Thanks for helping my son!

Friday 28 November, 2008

My son, Jacob, was 7 years old when we purchased his first weighted blanket. He is diagnosed with severe ADHD and has some auditory processing and sensory issues. I have done extensive research on line and came across Sensory Critters website. Like most of you reading this, I thought wow those weighted blankets are pretty neat. I wondered do they really work? I looked at the price. Wow. They are expensive. Can I justify the expense to my husband when I don't know if it is going to help my son or not? Even grandma questioned me "what was i buying?" Jacob is 9 now and needless to say, yes we still have that blanket. It was the best money I ever spent on a therapeutic device for my child. He has other blankets on his bed along with the weighted one but its always the weighted one he grabs for, drags through out the house, takes to grandma's house for sleepovers and snuggles under to help calm him down.
Grandma now asks for the blanket when he goes up to her house knowing that he will want it and she also has seen for herself the differences it did make for her grandson. Until I saw for myself I couldn't believe the effects a weighted blanket would have on my child. When he gets very upset I would see him sitting somewhere (couch, chair etc) wrapped up in that blanket like a cocoon. I never told him to do that. He is always calm when he is under the weighted blanket. When he is under the blanket he is on our page(in our world), I could actually talk to him, he would listen and not be so upset that he would be off in another world that we couldn't get into. I have never seen him cry or yell when he is wrapped up in his weighted blanket.

We were having problems with homework one night. My son's writing skills are definitely not legible. I allowed him to wrap himself up in the weighted blanket in a kitchen chair to do his homework and the weirdest thing happened. His handwriting had actually improved. I'm not talking he was cured but I could definitely read what he was writing. I tried this for several nights in a row and then decided I needed a weighted vest. I ordered a weighted vest for him to wear at home for homework. He is in the 4th grade now and wearing a vest to school everyday isn't cool. we still use the vest but not near as much as that blanket.The blanket has been washed well over 25 times. It still looks brand new. It has no holes nor worn spots. the weights seem to me in the same spots they were when we first received the blanket.
This was the best money i ever spent on my son. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another one in the future when need be.
thanks sensorycritters for helping my son.
Carrie miller
Floyd's knobs Indiana