With a few tools and some inspiration from Pinterest, elementary school teacher Amy Maplethorpe created a few unique chairs for students with special needs. The first-grade speech-language pathologist instructor teaches at Raymond Ellis Elementary School in Round Lake, Illinois. Reportedly, she was inspired to create the chairs that help students with Down syndrome, autism, or sensory processing disorders while scrolling through Pinterest.
They were simple to make, as the only tools required were paint, a hot glue gun, and a few tennis balls. According to a Facebook post shared by the school, the chairs will assist 15 to 20 students who attend the facility. And, it’s reported that young learners have already shown improvement since they started using the special seats during class.
The post reads:
“Sensory seating is used for students who may have difficulty processing information from their senses and from the world around them. Tennis balls on the seat and backrest provide an alternative texture to improve sensory regulation.”
Miss Maplethorpe, from our Speech and Language Department created these chairs for our students that have sensory…
Posted by Raymond Ellis Elementary School on Thursday, January 26, 2017
If you’re interested in making your own tennis ball chair, instructions have been written out in a Facebook post located here.
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