Jason's OT suggested a weighted vest and/or blanket for him due to his SI issues.

Well, that's fine but....they are still on public aid. Where would I go about even looking for these items or how could I even make one? Any ideas would be appreciated!

Good question, Jane! Robynne, the OT here, just suggested looking into the same thing for Catherine. I don't know anything about them, but I can't see a very heavy blanket that was restraining her doing anything but making her hysterical. Of course, I'm imagining something very heavy like those lead vests you have to wear in an X-ray room.

Jason also needs the deep pressure. I think the OT stated it is weighted according to their needs and age. She suggested like a 1-2 lb vest for him....I was thinking of getting those craft pellets and adding them into one of his blankets. But with them being on public aid still, if it is covered as 'equipment' I would fully try to utilize that until he gets on our insurance after the adoption next year.

They also noticed that he thrives on movement....you would think to try to calm him down...but they are incorporating some of the exercises into movement for him...like the baby in the blanket swing (wash the dishes, dry the dishes style!). But I have noticed that if I get him really active before going to bed, he does sleep much better.

I would be afraid to put pellets or beads into anything, it could be a chicking hazard..kwim....What is this wieghted vest supposed to do ..strenghthen the back ?

I was thinking of putting the pellets in a 'bag/pouch' and then sewing them into the blanket. Kinda like a quilt.

The blankets help to apply deep pressure similar to a deep muscle massage. Jason's muscles tense up when you touch him on the back, neck. Other than that, not sure since I forgot to ask the OT more questions when she was here last week.

Have you concidered infant massage..it's probably not something the aid would pay for.....can you get a Dr's order for it? Massage theropy has done amazing things for me ..I was in a bad car accident ..hit from behind while i was stopped and the other car was doing 65 mph..major whiplash...I could not hardly be touched by the theropist at first but as time went on I was getting deep tissue massages......does he have pain, or is it a sensory thing?

Jason's is a sensory integration thing.

I would also love to find out about the brushing technique. What type of brush is used, how to 'brush' the skin, etc.

I have heard of the weighted blankets and do not have a clue where you can get them. I imagine you could always surge something into the sides of an existing blanket to do it? No clue on the vests, though. That would be an OT thing, I imagine.

The brushing technique is with a soft, fine brush I think. I am not too sure how it is supposed to be done, but it seems there is a specific order in the brushing to "reset" the nervous system. This is one thing I am very interested in doing with Iain to see if it would help. Have you asked Robynne about it? Maybe she could give us all a lesson in how to do it?

Jane, I know in our book under recommended reading we suggest a few different types of books, I will check it out.

In the meantime I did google and came up with this:

http://www.lapweights.com/weightedvests.html

hope that helps.

Actually I just typed weighted vest and came up with a few sites.

Funny, the OT recommended and didn't tell you where to buy one?

Good luck

We are currently using a compression vest with James... kind of the same thing as a weighted vest. It gives him the deep pressure he needs.

I got his vest at this link. I was pleased with this online purchase and it arrived quickly. James' OT recommended this website as their office has many, many of their products...

http://www.southpawenterprises.com/store/sp-weights,Category.asp

Our vest was a little pricey and insurance didn't cover it. It's worth it when it helps him. Not a fix-all, but it helps.

Hope that helps!

Thank you for the link!! I will talk to the OT and see if she is able to get one thru public aid as therapy equipment. If not, I will talk to the social worker and see what we can work out!!

Leigh -

Jason sees the OT again on the 2nd. I will ask her about it then and let you know what she says!

My son had a weighted blanket. It was a lap blanket because he was only two. He hated being in the car nad it definitely helped there. It also helped him sleep at night.

His lap blanket was a simple rectangle with channels sewn in. It was filled with unpopped popcorn and then there was a cover with a velcro closure that went over it.

I've also made weighted vests for the school district. It's basically just a vest with pockets on the inside. They use these heavy metal disks from the hardware store and put one in each pocket depending on the needs of the child.

How do you make this blanket and how did it help in the car? Anymore, I dread picking my daughter up after work because I know she's going to shriek the whole way home.

I really dont' know why it helped in the car but it seemed to make a difference. It also helped when he was getting really worked up about something. The OT told me that sometimes kids with SID have trouble figuring out where they are in space and the blankets and vests help keep them grounded. My son liked carrying heavish things though. Like he always had a can of pop under his arm lol.

The blanket is REALLY easy. You just need two rectangle pieces of fabric for the inside and 2 for the cover (if you decide to do a cover. It's nice to do it though so you can wash it)

Sew the two inside pieces together on 2 short sides and 1 long side (the other long side is left open for now)

Then sew down the short way in 2 or 3 places to divide it evenly. It should look something like this:

l l l l l
l l l l l
------

Then fill each channel loosely with even ammounts of unpopped popcorn. It shouldn't be packed tightly, the popcorn should be able to move and the blanket should be flexible. Then sew across the other long side to sew it all shut.

The cover is just 2 rectangles of fabric sewn together with velcro going across one short end.

Does that all make sense?

The picture I tried to make didn't really work. Sorry about that! Fixed it so it kind of looks right now.

Makes perfect sense! Maybe I should ask Santa for a sewing machine ...