Those familiar with autism have most likely heard of weighted therapy. Whether it be in a blanket or a vest, weighted therapy has been shown to provide some comfort for those with autism.
There’s an alternative to the weighted pressure, however. Air pressure is making it’s way onto the scene by providing the same kind of comfort without the heaviness of the weights.
SnugVest, produced by Wearable Therapeutics, has created a business around the concept of using air pressure, instead of weight, by creating a line of vests that use air pressure to provide people with autism a sense of calmness.
In an interview with MedCity News, Lisa Fraser, founder and CEO of SnugVest, explained that the science behind its pressure vest regulates the sensory system in users and helps drive down cortisol levels. In some cases, this helps reduce the severity of tantrums, improves behavior and increases focus.
Even though weighted vests are meant to create this same effect, Fraser said that since the weighted vests are heavy, they pull down pressure mainly on the user’s shoulders instead of providing pressure on their midsection like the air pressure does. “I didn’t feel it was logical to put weight on a growing child,” she said.
Fraser came up with the idea to create a pressure vest after working with special needs children and realized that pressure had a calming effect. She explained that even though there were other products to provide pressure on the market, she didn’t view them as either safe or providing an adequate sense of mobility.
A major concern with vests like these, however, is that the user may get used to the weight or pressure after being on for 20 to 30 minutes and then begin to get fidgety again.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Responding to this concern, Fraser explained that since the vest is worn over the clothes it’s easy to take off and re-adjust. She explained that SnugVest recommends that users take the vest of after about 20 minutes since the body will get used to the pressure. After the vest is off for about a half hour, re-inflate the vest and users can put it back on.
One of SnugVest’s selling points is that their over-the-clothes vests are aesthetically pleasing, and look like something you could buy at a retail store and don’t contribute to the negative stigma around autism. But there are other vests on the market that are meant to be worn under clothes, hiding them completely.
Asked if the company plans on creating an under-the-clothes vest, Fraser explained that it’s just going to focus on over the clothes. “When you have under-the-clothes, they’re hard to get on and off. When you put it on a kid and change them, it’s hard to take it off of them. Changing a kid can be disastrous, especially if they’re sitting in school all day long, and you can’t regulate the pressure,” she said.
Since a SnugVest is pumped with air by the user, a concern is that it may pop or tear. Fraser responded to MedCity saying that a pop or tear isn’t likely with their model since they use extremely durable material. If the vest does malfunction, there is a two-year warranty.
In the world of wearables, we can’t count out clothing. SnugVest provides an appealing and practical alleviation of symptoms to a medical condition that affects 3.5 million Americans.
