Wilbarger Brushing Protocol (OT Brushing & Joint Compressions)

[mxsslik]

You should always be personally trained in this protocol by a licensed occupational therapist before performing it on a child. There can be negative side effects if not performed properly, including vomiting; brushing should never be done on the face, stomach, or chest to prevent this. Also, giving joint compressions ("squishies") improperly can result in dislocations or tissue damage. Please consult an OT to determine if this protocol is appropriate for your child and to receive training.

[maryrosener]

You can find weighted vests/anklets/blankets on websites. Also there is a place locally in Minneapolis called the Autism store where you could find both weighted items and the brushes...maybe you could find something similar near you.

[sc5mu93]

By the way, I forgot to mention what that brush is that we use. Our OT told us to buy a corn silk brush. It's technically used to remove the silk from corn on the cob so it's very soft. We went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and thankfully my OT warned me that they would probably tell me they didn't have them but to insist that they check in the back. Sure enough, all that happened and they found some for us. I bought a bunch so I had one upstairs, one downstairs, one for the car, diaper bag, etc.

[aprilashea]

Thank you very much. I had not ever heard of this technique before and several of the other parents in my support group were talking about this on our page, one of them sent this link tobyour video. My daughter is 10 yrs old and has a microdeletion of chromosome 2q23.1. Is this for poor muscle tone?

[sc5mu93]

@aprilashea I am definitely not an expert, doctor nor a therapist of any kind. I can tell you that this is what our OT had us do for our son who has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). You should talk to your Pedi or OT but I don't believe this is used to help with poor muscle tone; however, I'm truly not sure. Sorry I'm not of more help but I don't want to give you any bad info. We used it with our son to help regulate his nervous system and calm him. He has been weaned off it now & doing great!

[texcalgal1]

@aprilashea This technique is to decrease sensory processing issues over time, not to increase muscle tone. Talk to an OT or PT to receive a home program to deal with decreased muscle tone. Best wishes!

[siouxsiesmusings]

Thank you for posting this. It was very helpful!

[jbprop3]

Please present information regarding scientific research supporting this protocol. I am yet to find anything.

[sc5mu93]

@jbprop3 - I would have to do a Google search to find anything and I would come up with the same page results as anyone else. All I can really tell you is that this is what our son's therapists have recommended for us. Try to talk to an Occupational Therapist about it and see if they can steer you in the right direction. We have seen positive results but I would also be interested in any long term studies. There are so many variables among different kids but it would be interesting. Good luck!

[petraaans]

Please would you mind to tell me when i can buy the same vest ; Thanks . Greetings from Germany

[sc5mu93]

@petraaans - We got the weighted vest at FunAndFunction . com. They have all kinds of great things for kids with Sensory Processing Disorder or Autism. Talk it over with your Occupational Therapist to see how much weight they recommend. Good luck!

[petraaans]

@sc5mu93 Thank you so much for your answer , I really appreciate your help ^^ your son is adorable and so cuteeeeeee ::-) God bless him ^^

[sc5mu93]

@petraaans - After getting tons of errors trying to reply to your post, I finally figured out that it didn't like that I had a Web site in my reply. Sorry about the broken link but that was the only way I could post it. :-)

[petraaans]

Thank you so much for posting . I was looking for this since a long time. Thank u ^^

[sc5mu93]

Thanks for the comments! We had a really hard time finding a tutorial when we first started doing this so I'm happy it will help other parents. I forgot to mention that his vest stays on at all times unless he's sleeping or bathing/swimming. Thank God it's machine washable!

Davis has started speaking a LOT more and he is all of a sudden interested in the alphabet, counting, etc. We are really pleased with the results.

[mjreitsma]

Thanks for posting this - we are pretty new to this so this is exactly what we were hoping to see! :)