Protac SenSit®
Nature

13-year old boy with ADHD who goes to an occupational therapist.

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair. 

Observed effect: It is evident that all forms of contact, communication and calmness in the body improve during and after the boy sits in the chair. He goes for the chair spontaneously and often tries to play possum so that he can stay in the chair for longer. He is clearly calmer, happier and easier to work with when he is sitting in the chair. He often says, with a twinkle in his eye: "...One day I'm going to steal the chair and take it home...and you won't know it".

Adult user at an activity centre

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit®

Observed effect:  I joined a group activity and had a severe panic attack. I went around feeling restless and was afraid of falling. The ball chair's "cave-like" feeling makes the restlessness in my body disappear just as slowly. The chair also felt pleasantly warm. After 10-15 minutes, my panic attack started going away and after half an hour of sitting in the chair, I was able to participate in the group again. The side flaps on the chair feel like an embrace. I think it's great!

Activity centre for adults with autism.

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit® ball chair

Observed effect: "Our users are able to calm down and enjoy sitting in the chair, which is something only the Protac Ball Blanket® could give them before. It's nice that they don't always have to lay down and it's easier for them to choose the SenSit chair themselves. One of them is actually so devious that he eats his lunch a bit faster than the others so that he can go an take the chair before the others are finished". 

Young girl with autism.

She is very anxious and can rarely sit still

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair

Observed effect: The girl sat down with all of the flaps on her and said: "Oh, it's so nice. I like feeling something heavy on my body. Now I can sit and do English all day. I want one of these at home too".

Centre for young people and adults with autism.

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair 

Observed effect: The centre has had two chairs over the course of one year. One of the chairs is in an area where it is used by their examination class for when they need to study and concentrate. The users are very happy with it. It calms them down and improves their concentration considerably for when they need to learn new material. The other chair is moved around as needed. It was placed in the cafe area, but the staff asked that it be moved, as the young people go look for it and get so relaxed that they fall asleep and do not participate in the activities there. Right now it is being used in a quiet room when people can retire when they need a rest. 

Since 2001 we've had great success using ball blankets as part of our treatment for our children. The children are currently between 5 and 11 years old and have different diagnoses: ADHD, autism, anxiety, attachment disorders and extensive developmental disorders. Characteristic of these children is that they are physically restless and hyperactive.

We can clearly see the difference when a child starts sleeping with a ball blanket as opposed to a regular blanket. The child calms down more easily when put to bed and sleeps more peacefully, which also results in the child being more well-rested the next day.

In August 2008 we had a consultant from Protac come demonstrate their products for our staff. We were instructed on how to change the blanket cover on the ball blanket without hurting our backs; the ball blankets weight 7 kg and are quite heavy.

They presented the Protac SenSit^® chair for us, among other products. Since then, we've purchased two Protac SenSit^® chairs. We placed one of them in the kindergarten class where the four students take turns using the chair. The children will sit with headphones on and take a break. In addition to this, one of our children who is very physically restless got a Protac SenSit^® chair for their room. The child really enjoys sitting in their ”ball chair”.

Protac products are an investment for us, but they are well worth the money. It is a one-time cost, and luckily the products last for many years.

Our goal is for every child to have a Protac SenSit^® chair in their room.
-Head of residential treatment centre

Children with ADHD,  early injuries and social difficulties

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair

Observed effect:  The occupational therapist says: Here is what they themselves say: "I love this chair—I want one like this at home”; "It's wonderful"; "I'm going to take it home without you knowing"; "I want one for Christmas".      

With the exception of 3 children, 20 of them all commented that they enjoyed the heavy side flaps. The other three children all have major emotional difficulties, and we consider their rejection to be due to factors unrelated to sensory stimulation. This may have something to do with child abuse, so we of course do not pressure them. The children do not give reasons for their rejection—they just sit in the chair for a few seconds.

Kindergarten for disabled children, ages 2-7.

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit® ball chair 

Observed effect:  Protac SenSit^® is used every day at the institution. It is used when a child has demonstrated a need for having their own space, needs to feel secure or has experienced physical unrest. When the chair isn't being used in the rooms, it is kept in the institution's common room where it can be freely used by children and adults who need stimulation. Many children go for the chair, especially at the end of the day when they need to calm down. They use the chair as their rest area. Some children are able to sit in it for a long time, while others use it on and off. Most children can climb up on the chair on their own, which makes it even more accessible and usable. The youngest child needs help getting up on the chair, but can get down from the chair easily. Some children only enjoy sitting and laying on the chair, while others read books or have books read to them by adults while sitting on the chair.

4-year old girl. Suffered from early emotional abuse.

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair  

Observed effect: The major physical and emotional unrest that fills the girl's everyday life greatly decreases when she sits in the chair. It is one of the first things she goes for spontaneously in the motor skills room. After four to six minutes of sitting completely covered and silent, she starts to communicate. Her speech is clearly more collected and organised. She then performs the sensory-motor activities much more calmly than before she was introduced to the chair. She often completes tasks that require hand-eye coordination while sitting in the chair, which improves the quality of her work.

38-year old, mentally challenged man 

He lives in an institution with other residents. He has his own room, which is where he prefers to be. He spends no more than a half hour at a time in the common room and appears restless.  

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair - in the user's room and in the common room 

Observed effect: The man is happy with the chair and remains sitting in it for longer than he would have sat before on other furniture. The staff finds that he has less physical unrest. He is less restless and moves about with less intensity. He can sit in the common room for longer than he could before. 

The chair lets him withdraw and stimulate his sensory system without falling asleep.  This means that the basis for being active is more about him being more awake and ready for activity than if he had received stimulation to his sensory system while laying down.

He lives in an institution 

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair 

Observed effect: One worker says: "He uses the Protac Ball Blanket throughout the day to calm his body and his thoughts so that he does not exhibit externalising behaviour. The issue was that when he covers up with the blanket, he falls asleep. This interrupts his internal clock and naturally affects his need for sleep at night. 

The chair calms his thoughts and body just the same while also letting him spend time with the others and watch TV or do other activities without falling asleep during the day".

6-year old boy diagnosed as moderately mentally challenged.

He is both mentally and physically restless. He has problems concentrating and exhibits self-harming behaviour.  

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® 

Observed effect: Over the course of three months, the boy has  sat for around 20 minutes in the chair every day after breakfast and during morning assembly. The chair is also used some after that. He concentrates better during morning assembly, can follow along and is not as distracting for the other children like he was before. He calms down better. 

He calms down when he sits down in the chair. On mornings when he feels bad, the chair helps him move on, get passed it and have a better day.

83-year old woman with mania and mental and physical unrest, admitted to a psychiatric ward.

It is difficult to alleviate her in the common room of the ward and she is often screened in inside her room in order to limit the amount of stimulation she gets.  

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair  

Observed effect: When she uses the chair, she is able to stay in the common room of the ward because her body and thoughts are calm. Right after being helped down onto the chair, she seems calmer and more collected.  She can participate in the activities going on around her. She cannot get up from the chair on her own and needs a little help from a staff member. See SenSit Straight for ball chairs for the elderly 

Woman with bipolar affective disorder.

Admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair.

Observed effect: One therapist in the ward says: "The woman uses the chair several times a day on her own, especially when she needs to calm down and collect her thoughts. She says that it helps her stay calm throughout the day without her having to go to bed. She finds that using a combination of the Protac Ball Blanket and night and the chair during the day works optimally for her. In the ward, we find that the chair helps to prevent and curb her tendency to get wound up and angry over the course of the day. We see her using it before and after going to meetings or having conversations. She had to be belted in for past hospitalisations, but this time it wasn't necessary".  

64-year old man with multiple infarcts.

He has a hard time accepting the fact that he needs to rest. The team helping him has tried different strategies, but he mostly protested and would not cooperate. 

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair  

Observed effect: Using the Protac SenSit^® , he and the team came up with an acceptable solution. He found the chair good for resting in because he did not have to lay down. The staff helped him to sit down comfortably, drew the curtains and made sure the room was relaxing. Most times he has slept in the chair, sometimes for as long as two hours. He has also sat himself down in the chair on his own to rest. The chair has been placed permanently in his room for three weeks as part of his rehabilitation. The nice, long rests have made him calmer and more coherent, which has helped him rehabilitation progress.

6-year old boy with physical unrest. Is easily distracted.

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair.

Observed effect: After trying out the chair a few times at occupational therapy, the boy says: "You have to tell my mom where she can buy a chair like this". The boy enjoys hiding under the neck cushions; he has the side flaps over him and he wants to have the ball blanket on top of him too. When his parents see the joy that the chair brings to their son, they try to make a similar seat for him.  His mother says: "It ended up we needed to own that chair. Nothing else can make our son this calm".
The boy uses the chair at the end of every therapy session, which makes it calmer, more attentive and gives him more calmness in his body when he leaves the room. This calm often remains all throughout the day.

Schizophrenic user at an activity centre 

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit

Observed effect: I have schizophrenia and sometimes suffer from anxiety and mental unrest. I use the chair for relaxing. I take breaks in it and sometimes I also sleep in it. I like using the puff so that I can rest my legs too. I really enjoyed using the ball blanket before.

20-year old woman with mental problems.

She has made several suicide attempts and was admitted to a psychiatric ward. She is severely self-harming. 

A sense-stimulating aid:  Protac SenSit^® 

Observed effect: The woman was encouraged by the staff to use the ball chair, but it was later the patient's own strategy to use the chair. She experienced a calming effect on her body and thoughts, and she became more capable of standing up against self-destructive behaviour. The chair was placed in her room so that she could use it on her own and she experienced a sense of well-being and a calming effect on her body.

Male student with Tourette syndrome  

A sense-stimulating aid: Protac SenSit^® ball chair  

Observed effect: "My son has benefited a lot from the Protac Ball Blanket and has used it so far to calm down and concentrate on his studies. But he associates sleep with the blanket, and this makes it difficult for him to keep from falling asleep when using it. The chair gives him the same feeling of calmness, but in a sitting position, and he doesn't get sleepy this way. Now he can sit for twice as long and concentrate while in the chair, which improves his quality of study and gives him more time for other activities".

Children

Group of children with socio-emotional challenges. “The chair quickly created a nice and pleasant zone outside. It was curiously used by all children and they found it comfortable to sit in either alone or with their best friend. Even the most restless and anxious children could relax in the chair and enjoyed being cuddled with the wings around them.”

Adults

Psychiatry: “As a staff member, I see how the chair can help us having meaningful conversations with the patients outside. When seated in the chair, they relax and feel calm. The chair is recognizable for the patients which helps them to feel confident. As staff members, we see that this chair helps the girls to feel at home – more than other outdoor furniture can do.”

Dementia

Elderly lady who wants to take part in social relations but with a tendency to restlessness and to be over­stimulated by social activities. “Ohh this is nice”, Ingrid says when seated in the chair on the terrace. She brings a magazine and reads concentrated for 45 minutes. Afterwards, she goes inside and feels happy and com­fortable for the rest of the day. Ever since, she has used the chair with the same positive result.