Elementary school teacher glued tennis balls on students’ chairs — the reason is ingenious

Some teachers come up with ingenious ways to make learning accessible for all of their students. An elementary school teacher did something similar for her students with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome and sensory processing disorder. The woman glued tennis balls to their chairs so they could have "adaptive seating," and the internet is very impressed with the effort she made. Adaptive seating can help students with sensory disorders in sensory regulation, attention, and learning, per the University of the Pacific. The teacher's initiative and how it would help the students were shared on Raymond Ellis Elementary School's Facebook page.

"Miss Maplethorpe, from our Speech and Language Department, created these chairs for our students who have sensory issues. Thank you, Miss Maplethorpe," the post's caption read. The school also posted a photo of Miss Maplethorpe along with her creations. The woman had cut several tennis balls in half and had stuck them to the backrest and seats of the chairs. "Sensory seating is used for students who may have difficulty processing information from their senses and from the world around them," the post explained. Tennis balls on the seat and backrest might give the students an alternative texture that would, in turn, help improve their sensory regulation. "Students with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, sensory processing disorder, etc., may benefit from this seating option."

They also shared how one can make those chairs for the kids around them. "It is exciting to hear that they could benefit students across the world!" The materials for making the chairs included: a chair, halved tennis balls, fabric, Modge Podge, paintbrush/paint sponge and hot glue. At first, you should "modge podge" the seat and backrest of the chair and then place fabric over it. Next up, you would "modge podge" the fabric and then wait for it to dry, which might take around 20 to 30 minutes. "Then, hot glue tennis balls cut in half to the seat and backrest. When that dries, hot glue the excess fabric underneath the seat and behind the backrest to give it an 'upholstered' look." One can also hot glue around the tennis balls once the glue has dried off to make sure they hold.

Many people shared their thoughts on the teacher's idea in the comments section. Rebecca Crow wrote, "I'm in Tyler, Texas and found this post in my news feed. This teacher needs to go right now and get a Utility and Design Patent, and then go to Shark Tank. Lol, this is brilliant!" Heather Brenner commented, "For anyone saying this won't work — keep in mind, when you have met one child with autism, you have met one child with autism. No two are alike. The same can be said for children who have sensory impairments, etc. Some children may find this a good solution, some may not. I am sure she thought of her client's specific need when creating this seat. I am proud to have someone so invested in her student representing my profession."

Diane Williams Shaw remarked, "Some kids just cannot 'sense' their physical body in the universe in the same way most of us do. Having a physical reminder of where they are would be great. Most of the time, they are climbing walls and shelves, picking up furniture, moving tables around, running or otherwise doing SOMETHING physical all the time ( and do not diagnose as ADHD all the time.) So, it's a good thing for them."