Sitting down and paying attention in class is one of the major areas of concern in ADHD population. These kids are known to act “as if driven by a motor” and may simply leave their seat and start walking around the classroom. Needless to say this entails a wide range of social and academic difficulties. Thankfully, there is a research- and evidence-based strategy to make the lives of these children easier.
Alternative seating arrangements in the form of balance balls, balance balls with backrest, and sensory cushions have all been studied in classroom settings with a general finding of their effectiveness in terms of increasing in-seat behavior and improving attention.
Wu et al. (2014) found that balance balls with backrests were helpful to engage ADHD kids in the classroom. Specifically, the researches found that therapy ball had a significant advantage for enhancing the attentional ability, as measured with electroencephalogram (EEG).
In a different study (Schilling, 2003) an even larger group of students with ADHD was studied to determine whether therapy balls would be superior to regular chairs in terms of promoting such behaviors as staying seated and attending to the tasks. It turned out that therapy balls contributed to better ability to stay seated, attend and listen.
See the current solutions to the problem of alternative seating below: