Influence of the seat surface of an adapted chair on the performance of a manipulation task

the objective of this study was to verify the influence of the flexibility of the seat surface of a chair on the speed and time expended by students with spastic cerebral palsy during the performance of a task involving the manipulation an object while in a seated position. Eleven students of both genders participated in the study; all were diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy, and all had some control of trunk and upper limbs. The quantification of the kinematics analysis was done through two experimental situations: 1) performance of an academic task involving fitting blocks into matching holes, with the individual seated in an adapted seat with canvas seat surface; 2) performance of an academic task involving fitting blocks into matching holes, with the participant seated in an adapted seat with wooden seat surface. The data collected was submitted to descriptive analysis and non-parametric statistics using the Wilcoxon test. The results indicated that: 1) the average speed of performance of the tasks was not influenced by the type of seat surface 2) performance time for the task was influenced by the type of seat surface. The use of the canvas seat surface increased the accomplishment time for the task. This study concluded that the seat surface of school furniture for students with spastic cerebral palsy should not to be made from very flexible materials. This type of seat surface does not offer the necessary stability, and will be detrimental to the student’s performance during activities involving the upper limbs.

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