Effectiveness of Disc “O” Sit Cushions on Attention to Task in Second-Grade Students with Attention Difficulties.
Pfeiffer, B., Henry, A., Miller, S., & Witherell, S. (2008.). The American Journal of Occupational Therapy: Official Publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 62(3), 274–281.
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examining61Students, grade2
Practice Guide
Review Details
Reviewed: February 2026
- Practice Guide (findings for Disc 'O' Sit cushion)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF Teacher Form): Global Executive Composite score |
Disc 'O' Sit cushion vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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165.92 |
146.34 |
Yes |
|
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function: Metacognition Index (MI) |
Disc 'O' Sit cushion vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
106.57 |
94.88 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function: Behavior Rating Index (BRI) |
Disc 'O' Sit cushion vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
59.36 |
51.47 |
Yes |
|
||
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 26%
Male: 74% -
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Pennsylvania
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Race Other or unknown 100% -
Ethnicity Other or unknown 100% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Other or unknown 100%
Study Details
Setting
The study takes place in second grade classrooms in 6 public elementary schools in the Pocono Mountain School District in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Study sample
The study included 29 students in the treatment group and 32 students in the control group. To be included in the study, students must have been identified as having potential attention difficulties based on screening questions about their behavior completed by their classroom teachers. Overall, there were 61 participants: 45 boys (73.8%) and 16 girls (26.2%). Participants’ ages ranged from 90 to 112 months (mean = 98.87 months). Regarding educational placement, 23 treatment-group students and 26 control-group students were in regular education classrooms; 5 treatment-group students and 6 control-group students were in learning support classrooms; and 1 treatment-group student was in gifted classes.
Intervention Group
Students in the treatment group sat in their regular classroom chairs with the Disc 'O' Sit cushion for 2 hours a day for two weeks. The Disc 'O' Sit cushion is an air-filled cushion that students place on their desk chairs and sit on. The cushion provides opportunities for students to move while in their desks and is intended to help students with attention difficulties to improve their attention.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group sat in regular classroom chairs without the cushion for two weeks.
Support for implementation
Intervention students experimented with the cushions for one-hour prior to the start of the study to choose their preferred air level.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).