The Effects of a Deep Pressure Therapy Device on Anxiety, Attention, and Behaviour

The purpose of this research project is to test the effects of an inflatable garment (vest) for providing Deep Pressure Therapy to children with autism spectrum disorders and other health disorders. The vest provides overall, evenly distributed pressure to the torso, and pressure can be adjusted through a pump and monitored through a pressure sensor. We are interested in how the vest will affect a child’s anxiety, attention, and inhibition, and their general behaviour. We will measure physiological, subjective, and performance-based measures of distress, attention, and behaviour, and compare these measures when children are wearing the vest, when they are not wearing the vest, and when they are wearing the vest in its inactive form (deflated). We will be testing children with autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit disorder, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Ulrich Mueller

Student:

Kayla Ten Eycke

Partner:

Squeezease Therapy Inc.

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

University of Victoria