There is no harm in trying a weighted vest on a child with autism. However, there are some tips to ensure the safety and comfort of the child while wearing this kind of vest. How heavy should it be? Start light and increase the weight. Remember: the vest should not end up being more than 5-10% of a child’s body weight. Runyon, R. P., & Haber, A. (1967). Fundamentals of behavioral statistics (3rd ed.). Menlo Park, California: Addison-Wesley. While weighted vests appear to be common practice with therapists in a school setting, other organizations are wary about its use. Although there is limited research that has been done on utilizing weighted vests on children with autism, there are studies that emphasize weighted vests and weighted blankets for those who are neurotypical but have anxiety.

How often will your child be changing out of the vest? If you change often, think of the easiest way for your child to change, like velcro, zippers, or snaps. Morrison, A. P. (2007). A review of research on the use of weighted vests with children on the autism spectrum. Education, 127, 323–327.If the vest is used to calm an upset child, then it may be removed when the child has calmed down. Do the material and design matter?

Iwata, B., Dorsey, M., Slifer, K., Bauman, K., & Richman, G. (1994). Towards a functional analysis of self-injury. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27, 197–209. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1994.27-197. If patients a,b,c, and d have a great outcome while wearing their “superman” vest or “police bullet proof garment”, it matters not if this is a placebo, or actual physical change happening to their central nervous system. If they feel better, have improved attention, and decreased maladaptive behaviors, the vest or strategy is working!One review reported that weighted vests are not effective in increasing educational performance in children with ASD (Grajo, Candler & Sarafian, 2020). Before considering buying a weighted vest, it’s important to first assess if it is safe for your child to use it. Some children may have challenges with muscle strength that may lead to suffocation if a weighted vest is not used correctly and/or unsupervised. There must always be adult supervision when utilizing weighted vests or similar products. Also, note that weighted vests and similar products are only intended for children over 3 years old.

Kazdin, A. E. (1982). Single-case research designs: Methods for clinical and applied settings. NY: Oxford University Press. Children who fidget excessively, demonstrate difficulties with attention and impulsivity, or have difficulty with body awareness may benefit from a compression-style vest or garment. These products can be worn to provide additional sensory input about where ones body is in space . A wearing schedule is recommended and can vary based on your childs needs. It is important to consult your occupational therapist for an individually-designed wearing schedule, but generally, it could be 20-30 minutes worn, 20-30 minutes off, or activity-based duration. Some parents and educators feel that compression vests are helpful during especially stressful times . Should your child require additional, more consistent input throughout the day, consider adding a tight-fitting undershirt . Although weighted vests can provide some of the benefits listed above, every child with autism is unique. Results may vary between children. For example, a weighted vest may help your child focus and get better sleep at night. However, it may not be as helpful in reducing anxiety. A weighted compression vest is the “best of both worlds” because it has the added weight within the vest, but at the same time provides the tightness needed for sensory input.

Registrations & Approaches

Another study published in the Scandanavian Journal of Occupational Therapy made a correlation between utilizing weighted vests and stimuli related to weighted vests and sleep. This study was published in June of 2021 which investigated if utilizing weighted clothing or blankets had a positive impact on the quality of sleep for individuals with autism. The quality of sleep was correlated to the improvement of a child with autism’s day-to-day life. Another factor to consider is if the child doesnt mind wearing it for a long time, or if he/she can only wear it for a few minutes at a time.

While there is no solid evidence that wearing a vest reduces stereotype behavior or stimming, therapists have noticed a decrease in behavior. A study found that children with autism who wore weighted vests had an 18 to 25% increase in on-task behavior completion of fine motor activities. That’s why teachers and therapists use weighted vests in classrooms, a common and accepted practice. What Are Weighted Vests Used for?

Weighted Vests For Autistic People

In fitness and exercise, a weighted vest is used to increase the intensity of a specific physical activity. To achieve this, a person can walk, work out, bike, carry out chores while wearing the weighted vest. Do you or a loved one struggle with anxiety associated with autism? Are you having troubles with stress and looking for solutions? The weight that should be added to a weighted vest can vary depending on the child's body weight and sensory needs. As a general rule, the weight added to the vest should be between 5-10% of the child's body weight. For example, if a child weighs 50 pounds, the weight added to the vest should be between 2.5-5 pounds. It's important to remember that adding too much weight can be uncomfortable and potentially harmful, so it's best to start with a lower weight and gradually increase it as tolerated. Proprioception avoiders are highly sensitive to movement and outside input. They are easily overwhelmed by touch and movement.