Backpack Comforts Autistic Children

By Victoria Robertson on March 29, 2016

Photo Via: http://a.abcnews.go.com

Autistic children oftentimes feel overwhelmed by their surroundings, a problem a new, comforting backpack seeks to resolve.

The backpack, known as the Nesel Pack, was developed by six college students studying entrepreneurship at the University of Minnesota. As part of one of their classes, the students were asked to develop an idea for a startup company.

Will Radke, a 21-year-old group member, grew up in a foster home where he was continually around children with disabilities, something that helped him decide that helping these individuals was the direction this startup company should move towards.

The group was on board with the plan and quickly developed the backpack that utilized sensory features to fit autistic children’s needs.

The backpack is meant to mimic the weighted vests many autistic individuals wear for comfort and security, as many with autism are sensitive to light, sound and touch. Also, the straps on the backpack are meant to feel like a hug, giving additional comfort to younger children.

According to Martha Pietruszewski, the CEO of Nesel Packs, “The straps also come in handy when in crowded areas. They’re long enough for a caretaker to grab on easily.”

Another important feature the Nesel Pack has to offer are hooks that allow sensory tools to be added, including chewable items and tools meant to reduce fidgety tendencies.

The pack also has a slot in the front that can be used for numerous safety/security personalizations, including comforting stuffed animals or family pictures or even name tags or other identification cards.

The group developed the idea for the project back in September of last year, and on March 19 they launched a Kickstarter campaign to help launch the idea into a reality.

And they’ve succeeded.

They have raised about $13,500, which already surpasses their campaign goal of $10,000. In fact, they passed that goal in less than a week.

This campaign has also allowed them to partner with the Minnesota nonprofit that provides services to autistic individuals: Fraser.

The company has also agreed to provide a backpack to a child in need for every $100 donation.

The idea has gotten loads of positive feedback, but on the other side of things, there are certainly some negatives as well.

For instance, the backpack currently costs $115 a piece, which is a large sum of money to spend on something that would typically only cost about $25 dollars for those without autism.

Pietruszewski said, “We’re hoping that once we get to $20,000 we’ll be in good shape to start thinking about working with a different manufacturer. This will hopefully allow us to lower the price and to be able to start making them for adults to use as well.”

Mother of five Carrie Cariello (a parenthood blogger who raises a child, named Jack, with autism) claims that this expensiveness is also worth it in the long run.

Says Cariello, “The weighted blanket we got Jack was pricey, but he uses it to go to sleep every single night, which makes it worth it. He would really benefit from the Nesel Pack because we send him to school with a stress ball and other tools to try and kick his habit of putting his fingers in his mouth.”

From Cariello’s perspective, parents will be willing to spend more money on items such as the Nesel Pack that provide comfort to their children. In other words, you can’t put a price on their child’s comfort.

Dr. Pau Wang, the head of medical research at Autism Speaks, says, “in order to know how beneficial their product is, they’d need to test it and provide data.”

So while there isn’t any research to back up the effectiveness of the backpack, the invention of the Nesel Pack is still a step in the right direction and, if it works, it might just help put parents and autistic children alike, at ease.

According to Pietruszewski, “We’re hoping to make a real difference in the lives of those with autism, as well as other disorders where something sensory friendly would be helpful.”

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