Heavy blanket gives relief

Posted by Mary Ann Holmes in Awareness | 1 comment

LAFAYETTE — That ain’t heavy, that’s my blanket.

In a state where the temperature rarely dips low enough to warrant a heavy blanket, a weighted blanket is the must-have item for children — notably those diagnosed as autistic — with sensory input issues.

“The blanket works because the whole surface of your body is somatosensory,” said Lorri Malagarie, owner of Sensory Pathways in Abbeville. “That weight covers that whole surface area and it calms them down.”

The American Heritage Dictionary defines “somatosensory” as an adjective, of or relating to the perception of sensory stimuli from the skin and internal organs.

Children with sensory issues may find the feeling of deep pressure on their body calming, and this is why some autistic children wear weighted vests. A weighted blanket can be less restricting and can be used at night as well.

A weighted blanket, anywhere from eight to 20 pounds, helps some special-needs children to calm that feeling of always wanting to go somewhere or always being in motion.

A blanket should weigh about 10 percent of its user’s weight. The weight of the blanket comes from small, non-toxic, clear plastic pebbles sewn into the blanket itself. The weights are washable and the blanket is designed to keep the weights where they belong.

The weights are sewn into a little pouch that is then sewn into the blanket. The whole process takes about three days, and the prices range from $40 to $540.

Weighted blankets are not sold at the local department store, and that is why Rita Lasseigne, 57, has taken on the duty of helping people with her skills, and filling a void in her life.

Lasseigne got her start when a friend with an autistic grandchild showed her a weighted blanket and asked if she could make an extra one. So she gathered some old material and put a sample together.

“That’s basically how I got started. I’m a Jill of all trades and a master of none. I basically do it as a hobby. I enjoy doing something. My husband’s gone all day and I’m not a shopper,” she said. “I raised my kids and I passed my time sewing and quilting. That’s pretty much my life. I never have a boring moment, I promise you.”

Lasseigne’s large workroom in her home boasts three huge shelves stuffed with material that runs the gamut from Spiderman to SpongeBob to slightly more subtle patterns.

The soft spot in Lasseigne’s heart for special-needs children comes from her own experiences with her son Jeffrey, now 27, who suffered a rare case of spinal meningitis that damaged more than 65 percent of his brain and left his right side paralyzed.

“Sometimes it’s hard to see a child in their conditions. They didn’t ask to be like that,” she said. “It is hard. It is just heartbreaking.”

Lasseigne’s heart gets a lift when she visits her son in his specialized care home.

“He knows me. He’ll make the biggest noise,” she said. “That keeps me going.”

Lasseigne learned her sewing skills from her mother and will make a blanket from just about any material you bring her, but prefers to not use terry cloth or any loose woven fabric.

“You’re making like a sandwich,” Lasseigne, a native of Opelousas, explained. “It’s almost like making two blankets.”

And the material makes a difference.

“What I like to use is cotton and flannel,” she said. “I use different characters that the child is into. I do not use contrast thread, so the child is not distracted by the thread and is focusing on that, picking at it.”

Some people choose to use a solid color or non-character fabric so that the child will not outgrow the look of the blanket.

Connie Laws of Oakdale opted for a moons and stars pattern on a 10-pound weighted blanket for her daughter, Marley, 20 months.

Laws said that her daughter has global developmental delays and multi-sensory issues.

Laws said that Marley enjoys the sensation of deep pressure and some sometimes she just cannot “squeeze her and hug her enough” to keep that feeling of pressure.

Marley has used her blanket as a calming tool and for naptime.

“She does respond to it,” Laws said. “it’s one more thing that we can use or try.”

Brooke Butaud’s son, Hunter, 6, also has sensory issues.  The Youngsville boy originally balked at trying out his 10-pound purple blanket.

“He kinda wasn’t real receptive to it at first. He thought it was a little strange,” said Butaud. “We used it together. He fell asleep in five minutes.”

“I have a big place in my heart for all kids, but special kids have a special place,” Lasseigne said. “You don’t know what a special child is until you have one.”

 

Source – http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/52320832.html?index=1&c=y

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