Year:
2024
Overview
Children with autism often experience sensory overload, restlessness, and difficulties with emotional regulation, impacting their ability to focus and engage in daily activities. Existing solutions may lack portability, adaptability, or therapeutic effectiveness, creating a need for versatile, user-centered designs that support self-regulation and learning.
This project explores sensory-friendly solutions that provide calming support and structured guidance to help children navigate their daily routines with greater ease. By integrating deep pressure stimulation, interactive elements, and step-by-step learning frameworks, the designs aim to create a comforting, engaging, and accessible experience for children in different environments.
Sensory Support & Learning Aid Autistic Kids
Autistic children often experience sensory overload, fidgeting tendencies, and emotional outbursts, making it difficult for them to focus or regulate their behavior. These challenges can hinder their ability to engage in educational or social settings.
There is a need for a wearable solution or sensory pods that help provide a safe and calming space during emotional outbursts, and encourage focus through interactive sensory elements. This solution should be designed to offer appropriate pressure, sensory feedback, and engagement to help children self-regulate comfortably and effectively.
This design will also be versatile, enabling use in classrooms, therapy spaces, and social environments. It should help children calm down during agitation, reduce anxiety, and improve their ability to focus and engage with their surroundings safely and comfortably.
Tight Hug Jacket
A tight hug and applied pressure are important for agitated autistic kids because they provide deep-pressure stimulation, a proven therapeutic method that helps calm the nervous system.
This gentle, evenly distributed pressure has a soothing effect, reducing anxiety, improving focus, and promoting self-regulation during moments of stress or sensory overload.
To address this need, we created a soft, weighted jacket that mimics the sensation of a comforting, firm hug by applying gentle pressure to the upper body. The jacket features padded hugging arms, made from the same soft material, which can be wrapped around the neck area for added comfort and security.
For improved usability, the design includes a Velcro closure mechanism that ensures adjustability and ease of use, making it an effective and functional solution for calming and supporting autistic children.
View Project In Detail
