Weighted Down

Raise your hand if, no matter how hot it is, you have to have some kind of sheet or cover over you to sleep?  {me, me!}

It's just something about the weight of being covered that is soothing to the body for many of us.

For the last 10 years I've worked with and done research on children with ASD, ADHD, Asperger's, SPD and the like.  There have been tons of studies out there about the positive effect of weighted items (blankets, lap pads, vests, etc) and the correlation of how the weight calms children and helps them focus.  

When I was an aide for a student with autism years ago, an outside agency came in to the school to evaluate the child and offer suggestions for behavior management so the child could be successful in the classroom.  After the observation, the evaluator met with me and said it was obvious that helping the child came as second nature to me.  I'm not bragging on my ability here.  I think, deep down inside, I am a little in tune with children who have attention disorders or ASD/Asperger's/SPD.  I can't say why exactly, but the way they function makes a lot of sense to me.  Perhaps I'm a little ASD/SPD myself...it would explain a lot (wink).  Anyhow, the evaluator noted that when seated beside the student during circle time, the child became very wiggly and was quickly losing control of the ability to focus.  The evaluator asked me how I knew to lean over, just slightly - quietly and without fuss - and put my elbow on the child's knee to calm and help regain focus.  When I answered that I didn't realize I had done that, the evaluator seemed surprised that I unknowingly countered an "ADHD attack" with pressure/weight.  Whether I was in tune with the student and knew what would work or just did what I might have wanted someone to do to me is something I've thought about a lot over the years.  

I LOVE weight and pressure put on me, on my terms.  A bear hug, shoulder squeeze, heavy blanket, or a pillow plopped across my legs feel great to me, however touch is not my love language so as a rule I'm not a touchy, feely person.

I won this weighted lap pad on a Facebook giveaway.  I've often thought about ordering and offering a lap pad or weighted blanket for Natalee to see if she would like the way it feels, but the cost has deterred me many times.  When I won this, free for shipping, I was excited to receive it and gauge her response.  As a cardinal rule of teaching, you never try something new like this when you need a child to be learning, so I gave it to her during Wheel of Fortune (she loves her "letters" show).  While I thought she would like it I was surprised at how much she liked it and even more surprised when she said, "I'm getting calm over here, Mom."

The first picture is obviously posed but the 2nd one I snapped about 3 minutes after she sat on the floor.

Natalee has no formal diagnosis and it could be that she just has some quirks like her mama but I was glad to see that the weighted lap pad will be another tool in her tool box for helping herself get calm and maintain focus, whether it be while we are learning or just when she needs to regain control of herself.