Resources
Absolutely
Seasonal gift ideas
Our seasonal choice of therapeutically
useful present ideas for families or schools
A ‘wearable emergency service’
Like many people who launch products to help people
with autism, Alain Perrault was inspired by someone in
his family.
He says: “My son is autistic, has ADHD, is non-
verbal and self-harms when he’s distressed. One day
he opened the front door of our house and
disappeared. Luckily, it all ended OK, but having been
suitably frightened I started to look around the
marketplace for something that I felt would be suitable
for both him and us as parents. I couldn’t find anything
that I felt was suitable, so after engaging with the
autism and special needs communities decided to
build it myself.”
The result was 1Life, which Alain describes as a
wearable emergency service. Pictured is a bracelet
40 Au t i s m | e y e I s s u e 3 6 2 0 1 9 - 2 0
Sitting pretty
incredibubble
How amazing is this huge
bubble, big enough for two
children to stand inside?
You could create your own
rainbow bubbles up to three
metres high using a Giant
Bubble Kit like the one being
used here. It comprises a
non-tippable bubble moat,
which holds the bubble
solution, and a red-and-
yellow hoop.
Pictured are a ten-year-old
boy with autism and his sister
in a bubble together. It was
taken at a party by Bonnie
the Bubble Lady, the kit’s
creator. The boy’s mum said
the bubbles absolutely made
his day.
The kit is suitable for
home or in schools, where it
could be a starting point for
language and literacy, art or
science topics. It certainly
created interest on the firm’s
stand at this year’s Tes SEN
Show in London.
l £140, including a recipe
for giant bubble solution.
www.standinabubble.com
that can be linked to the wearer’s personal online
profile. In an emergency, responders have multiple
ways to access the wearer’s online information using
their mobile phone or device.
The bracelet is NFC enabled, thin,
strong, waterproof and has a QR
code, web address and text
number, along with a
unique security code. As
well as this bracelet,
the 1Life range
includes key rings,
cards and dog tags.
l £9.95, plus VAT.
www.1life.today
www.autismeye.com
Kids’ imagination
turned into toys
Budsies says it can turn any piece
of art into a stuffed animal toy. Just
look at our image of Korbin with his
artwork and the toy it became. His
mum says: “it is important to know
that my son has autism... and
drawing is a way for him to relax.
So this (Budsies) was very special
for him to see one of his creations
in live form.”
The company says “art can
improve social interactions, positive
emotional development, and build
self-esteem. Both the act of drawing
and seeing their art turned into a
stuffed animal with Budsies, have
been especially beneficial to
children on the autism spectrum.” It
adds that the soft plush of the toys
may also help with sensory issues.
l $115 (approx £90), plus $25.95
shipping to the UK.
www.budsies.com
www.autismeye.com
The standout item in the Classroom Sensory
Support Sack (right) from Sensory Spectacle
is the bright red massaging cushion. It’s said
to be great for students who require
movement while working. The massage helps
to provide this, either by being placed behind
them on a seat or under their feet if they are a
‘feet fidgeter’. It operates with a hidden battery.
Included in the sack are 11 other items.
These include a digital timer for supporting
timed activities, exfoliating gloves for students
who seek rough textures, a sound reactive
bracelet so that someone with a loud voice
can learn to keep their volume down, and a
smelly pot, which can be adapted for those
who are smell seekers or avoiders. A fine fix for
l £40, plus postage.
www.sensoryspectacle.co.uk fidgeting feet
Julie Alvarez is a mum in California with
three children, each with different sensory
needs, including one on the autism spectrum.
She says: “My son with autism struggles
with sitting still and is constantly taking off
his shoes to feel textures with his feet.
“One day I realized how much that
sensory input helped him stay focused on
the task at hand and I thought, what if I
could get him a texture to slip discreetly into
’Tis the season of his shoes.
special stickers “There was no product like that
anywhere, so I designed Aloha Feet.”
This is something to open and use now, rather l One pair: $19.99 (approx. £16), plus $14
than save as a present. TomTag’s ‘I know shipping to the UK. www.alohafeet.com
what to expect kit’ for Christmas and birthdays
is intended to help the whole family manage
the difficult sensory, emotional and stress-
filled events on those special occasions.
There’s a sticker pack to use with 25 blank
buttons, which click into button holders
(examples above). The idea is to support
individuals with autism in handling transitions
between now/next/then.
l £15.75, including VAT and postage, for
the basic pack.
https://orkidideas.com
Stories that really are touching
If you’ve never heard of story massage, Once upon a Touch… is a
great place to start.
This hard-back book guides users through a therapy that combines
applying a combination of ten simple massage strokes to the
shoulders, back, arms and head that relate to a story you tell at the
same time. The combination is said to promote calmness, relaxation,
wellbeing and bonding.
Movements and stories can be adapted to suit the sensitivities of the
individuals involved. Once users become familiar with the story
massages in the book, they can start to personalise the words or create
stories of their own.
l £15.50, including postage and packing. Orders also accepted
from outside the UK. www.storymassage.co.uk
Au t i s m | e y e I s s u e 3 6 2 0 1 9 - 2 0 41

Get on the case
Ems for Kids has added protective hard cases
to its line-up of noise-reduction ear defenders
and volume-limited audio headphones.
The ear defenders help little ears find ‘quiet’
in a noisy world, help combat sensory
overload, filter out distractions and increase
calm. There’s one size for babies up to 18
months, and another for kids from six months
onwards. The audio headphones, meanwhile,
limit volume to 85dB* and add internal acoustic
treatment to further reduce external noise.
They’re said to be a safe way for kids to
enjoy music, movies and more while
travelling or in the company of others.
An adjustable headband and extendable
metal arms make the units suitable for
children from six months to mid-teens.
l Ear defenders: £14.99,
including VAT, in silver,
pink, mint, blue or
black. Audio
headphones
(including hard
case): £29.99, inc.
VAT, in white only.
Hard cases: £7.99,
inc. VAT, in blue,
pink or black.
www.emsfor
kidsear
defenders.
co.uk
Work wonders
with a wobble
The Sensory Direct Wobble Stool looks like
an ordinary stool, but has a slightly convex
base to allow 360-degree movement. The
base is weighted to give stability and is
covered with a non-slip rubber bottom.
The movement in the stool is said to
make slouching and poor posture an
www.autismeye.com
Resources
Achieve your
star potential
The Confidence Star is for anyone who could do with a
boost to their self-confidence. The idea is to look into
the star’s mirrored surface and repeat the words on it
twice a day to keep negative thoughts away.
Ife Thomas, who developed it, says: “In early
childhood, we begin to form an idea of who we are and
what we can do... Once an idea or belief about
ourselves goes into this picture it becomes ‘true’ as far
as we are concerned. It lets you believe that you can’t
be more.” Ife’s inspiration was to support the mental
health of her son, who has autism, so he would “grow
up liking himself and believing in himself”.
l £14.99, plus VAT. https://mindworkout.co.uk/
products/confidence-boosting-star
almost impossibility. Similar to a therapy concentrate and focus on the task in hand
ball, the stool engages core muscles to – great for those who fidget and shift
encourage ‘active’ sitting, which in turn around excessively in their seat.
improves focus and concentration. The Wobble Stool is also an ideal way
The unique design allows movement to practice balance, build muscle tone or
during sitting without compromising can be used to spin on for sensory
stability, making it ideal for those who seekers to burn off some energy.
fidget, have hyperactivity, impaired body l Available in two sizes: 38cm for
position awareness and low muscle tone. £53.95 or 43cm for £57.95, both
Active sitting can help children to including VAT. www.sensorydirect.com
Au t i s m | e y e I s s u e 3 6 2 0 1 9 - 2 0 43
 Resources
Learn to
tell the time
in three
simple steps

Write with glowing confidence

DISCOVER HOW: Encourage children to practise their writing in a fun way with this glowing

www.easyreadtimeteacher.com
writing board from TTS Group. It glows with seven different colour
options to provide sensory and visual stimulation.
l £34.95, plus VAT. www.tts-group.co.uk

Crelling Harnesses Ltd.

Tel: 01253 852298 Email: info@crelling.com Boy toy that comes
www.crelling.com
with ear defenders
Crelling Harnesses manufacture a This is the first toy we’ve come across that’s designed
full range of special needs harnesses to resemble a child with autism. Called Finn, he was
inspired by Hayden Geraghty, a boy with the condition
www.sensorydirect.com
www.sensorydirect.com
www.sensorydirect.com suitable for use on all kinds of
from Northern Ireland who was non-verbal until the age
equipment including wheelchairs,
of five. Watching Tim Peake become the first British
� Weighted Blankets & Lap pads buggies, scooters, shower chairs,
astronaut to blast off to the International Space Station
bathing equipment, stair lifts and
� Therapy Balls & Cushions seats in cars, buses and aircraft etc.
in 2015, he stunned his family by joining in with the
countdown verbally for the first time. The moment
� Weighted Jackets marked the beginning of Hayden’s speech
The vehicle harnesses are designed
� Deep Pressure Vests to be worn in conjunction with Learning’s on the cards
development and a love of all things space-related.
It’s the reason why one of the toy’s outfits is an
� Sensory Chews the existing safety belts to provide
New to the EasyRead Time Teacher range are simple card games to help astronaut-in-training jumpsuit. Finn also comes with a
additional postural support and/
� Sensory Toys or to offer a certain degree of
children practice telling the time while having fun. Tell the Time Card tee-shirt that reads ‘Tesla & Einstein & Me’, referencing
Games can be used to play snap, matching pairs or bingo. They’re inventor Nikola Tesla and Albert Einstein, both of whom
restraint when used for those designed to encourage attention to detail and quick recognition of the were on the autism spectrum. The doll also has
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ourson.
son. passengers with behavioural position of the hands on a clock face. headphones to reduce distracting sounds and a
sing your weighted
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best problems or learning difficulties. Each pack contains 60 playing cards, showing 15 different times of the companion dog called Cookie.
medicine' for our son. He has considerably progressed in all
day (there are four copies of each time), plus two game instruction cards. Manufacturer Lottie Dolls – which has a range of
aspects of life, which I feel is a result of a greater understanding
In the easy Level 1 set, the 15 times shown on the cards are all on the toys with different skin, hair and eye colours – says toy
of his conditions and the therapy products supplied by
quarter hour, and the four copies of each time show identical analogue companies have a responsibility to better represent the
Sensory Direct.” - Charlotte Hitchings
clock faces. lived experiences of all children. The company points
Sensory Direct (UK) Ltd, In the more difficult Level 2 set, the 15 times shown in the pack are set to research by psychologist Dr Sian Jones of Queen
to five-minute intervals, and the four copies show the time represented in Margaret University in Edinburgh that found after
4A Lowesmoor
Unit Wharf,
12B Shrub Hill Worcester,
Ind Est, Worcester,WR1
WR42RS
9EL We make simple belts and full supportive different ways – as an analogue clock face, written in numbers as digital playing with toys that reflect diverse abilities, children
Tel : 01905 670500 Fax 0870 169 8593 harnesses for all kinds of special needs, time, and written in words as ‘minutes past’ or ‘minutes to’ the hour. without disabilities were more open to forming
email : info@sensorydirect.com including challenging behaviour l Single pack of cards (Level 1 or Level 2): £9.95, including VAT. friendships with peers with disability and difference.
Both packs: £17.95, including VAT. www.easyreadtimeteacher.com l £28.50, plus shipping. https://uk.lottie.com

www.autismeye.com Au t i s m | e y e I s s u e 3 6 2 0 1 9 - 2 0 45