A LITERATURE REVIEW OF SENSORY-BASED ALTERATIVE SEATING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

• Main Author: von Schlutter, Hannah
• Format: Others
• Published: UKnowledge 2017
• Subjects: Sensory-based interventions; alternative seating; autism spectrum disorder; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; sensory processing deficits; Special Education and Teaching
• Online Access: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/edsrc_etds/51; https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=edsrc_etds

The purpose of this review was to determine whether the use of sensory-based alternative seating to increase the appropriate behaviors of individuals with disabilities is an evidence-based practice (EBP). Articles located on this topic were descriptively analyzed, and What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) guidelines were applied to determine each study’s methodological rigor, level of evidence, and whether, taken together, there is enough research to support alternative seating as an EBP. A total of 37 studies of the effects of sensory-based alternative seating on individuals with disabilities were found. These studies included a total of 44 participants, between 3 to 9 years of age. Based on WWC guidelines, six of the 37 studies, or 16%, met standards for rigor, and of those, only one study showed evidence of a positive effect on the target behavior. The results and their implications for teachers/practitioners, and future research are discussed.