WEIGHTED BLANKET: DOES IT IMPROVE SLEEP EFFICIENCY FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM?
The weighted blanket has been widely debated on its use and efficiency.
A weighted blanket is a blanket that has weight evenly distributed throughout. It is well known for its ability to calm children with various conditions like anxiety, ADHD, and autism by helping to comfort the child and improve restless sleep habits. However, there has not been many studies conducted to prove that the blanket itself is actually effective.
A weighted blanket specific study, gathered data from 67 children age ranging from 5 years to 16 years old who were all confirmed to be on the autistic spectrum. In this study a weighted blanket was used in relation to a normal blanket both over a 2 week time frame. Over the 2 week period, scientist measured the child’s behavior and sleep efficiency, to observe if there would be any major improvement in the child’s sleep patterns. In conclusion, children who had sleep disorders showed no significant improvement in the duration of their sleep and how often they woke up during the night.
Although studies have not measured major differences in sleep between the weighted blanket and a normal blanket, parent, children and clinicians still favor the weighted blanket as a personal preference.
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