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Tonya Papanikolas ReportingFor young kids who have disabilities or developmental delays, something as basic as learning to sit can actually be very hard, but a local junior high class is doing all they can to help.
At Hillcrest Junior High, boys and a couple girls take introduction to manufacturing from teacher Chip Watts.
Chip Watts, Manufacturing Teacher: "They build projects out of wood and metal and plastic."
But the 8th graders' recent project was about more than just pieces of plywood.
Mikah Koss: "We're making corner chairs to help disabled kids sit up straight."
The small v-shaped chairs may look pretty basic, but they mean the world to parents whose children can't sit on their own, like Parker Wood.
Parker is 14-months old and has an undiagnosed developmental delay.
Sandi Wood, Mother: "Overall he's delayed size-wise. And gross motor, he's not sitting or rolling."
But when therapists with Kids on the Move brought the family a corner chair, it started increasing Parker's muscle strength.
Paul Daybell, Occupational Therapist, Kids on the Move: "It makes a huge difference in how quickly the kids learn to hold their head up."
Therapists often start by placing a phone book in the chair to tilt the child back. Soon they're resting their head in the "v", and they get used to the position. Parker is still working on holding up his head, but his mother says he's making a lot of progress.
Sandi Wood: "He loves to sit in it and be upright and play with toys and things like that."
Chip Watts' daughter Ashlynn also used a chair to help her sit at two-years old.
Chip Watts: "Now she's three and she's actually walking and doing all sorts of other things."
That's why he wanted his class to get involved, and the students loved it.
Matthew Schroeder, Student: "I thought, it's good for schools to do things for the community."
Mikah Koss, Student: "It was cool to reach out and help someone."
They'll be helping a lot of families; the kids made 42 chairs. Kids on the Move only had 10 chairs in the past, they would rotate them to different families. Now they say they'll have enough to give some of the chairs to other programs in the state.
