Outfitting a Home for a Child on the Autism Spectrum – The New York Times

I saved thousands, said Mr. Volchok, adding that he had previously used closeout sales to buy items for his own computer business.

Melissa Morgenlander said she had spent many hours thinking about her sons sensory needs and determined less was more, especially in the bedroom, where he needs help falling and staying asleep. Diagnosed with autism, ADHD and obsessive compulsive disorder, Quentin, 12, had shared a room with his twin sister, Fiona, until age 8, when the family decided to create two small bedrooms so that each sibling could decorate their room to suit their needs. For Quentin, this meant keeping his room a soothing, light green color with no wall hangings. The windows are dressed with blackout curtains and theres a small bookshelf, dresser and a bed. In contrast, Fiona has lots of photos, posters and lights hanging on her wall.

Quentins room certainly looks rather bland, according to Ms. Morgenlander, who lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn. But the tweaks were necessary because her son found many ordinary household items in his room too stimulating. Its almost like a sensory deprivation room, she joked.

The costs connected to raising a child with special needs include fees for special schools, doctors, medication and therapies. A study published in 2014 in the journal Pediatrics said the parents of a child with autism paid about $17,000 more per year for health and non-health-related costs than parents with a neurologically typical child.

Some retailers now offer more affordable options. Target introduced a line of sensory-friendly furniture for children last April, with each piece costing under $110.

Moiz Raufs family business, SensoryMoon, based in Paramus, N.J., began offering bubble lamps online for under $150 in 2015. He originally thought the lamp, an acrylic water tube with color-changing LED lights and floating fake tropical fish, would sell as a decorative, novelty item. But when most of the orders and client reviews came from special-needs families, he realized he had stumbled into a niche market.

It blew us away to learn about how our lamp could help kids with sensory issues, Mr. Moiz said, who has since added other sensory-related products, like weighted blankets, for sale on the website.

See the article here:
Outfitting a Home for a Child on the Autism Spectrum - The New York Times