My youngest son is autistic. He has always "bundled" himself in his clothing to help him be calm and feel secure. He would always wear a heavy jacket and sweat pants, even outside in July when the temperature was over a hundred degrees, because that helped him to cope. When he was about 5 years old, the Occupational Therapist working with him supplied us with a weighted vest during his therapy sessions. This helped him to concentrate and participate in the difficult therapy sessions. I made a similar vest for him to wear at home and school. The poly pellets weren't available at that time. I found steel pellets in a sporting goods store and used these to fill the channels in the vest. I made a lining that contained the pellets and an outer cover of his choice of fabric for the outer vest. That way I could remove the lining and wash the cover. His heavy vest was a big hit with the other kids in school, and really helped him improve in school. He is now 23 years old and although he still has many problems, he is doing better. One of the problems we still have is fabric textures against his skin. He will not wear certain types of clothing or specific fabrics because the touch of the fabric against his skin is irritating to him. He also will not sleep with a top sheet on his bed. At night, he will wrap himself in several blankets (cocoon style), always in a specific order, with only his face exposed before he will go to sleep. Although it's been very challenging dealing with his many problems, he is a wonderful young man and has taught me patience and how to look at things and face challenges from a different point of view. He is my daily "sunshine and sugar."