Sensory Kits: What They Are & How They Work
Anyone who has experience with autism is no doubt familiar with sensory overload. Those times when your brain gets overwhelmed by stimuli in your environment, like sights, smells, or sounds. This type of overstimulation can be very stressful and can sometimes lead to a meltdown if it gets to be too much.
This is where sensory kits come in. These are sets of items meant to reduce overstimulation, often coming with items like noise-canceling headphones and multiple different fidget toys.
Sensory Kits aren’t just used by individuals, either. They are used by many different groups and organizations such as fire departments. Sensory kits can help people with sensory issues calm down during a crisis. Departments in Florence, Alabama, Easley, South Carolina, and Scotia, New York received a type of sensory kit called Carter Kits, which are specifically designed for use by firefighters. “If we run a medical call say, and the parent is the one we’re attending to, they might have a child who has autism or something like that and we need something to take that child’s mind off the situation,” one Easley firefighter explained to WYFF4.
The Oklahoma City-County Health Departments are also using these kits as part of a new sensory-friendly vaccine clinic program in partnership with the Autism Foundation of Oklahoma. Chandee Kott, the health equity project coordinator for the Autism Foundation of Oklahoma, told The Oklahoman, “Our clinics are designed to help individuals and family members feel more comfortable in a local health care setting that is educated and equipped to accommodate special needs.”
Not all uses of sensory kits are for potentially life-saving situations. They are also being given out at sporting events to help make games more enjoyable for spectators with sensory issues. This goes for individual teams like the Portland Sea Dogs and the La Crosse Loggers, as well as broader organizations like the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC). For the CSEC, it’s also part of a larger diversity program, with the goal of promoting accessibility to all groups.
Accessibility is incredibly important, and it’s always great to see people working towards making life easier for people with sensory issues. If you’re looking to buy a sensory kit or other sensory items, here are some links to a few companies that sell them: