In the Forum: Stability Balls in the Classroom

What does your child sit on in school? For most of us, the answer would be, "A chair" -- and in some cases, "A hard uncomfortable chair that he can't help but rock and kick and scooch and wriggle in." One alternative to that sort of seating is a big inflatable ball, but is it practical to have kids balancing all day in the classroom?

A mom posting in the Parenting Special Needs Forum was surprised when she heard spherical seating was coming to her son's classroom. She writes:

My son is a bright little guy who has multiple challenges –- including a diagnosis of ADHD, nonverbal learning disability and severe balance problems.

Last week I found out that his classroom is trading out their traditional seats for stability balls. Now, there are all sorts of advantages of this for kids with ADHD, and it is good for core strength. So it would seem that a parent with a special-needs kid would be excited about this change in a mainstream classroom -– but it threw me into sheer panic. AND yes, my child would benefit from the movement and needs to work on core strength.

What has me going more than anything is the lack of support or even mention of implementing these types of stability-ball programs with kids with physical challenges anywhere I looked (Internet, etc). Now, my son already uses an inflated seat cushion for movement, so I know that the movement component he'd benefit from. But sitting on a stability ball is a whole new game: He’d fall off it -– be tired in about a half an hour.

I'd like to raise awareness that stability balls may not be a welcome addition for all kids, and that modifications and adaptations for kids like ours should be routine considerations as teachers implement these programs in more and more classrooms across the country. I am hoping that parents like me won't have to go into panic mode as these programs are implemented, but rather that teachers implementing these programs approach us with the options for our kids.

I've used a big inflated ball as a seat for my son before, and it did help him focus on homework. I've written about ball-sitting as a way to help students sit still, and I'd be happy if a teacher suggested using one in the classroom. As the poster mentioned, though, I'd expect to be consulted first, and to have the opportunity to raise some concerns.

Fatigue would certainly be a problem if these were going to be used all day, as the only seating alternative. Constant use would also, probably, make it lose effectiveness quickly. I'd say, try the ball for different students at different times for difficult subjects, with the close supervision of an aide who could make sure kids with low muscle tone and low core strength don't fall off.

I can't quite imagine a whole mainstream class of kids sitting on the things all day long. Have balls replaced desk chairs in your child's classroom? How's it working? Share your experience in the forum, and check the poster's research on frames to hold the balls in place.

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