Benefits of Sensory Tools

Weighted blankets act as a form of deep pressure therapy that can increase the amount of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These are the “feel good” chemicals our bodies produce, that cause us to feel a sense of calm, happiness, and well-being.

Traditionally, weighted blankets are used in occupational therapy for children experiencing sensory disorders, anxiety, stress or issues related to autism. The weight of the blanket acts on deep pressure touch receptors located all over their body. When these receptors are stimulated, the body relaxes, feels safer and more grounded. Clinical studies suggest that when deep pressure points are triggered, they cause the brain to increase serotonin production, promoting relaxation and sleep.

Key Results:

  • Creates a calming effect by:

    • Promoting Increased Serotonin and Dopamine

    • Increasing Sense of Security

    • Reducing repetitive behaviors or “stimming”

  • Soothes Panic Disorder by:

    • Decreasing Nervous System Activity

    • Reducing Heart Rate to More Normal Levels

  • Improves Heath by:

    • Better Quality, Longer Lasting Sleep

    • Reduces Nighttime Movement

    • Improving Mood

    • Potentially Lowering the Incidence of Seizures

  • Promotes Learning by:

    • Increasing Focus and Participation

    • Improving Daytime Social Skills and Communicativeness

Hand fidgets can help manage anxiety, improve attention, increase the ability to focus, help develop gross motor skills, and even help children calm down when dealing with emotional surges. Children on the Autism Spectrum can benefit from fidgeting, especially when they are stimming.

Focus and attention are improved by using a fidget toy, which allows the brain to filter out extraneous sensory input. Because the hands are engaged in simple, repetitive motor movements, the user is able to ‘tune out’ stimulants that would otherwise be overwhelming - such as bright lights, loud noises, smells and movement. When these distractions get out of hand, we suggest offering a tactile fidget to help combat sensory over-stimulation. They also restrict fits of rage and breakdowns. As a self-soothing tool for people with autism, it offers a stable, tonal motor pattern that can be used to reduce anxiety.

Key Results:

  • Sensory Toys help users relax, focus and calm down during challenging scenarios or events

  • Grasping Sensory Toys help users decrease fear and discomfort, enabling them to play naturally

  • Sensory Toys for kids help them develop social learning skills, like planning, negotiating, and sharing

  • Sensory Toys aid in helping users develop their gross motor skills- such as picking large and small objects and understanding rules and activities

  • These toys stimulate the brain by creating neurological pathways to improve their Neural Processing Systems

  • They improve their social skills, like conversing with other people, concentration, engagement and focus

  • Sensory Toys refine and enhance user’s coordination

Noise profoundly affects and distracts many people with sensitivities to sounds. Wearing noise cancelling headphones can eliminate most background noise and it also can reduce any residual noise to a manageable level. This makes it possible to relax, concentrate on tasks or schoolwork, play games with others, hold conversations, and undertake many more activities that are normally difficult or impossible due to noise distractions.

Any person who is hypersensitive to sound finds it difficult to cope with “normal” levels of noise. Distant traffic, a washing machine in the basement, the ticking of clocks or even the constant hum emitted by many electrical appliances can become intrusive distractions that cannot be ignored. Normal sounds, like closing doors, or tooting car horns, that are perfectly acceptable for most people, can be unbearably loud or frightening to those with hypersensitivity. This can often have a huge and negative impact on every aspect of their life. They are unable to relax, or even to sleep properly. Many people with special needs suffer from sleep disorders because they’re constantly woken by sounds. Concentrating on a task becomes almost impossible. Interacting with others, already a challenge for many autistic people, is made more difficult, because it can be impossible to separate out conversations from other noises, even ones that seem much quieter.

Key Results:

  • Provides a calm environment which helps them avoid panic attacks

  • Helps them focus on tasks and remain undistracted

  • Blocks extraneous noise that could interfere with the brain’s processing ability

  • Allows them to participate in potentially loud environments without being overstimulated by the sounds around them