, small toys a student can hold in their hand, help increase focus and attention. (Rotz, Wright, 2005) Good fidgets should have a combination of an interesting tactile composition, pliability, and some movement opportunities for the hands and fingers.

Seating Discs Children who have problems sitting tend to "under register" movement, and without that ability, they can't focus. Although they look strong in quick actions, the body can't endure long periods of sitting or standing. Sit discs are ideal for providing kids with movement and tactile stimulation while sitting in their seats. Literature indicates positive effects of dynamic seating for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) for attention and classroom behaviors (Schilling & Swartz, 2004; Schilling, Washington, Billingsley, & Deitz, 2003). As a group, students with IEPs and those considered At-Risk demonstrated overall improvements and/or consistencies in rate, accuracy, fluency, and comprehension while seated on an air-filled cushion. Students with IEPs showed the greatest increase in reading rate and comprehension, with a full or almost full grade level of improvement noted. Both the teacher and the students noted that the air-filled cushion was not disruptive and was easily accommodated into the classroom routine.

Timers Timers help students understand the passage of time and can monitor their own activities. Better time awareness can also relieves the stress and anxiety.

Wait Card Create a simple card with the word “wait” written on it. For some students this extra reminder can help to keep them seated.

Place an Exercise Band around the bottom of two front chair legs to help your student focus. Students can sit and wiggle without disturbing the class.

Weighted Vest, Lap Pad, or Shoulder Weights According to a study by the Challenge Infant Developmental Center, Brooklyn, New York children with autism, who used a weighted vest, displayed an increase in attention to task and decrease in self-stimulatory behaviors. The most consistent improvement observed was the decreased number of distractions.