Configuring a Little Room
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The Little Room can be configured in a variety of sizes. Individuals unable to sit up independently should always use a shorter Little Room (seen below in the middle.) Individuals able to sit independently should be placed in a taller, sitting up design (child size on the left, adult size on the right.)
Use with a Resonance Board
Little Rooms should be placed on a Resonance Board if at all possible. Children who have only been positioned in supine on soft surfaces may take a little time to adjust to the surface of the Resonance Board. The Resonance Board helps to amplify the sounds created by the objects when the child engages with them. If the child cannot be placed flat in supine, a wedge can be placed under the Resonance Board to provide a slight tilt.
Riser
On occasion a riser is used to add an additional 6 inches of height to the Little Room. This is especially useful when a child is between sizes, and the taller design is too high, causing too much swing in the objects attached. Risers can be hand-made out of wood, and the Little Room should sit securely on top.
Configuring for the Correct Height
The configuration of the correct height of a Little Room is individual to the child in terms of his/her size and ability to sit up independently. The objects need to be at a height that the child’s independent movements with head, mouth, arms, hands, legs and feet can cause something to happen. The top needs to be close enough to the child’ head (if lying down) that any vocalizing or even breathing that the child does will be amplified. This is somewhat less of a concern if the child is able to sit up and manipulate items in the Little Room.
Below are examples of Little Rooms configured correctly and incorrectly:
Just Right
Madison, seen below, is in child-size, sitting-up Little Room. This is a good height for her.
Just Right
Rylan in lying-down Little Room. This is a good size for him.
Too Short
Michael is sitting in up in a Little Room with a riser, but his head is touching the lid or top. Time to move up to the next size.
Just Right
Now we can see that Michael has the appropriate head space in the adult-size, sitting-up room configuration. This size will fit him through adulthood.
Too Short
Paxton, is in child-size, sitting-up Little Room. His head is at lid or top of the Little Room; time to add riser or move to the adult-size, sitting-up Little Room.
Just Right
Paxton is shown in child-size Little Room on riser. This is a good size for him.
Too Short
The Little Room can be configured at a height that allows the child to stand erect inside. In this picture we see that this Little Room needs to be raised to be tall enough for Paxton.
Just Right
RJ in lying-down Little Room. This configuration has been adapted because he is feeding using a g-tube. The Little Room is placed on wedge with a Resonance Board on top, with non-slide material on the board while the tube feeding is running.
