Teaching · Related Services

Feet down,
hands free.

A first grader whose feet hang from an adult-height chair spends effort staying upright that should go into writing. Measure the seat and the lower leg, work through six checks, and the footrest height to fix it comes straight out.

Check a seatWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Related Services toolkit, $99 for 96 items.

Your seat checks

The worked example is made up: a first grader whose feet hang 3.5 inches above the floor, and a fifth grader who fits the chair but is not wearing AFOs consistently. Saved on this device only; students are recorded by code.

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What you get

Teaching · Related Services$5 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per student seat: student code, grade, where, date, seat height and lower leg length; six positioning checks; the support chosen and notes. Works out the gap between seat and lower leg and the footrest height that closes it; flags dangling feet, a seat that is too low, orthotics not worn and feet wrapped or tucked; lists each student’s gap.
Who it is for
School occupational and physical therapists, teachers and paraprofessionals setting up classrooms, especially for younger students and students with motor needs.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per seat. Prints one check for the classroom, every seat in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Related Services toolkit ($99) and the Teaching Suite pass ($199), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Related Services space in Caveat Teaching.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Measure the seat height at its front edge.
  2. Measure the lower leg sitting, shoes on, back of the knee to the floor.
  3. Work through the six checks.
  4. Add a stable footrest of the height shown, or change the chair.
  5. Check again in a few weeks and after growth spurts.

Check a seat

A stable sitting base

A stable sitting baseFeet flatGives a base to push from when writing or reachingKnees near 90°Thighs rest on the seat; no pressure behind the kneesHips near 90°Back against the chair; trunk upright without effortTable at elbow heightForearms rest without shrugging or slumpingA stable sitting baseFeet flatGives a base to push from when writingor reachingKnees near 90°Thighs rest on the seat; no pressurebehind the kneesHips near 90°Back against the chair; trunk uprightwithout effortTable at elbow heightForearms rest without shrugging orslumping
The 90-90-90 position is a starting point for a check, not a rule to hold all day; students should be able to move.

Choosing a footrest

A footrest should be stable, non-slip and wide and deep enough for both feet, at the height that brings the knees close to 90°. Stacked books slide; a wooden box, a commercial footrest or a step stool with rubber feet works better.

Whole-class furniture

Many classrooms have one chair height for a range of ages. When several students show the same gap, an adjustable chair or a lower table may serve the room better than one footrest at a time.

Sources

  1. American Occupational Therapy Association. School-based occupational therapy and classroom positioning (aota.org).
  2. Parush, S., Levanon-Erez, N., and Weintraub, N. (2006). Ergonomic factors influencing handwriting performance. Work, 26(2), 155–160.
  3. Cornell University Ergonomics Web. Sitting posture and seat height (ergo.human.cornell.edu).
  4. American Physical Therapy Association, Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy. Fact sheets on school-based physical therapy (pediatricapta.org).

The worked example is made up. This is a positioning check for a classroom; it does not replace an assessment for specialized seating. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.