Hannah Tejeda – Educational Consultant
August 2023
It’s Monday morning and you enter your favorite local coffee shop. DING! The bell on the door announces your arrival. Swish swish. Your footsteps track how quickly you’re moving.Back and forth. Your eyes scan the ever evolving menu, searching for the perfect pick-me-up.Murmur. Your ears catch the end of an important conversation to your right. LATTE! And you’re brought back to reality when the barista calls out an order.
Stimulus are everywhere – including classrooms. If this is what we process in our favorite coffee shop,imagine what students process throughout their learning day.
Research accomplished by Penn Medicine regarding sensory stimuli states, ‘Based on what’s going on around you, your autonomic nervous system – which controls basic bodily functions such as breathing, digestion,sweating, and shivering – prepares your body for fight or flight.” Considering this is vital in preparing educational environments to effectively meet the needs of all learners. Equitable and intelligent learning spaces provide regulation support. An efficient regulation avenue can be weighted lap pads,blankets, and vests.
Spending copious amounts of time in fight or flight causes physical and emotional trauma.Physiological responses can elongate this trauma which can have a lasting impact on knowledge acquisition, relationship building,and self-awareness.
Utilizing weighted items within a classroom can lead to less interruption from the autonomic nervous system and less time in fight or flight mode.
NorvaNivel is extremely excited to announce the addition of weighted items to specific furnishings – establishing a creative, functional,and calming solution to over-stimulated nervous systems. Whether implemented in a classroom, library/media center, counselor’s office, or commons area – weighted items promote equity in educational spaces. Here is continued feedback from Penn Medicine regarding weighted products for students:
“When someone has ASD, social interaction can be difficult. This can lead to anxiety and stress,as well as make it harder to function in school.The pressure from weighted blankets can relieve stress and improve the ability to focus on the task at hand. It can also allow these individuals to feel as if they’re being rewarded.”
