Guest guest Posted December 4, 2002 Report Share Posted December 4, 2002 Hi Jen, I'm new here and haven't really posted but my son has a weighted vest. n is 2 and the vest weighs almost as much as him, lol. He was catually given it because he such a hard time walking, constantly falling. BUT, It has worked wonders for him. He still falls quite a bit but is a different child with his vest on, we have noticed a lot differences in him since he's really been wearing his vest, not just with his walking either. It's kind of weird and really hard to explain because it's almost like he has a sense of security with it and he doesn't do all the " odd " things as much. When n walks without it, his head is constantly shaking back and forth and his eyes are rolling all over the place, and he just goes and goes. With his vest on, he doesn't do all that nearly as much, but does still do it a little. He actually brought it to me the other day for the 1st time to put it on him, and that was the 1st thing he EVER gave me a clue that he wanted anything (he has never even shown any signs of hunger unless shown a plate of food) so I was really excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2002 Report Share Posted December 4, 2002 NOPE, I'm not kidding! Yes I did exagerate a little, lol. But n weighs about 26 pounds and the vest is a good 15 pounds with all the weights in it. He was originally given it for stability and to gain muscle tone in his belly area, which he was lacking, (still is but has gotten better) mostly because he was born very early with NO muscle tone at all. He does not wear his vest all the time, he goes a few minutes with and a few minutes without. As he gets stronger the weights will be decreased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2002 Report Share Posted December 4, 2002 > The Occupational Therapist called from ny's > school and said she'd like to try a vest on ny > with sandbags on the bottom to provide stimulation > for him. It might help him focus more because she > said maybe that's why he's so unfocused and has to > be in constant physical motion touching everything > to provide stimulation for himself. Anyone ever > heard of this therapy or know if it works?> This is a very common approach for kids with sensory integration dysfunction...works by providing the body with extra proprioceptive information---very calming. A lot of kids do well with these. Raena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2002 Report Share Posted December 4, 2002 >n is 2 and the vest weighs almost as much as him, lol. > I know you're kidding, but just in case someone isn't familiar with these...the vest should only weigh 5 to 10% of a child's body weight...no more. > It's kind of weird and really hard to explain because it's almost > like he has a sense of security with it and he doesn't do all > the " odd " things as much. > That is exactly what is happening...the vest sends calming information to his brain so that he doesn't NEED those little odd behaviors to stay organized. :-) Raena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2002 Report Share Posted December 4, 2002 that is amazing tracey that he brought you the vest. true communication wit or without words - YAY BRENDAN! your post on your experience has made me wonder if we should try one for rowan. he is 6 and we have never tried it though it has been casually mentioned in passing. i am going to ask his OT. rowan really needs something to ground and focus him - perhaps this could help! michelle Re: Weighted Vest? Hi Jen, I'm new here and haven't really posted but my son has a weighted vest. n is 2 and the vest weighs almost as much as him, lol. He was catually given it because he such a hard time walking, constantly falling. BUT, It has worked wonders for him. He still falls quite a bit but is a different child with his vest on, we have noticed a lot differences in him since he's really been wearing his vest, not just with his walking either. It's kind of weird and really hard to explain because it's almost like he has a sense of security with it and he doesn't do all the " odd " things as much. When n walks without it, his head is constantly shaking back and forth and his eyes are rolling all over the place, and he just goes and goes. With his vest on, he doesn't do all that nearly as much, but does still do it a little. He actually brought it to me the other day for the 1st time to put it on him, and that was the 1st thing he EVER gave me a clue that he wanted anything (he has never even shown any signs of hunger unless shown a plate of food) so I was really excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2002 Report Share Posted December 4, 2002 > The Occupational Therapist called from ny's > school and said she'd like to try a vest on ny > with sandbags on the bottom to provide stimulation > for him. It might help him focus more because she > said maybe that's why he's so unfocused and has to > be in constant physical motion touching everything > to provide stimulation for himself. Anyone ever > heard of this therapy or know if it works? > > > jen I'm slowly catching up on emails here and had to answer this one. used a weighted vest for 2 years in preschool and up until 2nd grade. She didn't wear it all the time but it did help her focus when she was feeling overwhelmed. At first the teachers had to put it on her but eventually she started asking for it. Finally, she stopped wearing it on her own. I think she just reached the point in her development that it wasn't a necessary support any more. Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2002 Report Share Posted December 4, 2002 We put wrist and ankle weights on Mikey when he first started therapy. It made a MARKED difference in the way he walked and moved, and for the first time EVER we went to the park and he played on the equipment instead of just running endless circles around it. It was truly amazing. He has severe to profound problems with proprioception so the wrist and ankle weights were more effective for him than the vest. He doesn't tolerate those anymore and we are switching to the vest now. He uses it at school to help him attend and stay seated. Weights are a commonly used therapy and many people report good results with it. At worst he'll refuse to wear it -- and the OT should respect that. At best you'll see some really amazing changes. -Sara. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2002 Report Share Posted December 4, 2002 That's great that was able to have successful use of it. Would it also be helpful to have it on if we go to the mall or other places? j > >> The Occupational Therapist called from ny's >> school and said she'd like to try a vest on ny >> with sandbags on the bottom to provide stimulation >> for him. It might help him focus more because she >> said maybe that's why he's so unfocused and has to >> be in constant physical motion touching everything >> to provide stimulation for himself. Anyone ever >> heard of this therapy or know if it works? >> >> >> jen > >I'm slowly catching up on emails here and had to answer this one. > > used a weighted vest for 2 years in preschool and up until 2nd >grade. She didn't wear it all the time but it did help her focus when >she was feeling overwhelmed. At first the teachers had to put it on >her but eventually she started asking for it. Finally, she stopped >wearing it on her own. I think she just reached the point in her >development that it wasn't a necessary support any more. > >Tina > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.