Citation

Davis TN, Dacus S, Strickland E, Copeland D, Chan JM, Blenden K, Scalzo R, Osborn S, Wells K, Christian K. Dev. Neurorehabil. 2013; 16(3): 210-215.

Affiliation

Department of Educational Psychology, Baylor University , Waco, TX , USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.3109/17518423.2012.753955

PMID

23278839

Abstract

Objective: Analyse the effects of a weighted vest on the aggressive and self-injurious behavior of a young boy with autism. Methods: The effects of the weighted vest were examined during a functional analysis utilizing an ABAB design with an embedded multielement design, in which the participant wore a five pound weighted vest or no vest. Results: The results do not suggest the existence of a functional relationship between the use of a weighted vest and challenging behavior, as the weighted vest had no marked effect on levels of aggression and self-injurious behavior. Conclusions: Weighted vests are a commonly implemented form of sensory integration therapy, frequently used as a treatment for disruptive behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder [Stephenson J, Carter M. The use of weighted vests with children with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities 2009;39:105-114]. However, the current findings support previous literature which states that the use of weighted vests does not appear to decrease challenging behavior.

Language: en