The OTvest, Sensory Deep Pressure Vest Helps the Wearer Feel Better, and Do Better!
The OTvest is an easily applied, non-invasive intervention that helps improve attention, focus and reduce anxiety and tics for those with Tourette’s Syndrome.
The Tourette Association of America makes the suggestion for wearing a weighted vest for those with sensory processing difficulties and Tourette’s Syndrome to help calm and focus attention in the classroom.¹
The occupational therapist who designed the OTvest worked in the public schools with children with Tourette’s Syndrome. The students she worked with showed an increase in attention-to-task when wearing the OTvest, weighted deep pressure vest–as well as other customers with Tourette’s across the United States. Her publication in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy³ and over 25 years of practice in the schools led her to create the patented design of the OTvest, weighted therapy vest.
OTvest has been providing Tourette’s Syndrome treatment for 24 years to persons of all ages.
When wearing the OTvest, sensory vest, the students with Tourette’s Syndrome demonstrated visible improvement in fine motor tasks such as handwriting, and improvement in the completion of classroom assignments.
For example, after putting on the OTvest, students with Tourette’s Syndrome were able to stay focused to complete a coloring activity and were able to color within the lines when they were not able to control their coloring nor complete an activity without wearing the OTvest. The students also asked to do more coloring--something previously never done without wearing the weighted vest because of their observable inability to focus on fine motor tasks.
Middle and high school students with Tourette’s Syndrome also often have trouble completing their class work and focusing. Wearing the OTvest helps decrease the frequency of tics and increase focus and attention-to-task for older students, as well.
Each size is calibrated with the correct amount of effective weight and deep pressure application.
TIC REDUCTION
Tics are often reduced through the calming effect of the deep pressure applied directly upon the wearer by the weights within the OTvest, denim weighted vest. Anxiety is reduced and wearer’s feel calm, which has shown to decrease tics.
Students frequently say that “It feels good” when first putting the OTvest on, and request to wear it at school. When we feel better, we do better!
How Deep Pressure Effects the Brain
Tics often increase in stressful situations, and the weights in the OTvest provide deep pressure to the muscles and their sensory nerves leading to the brain—stimulating a calming response.
Brain research has shown that mood is affected by brain chemicals called neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine. The right amount of deep pressure applied to the body in the right location can increases production of neurotransmitters which helps promote sleep, reduce tics, provide a sense of calm, well-being and alertness, and decrease anxiety and inattention.
When someone receives a massage, meditates or experiences a “runner’s high”, for example, dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine are released. Neurotransmitters are released with the application of deep pressure by the patented design of strategic weight positioning around the upper body in the OTvest.
The OTvest is non-invasive, holistic treatment approach to calm and reduce stress and anxiety in those with Tourette’s Syndrome.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE OTvest FOR TOURETTE’S SYNDROME TREATMENT TODAY
An Educator’s Guide for Developing Plans for Students with Tourette Syndrome¹, which includes using weighted vests for those with sensory processing difficulties. The OTvest can help reduce tics, and those with handwriting difficulties often show improvement when attention is improved through wearing the OTvest.
¹The Tourette Association of America
² Temple Grandin, Ph.D (1992), Calming Effects of Deep Touch Pressure in Patients with Autistic Disorder, Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.
³ VandenBerg, N.L. (2001). The use of a weighted vest to increase on-task behavior in children with attention difficulties. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 55, 621-628. November/December 2001. This research is also in the book, Pediatric Issues in Occupational Therapy: A Compendium of Leading Scholarship (Royeen, 2004) published by AOTA (N. VandenBerg, Chapter 25.)