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<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cThere they are!\u201d exclaimed one student.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re here!\u201d announced another.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have blankets?\u201d asked a third student.<\/p>\n
They did. And judging by the smiles on everyone\u2019s faces, it was worth the wait.<\/p>\n
The blankets, personalized for each student with fabric featuring a favorite item or interest and with his name on a pocket, were custom made for another purpose.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who have sensory needs, whether it be due to a processing disorder or autism, often seek input to help regulate their emotions. The weight of the blankets helps feed that input and allows them to calm and ultimately helps them to self-regulate,\u201d Cole explained. \u201cThe pressure is a way that allows them to gain that input independently when they are taught to use the blanket as a strategy to help themselves calm.\u201d<\/p>\n The special design of the blankets \u2013 created with weighted balls that are evenly distributed among quilt-like squares stitched throughout the fabric \u2013 also means they are not cheap. Ranging from $90 to $150 each, according to Cole, it is cost prohibitive for some families to purchase blankets to have at home.<\/p>\n This was one of the reasons Cynthia Chadwick wanted her high school design students to create weighted blankets last school year. When the Tallwood teacher was not able to obtain grant funding to make the blankets, she temporarily shelved the idea. A personal connection to a child with autism and wanting her second- and third-year design students to complete a unique, higher-level project caused her to reconsider the idea this year.<\/p>\n As it turns out, Cole\u2019s daughter Abbey Cole is a Design III student in Chadwick\u2019s class.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I shared the idea, Abbey said, \u2018Well, my mom just said that would be a great project for your class to do.\u2019 I said, \u2018Then this was meant to be,\u2019\u201d recalled Chadwick. \u201cI\u2019m just really excited for them. They were very, very diligent and worked very hard. I just gave them a little bit of advice here and there, and they figured this all out on their own. I\u2019m really impressed with how everything turned out.\u201d<\/p>\n Chadwick\u2019s excitement, however, was no match for that of the Brookwood students.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s footballs. My name!\u201d exclaimed Nitti, whose blanket was made to honor his beloved team, the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s SpongeBob. I love SpongeBob,\u201d Jayson Gossman repeated as he walked throughout the room clutching his blanket.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is SO cool! Batman!\u201d said Tyler Perez, wearing a T-shirt featuring the superhero.<\/p>\n And for as much as Perez loved his Batman blanket, he was equally fascinated by the green, heart-shaped note he found in the pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you want me to read it to you?\u201d his teacher asked. \u201cIt says: \u2018Thank you for being so patient while we made your blanket. We hope you love it. From Abbey, Mariah, Briana and Isabella.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI do,\u201d whispered Perez thoughtfully before exclaiming, \u201cAnd look! She actually signed my name on it!\u201d<\/p>\n Each student received a personal note in the pocket of his blanket.<\/p>\n Levi Angulo loved his blanket featuring Harry Potter, his favorite character who has \u201ca scar and a wand.\u201d George Galeota and Nicholas Harakal saw their favorite characters on blanket fabric with scenes from Star Wars.<\/p>\n For the Tallwood design students, delivery day was meant with equal parts excitement and relief.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just really glad that we were able to finish it,\u201d said Isabella Erestain, a Tallwood senior. \u201cThe hardest part about the blankets were the measurements because they all had to be tailored for each child based on 10 percent of their body weight plus one or two pounds depending on if the child was taller or bigger in general. Once we finished that, they all went pretty quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am just very excited and relieved to see their reactions,\u201d Erestain added. \u201cI honestly didn\u2019t think they would be that excited about them because it\u2019s been several months since we first came.\u201d<\/p>\n Mariah Lebron, a senior, sums up her recollection of that first meeting in one word, \u201cDodger.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, he was funny,\u201d Lebron said. \u201cHe was like, \u2018I need footballs. The only thing I want is footballs.\u2019 I was like, Oh my gosh, I have to find footballs.\u201d<\/p>\n She did and Nitti couldn\u2019t be happier.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n