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Early Activity System User Manual
The Five Positions
The Early Activity System supports
purposeful play in:
1. Back lying (supine)
2. Tummy lying (prone)
3. Side lying
4. Floor sitting (long sitting)
5. Hands and knees (four-point
kneeling)
You may find your child likes some
positions more than others, or some
positions may not be medically
advisable for your child to use. It
is important for you to take advice
from your therapist(s) about the best
positions to place your child in. This
may depend on whether your child’s
muscles are tight (high tone) or floppy
(low tone), his level of development or
tolerance for certain positions. Some
positions may need to be avoided for
medical reasons, and others will need
to be encouraged, even if your child is
not keen at the start!
Transitions
Transitions are the positions or
movements needed to get from one
position into another. For example,
rolling is the transition needed to
get from tummy lying to back lying
and over again. To be able to change
position independently, your child
needs to learn to shift their body
weight, then support that weight with
one part of their body while moving
another part of their body. Some
activities will be recommended by your
child’s therapist to work specifically on
transitions.
Position versus activity
The position that you place your child
in and the activity that you choose for
your child in that position are equally
important. However your child’s level
of ability in a certain position will
determine how difficult an activity he
can manage. For example, if he finds it
hard to sit up, most of his energies will
be going towards sitting up – so choose
a simple activity for him. But if your
goal involves a more difficult activity,
then you will need to choose an easier
position or provide more support. That
way, your child is not over-loaded and
is more likely to experience success.
