Weighted Blanked

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They are basically like a really thick comforter. If you can find one I definitely recommend it.

I am looking at getting one for my son. I would love one myself also, but a queen-size one for my bed is really expensive. I have known for years that I sleep better in the winter when I have blankets on. I even find that putting a Sobakawa pillow (the one with the buckwheat hulls) over my head (making sure that my nose and mouth are clear) makes a HUGE difference in how I sleep. I tried it at first to muffle noise and block out light, but the weight itself seems to help. I can imagine that a whole blanket would be wonderful.
The problem is that I am in Phoenix. Even in January, it is rarely cool enough to have even a light weight blanket on. Last night I still had just a sheet on. It really makes me not sleep as well. But, I don't do well with the cold for other reasons. So, I would need a really cool blanket.

I did some research on this yesterday since my son started a new school and he doesn't have access to much sensory stuff. We sent his body sock, but he can't have it in the classroom, only in the resource room. I was thinking that maybe a lap pad would help. I found www.weightedblanket.net. They make all sizes and weights and their prices are fairly reasonable compared to others I have looked at. They are totally washable and machine dryable, which is great. They also have wraps that can go around your shoulders or on your lap. I think I will get one of those for my son. They also have people you can call and talk to for more suggestions on what works in your situation. And, they offer a program that as your child outgrows their blanket, you can send it back and get credit towards a larger one. Please note that I DO NOT have personal experience with them, but am just passing on information about an interesting site that you might want to check out.

LOL kakefuton that reminds me of the show denpa onna seishun otoko
[img][800:480]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--1y2ZObfzeM/TanijZpsQzI/AAAAAAAAACg/PacrulToRys/s1600/Denpa+Onna+to+Seishun+Otoko+-+Touwa+Erio.jpg[/img]
The main character wraps herself up in a kakefuton, a lot of her behaviors seem very Aspie.
I used to carry a blanket around the house when I was little and I'd lay in the middle of the floor wrapped in it much like in the picture. My little sister is 6 HFA and is just starting to outgrow that habit herself. I still have the need to curl up in bed and have a nap when I get home from work. It'd be fun to have a Japanese futon or a weighted blanket.

This is my favorite place http://www.saltoftheearthweightedgear.com/ the blankets are great and well priced and they also will ship overseas. I just bought one for my soon to be son in law with Asperger's for Christmas. My daughter is going to sew some satin around the edges as he likes to rub his fingers on the satin but the rest of it is camo as he has a gun obsession. When they lived with us he was cleaning them all the time with this horrible smelling stuff....seriously messed with my sensory olfactory issues but thats another story .
Anyway Salt of the Earth also makes vests, lap pads, ect. The blankets come in all shapes and sizes, many fabrics to choose from. You can get some pre-made that are cheaper and some that are just waiting for the pockets to be filled. My youngest daughter with classic autism has had hers with poly beads from them for three years while I bought my sons (now 9 year old aspie), also with poly beads, on ebay from someone else and it fell apart after only a year. I had to keep sewing the holes. They also use tiny stone at salt of the earth for the heavier weights. I got my son in law a 10lb blanket because they live in a warm climate and I didnt want him to get over heated.
Anyway there are also many patterns online to make them yourself. We loaned our blankets to our kids therapy center and they have found some ladies to sew some for them. I also saw an idea about putting beanie babies in some of the pockets that are removable, I thought that was a cute idea especially for kids that love stuffies. You can also remove the stuffing from a stuffed bear or animal and put weight in those, they have them at Salt but I think that would be very easy to make on your own.

We were just discussing weighted blankets and "too warm" of clothing choices with parents at our son's social therapy group.

While discussing it, my husband revealed that as a child he liked to crawl between his mattress & boxspring. He said he dreaded when he'd have to come out, because he felt "so calm" with the compression.

After he said this, a mom of a young aspie daughter said that her daughter recently rolled herself into a couch at someone's home. She made her get out of it, but her daughter did not want to.

Yes, we have a weighted blanket for our son. He's not as keen on using it as my husband is.

My husband & another Aspie dad at the group were talking about how much short sleeves drive them nuts when they must eat or move their arms around a lot...the motion of the shirt loosely on their arms is "too distracting"...both stated they prefer to eat or "do things" with long sleeve shirts on.

My son likes compression via flat-footed jumps, bear hugs, and squeezes/rub downs. He does better with muscle work outs with weights or by doing manual labor in the yard(we call it outdoor playtime . He's much more calm and centered after using a wheel-barrow, carrying full buckets, etc. Our OT mentioned that recent studies suggest that breaking up the weight/compression workouts through the day are showing that children retain focus longer than if they have the compression at one or two times per day.

BTW: The weighted blankets and lap pads and stuffed animals have held up to washings, tug play between kids, and tugging from animals.