My Favorite From the Abilities Expo-Real Rest for Sensory Challenges with zBeds

Today's short post is about a product I saw on my visit to the abilities expo.  First, if you have not gone to one of these events and have family or work with persons who are differently abled I recommend it.  Here is the link to Abilities Expo.  Vendors ranging from car dealers with adapted models, adaptations for curtains and other appliances, standers, wheelchairs to small crafts made by differently abled entrepreneurs.   I have been about 5 years now and have always found at least one thing, an idea, a product or gifts.

Now, on to the real purpose of the post.  I have worked with a variety of students.  Most of them have been in the dysregulated range.  Many, many students have had difficulties with sensory processing.  With this in my background, as I walked through the expo this year I ran across a pod bed.  Now years ago on one of my first visits I had seen a bed that turned into a type of container, kind of like a crib of no escape for older students who may not be safe if they get out of bed on their own.  I saw this before I met a certain student, I'll call him M.  Student M was quick as lightning and would use this skill towards humor or aggression.  He managed to smash two computers so quickly and did quite a bit of other majorly aggressive things except when he was watching car wash videos.  He also was already on much medication but still worked across the room like a ball in a pinball machine.  I asked his mom how he slept and with the longest sigh I had heard she responded, "with a lot of medication". 

As a teacher I work with students during the day. They then go home and parents work with their child for the rest of the day and for their evening.  For some students evening is not a time to rest and it then transfers to their parent who resorts to measures that are necessary such as possibly medicating for the needed slumber for them to continue their professions and responsibilities and the rest for the student to help their brains reset, clean up junk (I recommend reading  Why We Sleep to better understand the restorative process of real rest).  I have also worked with students who have sound triggers or even anxious because of all the unknown things in the corners of their sight.

It is this knowledge that made me stop dead in my tracks in front of the sleep pods modeled at this expo.  The pods allow a type of sensory reduction chamber that can be closed off reducing external noise.  Additionally air flow, preferred sleep sounds and lighting can be controlled from within the pod or from a parentally controlled app.  THIS!  Not only would I enjoy that type of slumber but automatically my mind remembered all of the students who could benefit from this.  Those that were so young they hadn't built skills that they could use independently.  Those that would come to school the next day with large continued dark shadows under their eyes when other kids bounced in full of fresh energy.  Of course I spoke to the rep and his first story of research testing was about a student with schizophrenia who only averaged 4 hours of sleep a night (a quantity that can further exacerbate such a disability).  After 6 weeks with the pod the student was now sleeping an average of 10 hours as well as her caregivers being able to rest.  

Here is the link for the zPods website.  If you know of someone who must choose between adding medication to their child or rest I recommend checking into this resource.  And again if you work with or have a family member with different abilities check out your local Abilities Expo.