Lots of kids with SPD seem to be comforted by deep pressure -- it's a sensation their body can recognize, it settles them and makes them feel secure. So lots of parents use weighted items to help center their child, so we decided to try it with Josiah. One of the challenges he has is during "station time" at preschool, where all the kids are choosing their own learning activities, moving independently from station to station in what the preschool world refers to as "controlled chaos." Josiah, however, doesn't differentiate between controlled chaos and run-of-the-mill chaos -- his brain just senses chaos and quickly heats up toward sensory overload. We thought that perhaps giving him a weighted vest to wear during station time would help center him, make him feel secure and therefore more able to handle the huge sensory load of that time.
Purchasing one is exhorbitantly expensive. I'm certainly not opposed to spending money to help my child overcome a challenge -- unless, of course, I could do the task equally well myself for far less money. So began the task of creating a weighted vest he'd enjoy wearing. After much (way too much) searching at thrift shops and consignment stores, I finally found the perfect vest and set to work modifying it with the pockets for adding weight, which needs to be strategically situation across his shoulders, chest, and upper back, with some balast weight in the bottom, front and back, to keep the thing hanging properly. I had some scraps of a coordinating checked pattern to compliment the blue background of the vest and just the right color of thread to make the seams nearly invisible on the front of the vest. In relatively short order, the pockets were finished, ready for weights (in this case, bean bags made to just the right sizes for the pockets -- though I think I could have filled plastic sandwich bags with rice for nearly the same effect and a lot less work). The result is functional and adorable -- though Josiah doesn't seem all that keen on it just yet. I'll try it in a sensory overload situation (rather than just at home) and see if it feels more comforting to him then, and I'll also deliver it with him to preschool for them to try there.
And while I was at it, I thought I'd put together a weighted blanket. Staying asleep is a common problem for SPD kids -- their nervous system doesn't properly regulate their arousal levels, so they have trouble falling and staying asleep. Supposedly, weighted blankets help keep them asleep (or fall back to sleep quicker) by that same deep pressure sensation principle. The blankets are comparably exhorbitant in price (starting at $85 for a toddler sized blanket) -- so for $10 worth of weighted pellets from the doll making section of the craft store and some car-printed flannel I've been saving for just the right project, I crafted a fantastic weighted blanket that can grow with him!
In order to keep the weighted pellets from spreading to the outside, it was necessary to quilt the pellets in relatively evenly over the blanket. To do this, I stitched two sheets of fabric together, leaving the bottom open for adding weight. Before adding weight, I stitched several columns running the length of the blanket. I filled only the center half of the blanket, leaving the edges available for adding more weight later as he grows (the amount of weight needed in a blanket is determined roughly by the child's body weight, so as he grows, he'll need a heavier blanket). After putting a small amount of weight in each of the center few columns, I would stitch across, creating a few filled, quilted squares. Then I'd add a bit more weight to the same columns, again stitching across to create another row of quilted, filled squares; repeat this process for as many rows as are necessary (five, for this blanket so far).
So far, the blanket has been a far bigger success than the vest! I had been talking to Josiah about what I was doing, making him his own special blanket that would help him feel cozy. At bedtime the first night it was ready to use, I tucked him into bed as usual and then told him I'd give him his special blanket tonight. As soon as I layed it across him and let the weight settle gently along his body, he let out the most heavenly relaxed sigh and smiled a gentle contented smile. We read a few books and he fell asleep faster than ever, and stayed asleep about 90 minutes longer than normal before waking the first time. The few nights after that were met with slightly more limited success, but in all his sleep is moving in a positive direction. I knew I wouldn't sleep through the night after having a baby -- I just didn't realize it would go on quite this long. If this blanket helps him learn to sleep through the night, it will have been worth every stitch!
Here are a few pictures of my completed projects:
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