Deep pressure has been defined as the “sensation produced when an individual is hugged, squeezed, stroked, or held”. It is widely used by occupational therapists working with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and is thought to be rewarding, reducing symptoms of stress and anxiety and improving performance in school. Deep pressure is based on sensory integration theory as initially developed by Ayres in the 1960s and 1970s. The use of deep pressure for individuals with autism spectrum disorders has been widely discussed since Temple Grandin described her self-designed machine (hug machine) for giving her the pressure sensations that she craved. Other types of deep pressure therapy include weighted garments, swaddling, holding, stroking, and hugging, squeezing, and therapeutic brushing.
Deep Pressure Stimulation (DPS) is firm but gentle squeezing, hugs, or holding that relaxes the nervous system. This pressure can be applied with the hands, special massage tools, or products that your child can wear or wrap around them to provide pressure.
Deep pressure appears to be beneficial for most of the young people. The effects were not uniform across all areas of functioning and it is clear that there are individual differences in response to deep pressure that should be taken into account when providing deep pressure interventions.
When you apply deep pressure to the body, the body switches from running its sympathetic nervous system to its parasympathetic nervous system. This is the so-called switch from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest”.
Unfortunately, kids with autism spectrum and sensory processing disorders spend a lot of time stuck in the sympathetic nervous system. Even when they do calm down, it takes very little to retrigger this system.
The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), however, brings a sense of calm and peace to the mind and body. When the parasympathetic nervous system takes over, your heart rate slows, muscles relax, and circulation improves. Your body produces endorphins, which are the “happy” hormones that make you feel amazing after a good run.
As deep pressure is applied to the body, the parasympathetic nervous system comes calming your child and bringing a sense of well-being. Not all individuals will experience every benefit, but the potential positive effects include: general sense of calm that can last up to a few hours after therapy, decreased overall anxiety when practiced regularly, increased happiness, improved social interactions, increased communicativeness, better sleep, improved focus, lowered incidence of seizures, lowered hypersensitivity to touch, improved ability to tolerate the school environment, decrease in self-injury
