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Research Article  |   May 2008
Effectiveness of Disc ‘O’ Sit Cushions on Attention to Task in Second-Grade Students With Attention Difficulties
Beth Pfeiffer; Amy Henry; Stephanie Miller; Suzie Witherell
Author Affiliations
  • Beth Pfeiffer, PhD, OTR/L, BCP, is Assistant Professor, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19140, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, College Misericordia, Dallas, PA; bpfeiffe@temple.edu
  • Amy Henry, MS, OTR/L, is Occupational Therapy Supervisor, Colonial Intermediate Unit 20, and Adjunct Instructor, College Misericordia, Dallas, PA
  • Stephanie Miller, MS, OTR/L, is Instructor, Lehigh Carbon County Community College, Schnecksville, PA, and Adjunct Instructor, College Misericordia, Dallas, PA
  • Suzie Witherell, MS, OTR/L, is Owner and Director, Witherell OT and Associates, Kane, PA
Article Information
School-Based Practice / Children and Youth
Research Article   |   May 2008
Effectiveness of Disc ‘O’ Sit Cushions on Attention to Task in Second-Grade Students With Attention Difficulties
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, May/June 2008, Vol. 62, 274-281. doi:10.5014/ajot.62.3.274
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, May/June 2008, Vol. 62, 274-281. doi:10.5014/ajot.62.3.274
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Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of a type of dynamic seating system, the Disc ‘O’ Sit cushion (Gymnic, Osoppo, Italy), for improving attention to task among second-grade students with attention difficulties. Sixty-three second-grade students participated in the study. Using a randomized controlled trial design, 31 students were assigned to a treatment group, and 32 were assigned to a control group. Treatment group participants used Disc ‘O’ Sit cushions throughout the school day for a 2-week period. The teachers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (Gioia, Isquith, Guy, & Kenworthy, 1996) for each participant before and after the intervention. An analysis of variance identified a statistically significant difference in the attention to task before and after the intervention for the treatment group. The results of the study provide preliminary evidence for the use of the Disc ‘O’ Sit cushion as an occupational therapy intervention to improve attention in the school setting.