Email this article Effects of Using a Weighted or Pressure Vest For a Child with Autism
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a weighted vest or a pressure vest on increasing attention and decreasing self-stimulatory behavior in a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which is a common intervention practice by occupational therapist for children who exhibit self-stimulation behaviors. Although there is little research on this type of sensory integrative technique, there is literature that suggests that the use of either vest increases attention to task and decreases self-stimulatory behaviors. This single-subject study utilized an alternating treatment design with a four-year-old boy. Neither the weighted vest nor the pressure vest resulted in significantly increasing the child’s attention, nor in decreasing the child’s self-stimulatory behaviors from the baseline condition.
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References
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