No More Fidgety Kids?

kymmie

New Member
I ran across this article today... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29553577/

I was just wondering if anyone has tried it with ODD/ADHD child. I can see my difficult child picking it up and throwing it across the room at his teacher. On the otherhand, he could really enjoy something like this. I can never tell which way it will go.
 

SRL

Active Member
Some of these simple solutions make such huge improvements for so little money that I'm surprised more schools haven't caught on.

A friend of my oldest was literally the most hyperactive child I've ever seen in my life...and that was even with a full dose of Ritalin. Sitting still in class was like a nightmare so I suggested to his mom to ask the teacher if having a gel ball on his desk would be okay. That kid worked that ball with one hand nearly every minute of the school day but it worked like a charm because he had an outlet for his physical energy.
 

aeroeng

Mom of Three
We have not used a ball, but my son did try the "move n sit" seat which works in a very similar manner. It is a wedge that is placed on the seat. The wedge has a bubble that moves like a ball. I thought it was a wonderful idea, and he did not like it and would not use it.

Your kid might be different! Worth a try.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
The year after the best sped teacher I have ever seen left our school district the new teacher spent a HUGE chunk of her budget on a chair that held the ball for ONE child to sit in. It was about $400. The ONE child who was allowed to use it threw the ball AND the rest of the chair at teachers, aides and other kids. By the time the chair had been there a month ALL the kids were forbidden to even touch it because hte new sped teacher was an idiot. (She did a LOT of other really stupid things also. Restraints of children went from maybe 3 or 4 times a YEAR to 5 or 6 times a DAY with this woman in the classroom. If she was absent then the restraints dropped to maybe 1 or 2 a day! THAT is how bad she was.)

Anyway, I think it has promise in regular classrooms, but would be leary of it in classrooms with all difficult children.
 

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
I'm not sure how I would vote on this, but I'm leaning more towards "no". I have no problem with kids standing to do their work, or moving to another area of the classroom...my feeling is that as long as the work is getting done, learning is taking place, and no one is being bothered, who cares what position the kids are in?

I wouldn't want to have to monitor balls flying across the room or kids doing kangaroo imitations. Subbing can be hard enough without added distractions.
 
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