Teacher Invents Genius Chair to Help Kids With Sensory-Processing Issues

For children who have any sort of sensory issue, sitting still in a classroom and processing everything going on around them can be extremely difficult. To alleviate some of these difficulties her students with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, and sensory processing disorders may have been experiencing, Miss Maplethorpe in the Raymond Ellis Elementary School's Speech and Language department created special sensory seating.

A photo of Miss Maplethorpe with the chairs, which have tennis ball halves glued to the backrests and seats, was shared to the Raymond Ellis Elementary School's Facebook page at the end of January and has since gone viral. "Sensory seating is used for students who may have difficulty processing information from their senses and from the world around them," the school's post read. "Tennis balls on the seat and backrest provide an alternative texture to improve sensory regulation."

Many moms and teachers in the comments agree that their child or some of their students could benefit from a seating solution like Miss Maplethorpe's chairs. "This teacher needs to go right now and get a Utility and Design Patent and then go to Shark Tank," one commenter wrote. "This is BRILLIANT!"