My Child Keeps Falling Out of His Chair!

A quick and dirty test to rule out a commonly missed cause and how to fix it.

Many parents and teachers complain of children with developmental, learning, and coordination challenges falling out of their chairs. They will see this during class instruction and during homework time.

Common causes of the problem are behavior, sensory processing difficulty, or combinations of both. Modifications such as allowing the child frequent movement breaks or giving them an inflatable cushion to sit on are often used to address the problem.

A commonly missed cause of the problem is core imbalances, which are often present in children who have developmental or learning challenges. A quick and dirty test to see if the most commonly seen pattern is present in your child or student is to have the child touch opposite elbows to knees and compare the two sides.

Touch the right elbow to the left knee	Then touch the left elbow to the right knee

Encourage the child to move SLOWLY. If you allow a child to move quickly, some children will power through their tight spots and compensate with excessive movement in their backs.

Compare the two sides. Ask the child if they are the same. Listen to their feedback. Some children can identify the difference very easily and other children will need you to make the observations.

If you and the child have identified a difference between sides, you have identified a core imbalance that can be greatly impacting the child’s gross motor, fine motor, visual and learning abilities.

To eliminate the imbalance in sitting, we exaggerate the imbalance by having the child perform repeated elbow to knee patterns on the EASY side only. After ten or more repetitions, retest both sides. You will likely see less difference between sides. Repeat this daily until the core remains balanced.

Reach out to us at info@kidpt.com or 908-543-4390 to continue the discussion on how we can best help your child reach their potential.