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SensoryCritters.com
LLC
will post media releases on this page. Keep on Gator watch as we
Capture:
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9/15/07 Lisa Compton, President, SensoryCritters.com chaired her second
Walk Now for Autism Speaks in Fort Wayne Indiana with over 700 walkers
and raised $58,000. This walk raises funds for Autism Speaks for
research and to find a cure and cause for Autism which effects 1 in 150
children around the world. Every 21 minutes there is another child
diagnosed with Autism. Lisa Compton Co-Chaired this event with Belinda
Hughes who is President of Interlock, East Central Indiana Autism
Society of America. Belinda runs a support group of 200 families in
Muncie and the surrounding area where they held their inaugural walk in
May of 07' and raised $15,000 to aid their local families and schools
with sensory processing products.
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6/9/07
SensoryCritters.com is
chairing the Second Annual Walk Now For Autism and on this Day June 9,
2007 at St. Joe United Methodist Church, 6400 Reed Road, Fort Wayne
Indiana is our
KICK OFF Event walk team packets are handed out to all that attend.
This signature event kicks off the fund raising efforts for the
September 15, 2007 Walk Now For Autism Speaks!
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6/4/07
SensoryCritters.com is presented a check for $1,000.00 to Autism Speaks
in honor of SensoryCritters.com for their hard work and dedication to
the autism community.
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5/26/07
SensoryCritters.com Participated and helped Sponsor
Interlock,
local autism support/awareness group held its first annual walk to raise
funds for ECI
(East Central Indiana).
Muncie’s first annual Autism Walk raised over $15,000 to help ECI
families living with Autism and local special education classes.
Interlock, the East Central Indiana Autism Society of America chapter
thanks the many selfless volunteers and sponsors that worked so hard to
bring the First Annual Autism Walk on Saturday, May 26, 2007 at Ball
State’s Worthen Arena to such success.
A primary goal of Interlock is to educate people about Autism Spectrum
Disorders, and Saturday was one step in that direction. In the state of
Indiana per the Public Board of Education we have 1 in 123 children are
diagnosed with Autism. In Delaware Community Schools, it is stated there
are over 150 children on the Autism Spectrum.
Thank you to the sponsors who provided fun and information for the 400
families who attended the event. Dr. David McIntosh from Ball State
University Teacher’s College provided the space at Worthen Arena at no
charge. Midwest Health Strategies brought out sensory equipment to roll
and climb on. Everyone enjoyed the art and music provided by Very
Special Arts. The bouncy houses from Super Rent were a big hit as well.
SensoryCritters.com provided the quiet area for children that became
overly stimulated with blankets, ball blankets to roll in, crinkle
blankets to wrap up in and weighted blankets to decompress.
Baskin-Robbins donated the ice cream for all to enjoy. The Red Cross
provided water and lemonade, as they would in an emergency situation.
The Muncie Fire Department brought out their trucks and uniforms for
children to explore. The motorcycle officer from the Delaware County
Sheriff’s Department was a big hit.
Finally, special thanks go out to Trooper Teddy, the Indiana State
Police’s mascot, for being the Grand Marshall of the Walk. We all look
forward to seeing him next year!
The second annual Autism Walk will be held April 2008 at Worthen Arena.
We look forward to seeing you there! Until then check out
Interlock and
see when their next family event will be during the summer months!
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5/20/07
SensoryCritters.com participated in
the Chicago Walk Now For Autism which raised over 4.1 million and still
counting for the research of Autism. SensoryCritters.com met and spoke
with thousands of families who stopped our booth to check out our
hundreds of products for sale as well as our newest products only
available in FlagHouse.com or through their Sensory Solution's catalog.
Families, therapists, teachers and especially the children really
enjoyed checking out the new products like our vibratory slippers and
Snakey which helps with snapping, zipping, buttons, and of course the
MONDO's are always a big hit for those sensory seekers!! We had a blast
and are looking forward to being there again in Chicago in 08'.
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5/05/07
SensoryCritters.com participated in
the Parent Resource Fair in Kendallville Indiana with other local
providers working with First Steps who serve DeKalb, Elkhart, LaGrange,
Noble, Steuben, St. Joseph & Whitely counties. This fair was intended to
assist local families with being able to meet and greet the local
providers in search for therapy needs for their children involved in the
First Steps program. Pam Deetz, Local Planning and Coordinating Council
Coordinator was the organizer of this event and can be reached for any
families living in these above counties at 1-866-725-2398.
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4/19/07-4/21/07
SensoryCritters.com
attended the AOTA's National convention
(American Occupational Therapy Association) where we met hundreds of
occupational therapists, providers and educators. The highlight was
being able to meet the staff of FlagHouse. Their booth featured many
products all sensory related but the highlight was the cover of their
2008 Sensory Solutions poster that was the backdrop of their booth. In
their booth they showcased our pieced top weighted blanket, jungle print
weighted blanket, our weighted vests, lap pads, and neck wraps. Our
SensoryCritters Explore it Wrap was also featured showing how to fill it
up with fidget and favorites of your clients! The staff at FlagHouse are
delightful and completely awesome! What a wonderful event this was for
SensoryCritters.com as we met so many new people, put faces to names and
e-mails and as we were leaving we met up with
Carol
Kranowitz a friend of ours, Carol was getting ready to speak at one
of the workshops.
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4/12/07
SensoryCritters.com
hosted their first
Autism Conference with 4 speakers. Chris Butz spoke about environmental
factors and your home; Bonnie Kelly President of ACT, Director of MODEL
Autism School Bryan Ohio spoke about Autism and Where are we today; Lisa
Compton, Owner and Designer of SensoryCritters.com LLC and
SensoryCraver.com spoke about Autism Research and the new exciting
programs available through Autism Speaks; Belinda Hughes, President of
Interlock EIC ASA Chapter spoke about the critical issues of being
involved with local communities but also with National Organizations.
Teachers, parents, administrators, school owners, therapists, Supplement
Providers, Siblings all came together to learn more about Autism, the
effects of autism and the latest research updates. Vendors were provided
who cater to the Autism client. Attendees and Vendors have
requested another conference by SensoryCritters.com in the fall.
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12/8/06
Sign
of the times informs of autistic child's presence
By
MICHAEL McBRIDE
Brandon
Marling, the father of a 6-year-old boy with autism, had asked town
council members years ago to erect street signs near his First Street
home to warn motorists that an autistic child lived in the neighborhood.
"We got so busy with other things that we had had no chance to get back
down to the meetings," Brandon said. "Then we heard that the council had
decided to vote against it."
Time
passed, then Brandon recently had reason to come before the town board
for another matter. Marling chose the opportunity to ask for the signs
again.
That's
when Phil Evans, an Albany native and town council member for
three years, took control of the situation.
"I
was acting president that night, and the council was not responding very
well," said
Evans, recently retired after a career as a manager at Manual
Transmissions of Muncie. "So, I said that I would pay for it."
At
the next meeting -- one that Brandon Marling did not attend -- the
other council members told Evans the town would pay for the signs.
"We already had the posts, and the signs cost less than $50,"
Evans said. "I saw a serious need to have the signs placed
along the street. The boy can get away in no time, and the signs
were needed for safety."
Frustrated
"Four
years ago, it was summer and the windows were open," Brandon said. "Garrett
climbed up on the back of a couch, ripped at a tear in the window
screen, and he was gone. "We panicked, but he was only two houses
away sitting on a swing set."
Evans
lives about six blocks away in the same half block where his mother and
maternal grandparents had lived before him.
"Some
things, you just know are the right things to do," he said.
Garrett,
6, has three brothers who are unaffected by autism: Michael, 7; Cody, 5,
and Jaxon, 2.
"I
wish that they would put signs up all over," Emili Marling said. "Why
not signs for all places where children with special needs might go out
to play?"
At a glance, Garrett appears to be no different than other
6-year-olds, but he does not talk and is unlikely to respond to people
talking to him.
Not alone
The
Marling's are part of the
Interlock, an autism
support group that meets most months at Ball State University in the
forum room of the University Avenue student center.
They said that other parents of autistic children had been eager to hear
that Albany had placed the signs.
"Some
people are still of the mindset that believe he belongs in an
institution," Brandon said about his boy. "But he is not
retarded.
"And just because he is what he is doesn't mean that he is not a person
too."
The Marling family Emili ; Michael, 7; Garrett, 6;
Brandon; Jaxon, 2, and Cody, 5 — all wear autism ribbons to spread
awareness about the illness that has affected Garrett.
Interlock meets Dec. 13 from 6:30-8 p.m. Lisa Compton's Fort Wayne
company, Sensory Critters.com, is on the agenda, and family members will
get a chance to purchase items created expressly for children with
autism.
Cops for Kids, the
Indiana State Police, and the Optimist and Kiwanis clubs have provided
funding for families unable to afford the special toys and other items,
said Interlock contact
Belinda Hughes.
Delaware County had 120 students diagnosed with autism last year,
Hughes said, and Interlock was planning an April Autism Walk to
highlight the increasing problem.
Interlock
meetings in 2007 are scheduled for the first Wednesday of each month,
6:30-8 p.m. at the student center starting in February.
Cases
of autism are on the rise, the Marlings said. The noticeable blip
spurred a cover story article in a recent Newsweek magazine. Boys are
predominantly affected, while
Pervasive Developmental Disorder is the moniker for girls with
similar symptoms.
Contact towns reporter Michael McBride at 213-5826.
******************************
10/21/06
While
at the MAAP Conference Lisa Compton met Dr. Tony Attwood.
Dr. Tony Attwood is a
world-renowned Australian psychologist who is an expert on Asperger's
Syndrome. His professional qualifications are with an Honors
degree in Psychology from the University of Hull, Masters degree in
Clinical Psychology from the University of Surrey, and Ph.D. from the
University of London. Professor Uta Frith was his Ph.D. supervisor.
Dr.
Tony Attwood started a diagnostic and treatment clinic for children and
adults with Asperger’s Syndrome with Dr Brian Ross, Child Psychiatrist,
in Brisbane in 1992. This clinic functions two days a week, the other
days he supports children and adults by visiting them at school and
home. He also spends considerable time traveling to present workshops
and papers at national and international conferences, and supervise
post-graduate clinical students for their clinical experience and
research in the area of developmental disorders.
To
read more about Dr. Tony Attwood's accomplishments, his work in
progress, publications, workshop notes, presentations, and new
diagnostic and treatment clinic in Brisbane Australia click
here.
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10/01/06
SensoryCritters.com chaired the
Inaugural Autism Walk for Autism Speaks in Fort Wayne Indiana. In four
months we were able to raise $38,000 for Autism research. We want to
thank everyone who came out and made this day so very special we could
not have done it without you! Look for our 2nd Walk Now For Autism
September 15, 2007 at Foster Park
http://www.AutismWalk.org/FortWayne for all of the details!
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7/31/06: Comfort
– it’s a weighty issue
Children
with autism, other sensory disorders can relax with
products handmade for them
By Sheryl Krieg
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Courtesy photo
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Lisa Compton of
SensoryCritters.com speaks to a
group about products that help
children with sensory issues.
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When Lisa
Compton received a call for help from her dear friend’s
daughter in Florida, Compton responded as any close
family member would.
Angie
Simonton was in a quandary. Simonton’s son, Dillan, who
suffers from autism, seizures, expressive receptive
language delay and Sensory Processing Disorder, was in
need of weighted products, and she asked if Compton
could make them for him.
The
weights in these blankets, vests and other items apply
deep pressure to the muscles of the body, which calm and
relax a child who suffers from any sensory integration
disorder, such as autism.
Compton,
a Fort Wayne native, accepted the challenge. She
researched the Internet and catalogs to see comparable
products, but was disappointed in their construction and
fabric selection.
“I had to
open my mind up to create what he needed,” said Compton,
who crafted a weighted lap pad, neck wrap and vest for
Dillan.
Simonton
also invited Compton to attend the Family Café
conference in Orlando, Fla., so Compton could attend
workshops and learn more about autism and other
disabilities.
Little did
she know that she would begin a new business in the
middle of a workshop.
As people
complained about weighted products that weren’t made
correctly, Compton spoke up about what she had created
for her “nephew.” She and her
husband, Bob, formed
SensoryCritters.com
in June 2005.
“I
called him from the cell phone and told
him, ‘We’re doing this,’” Lisa recalled. “He replied, ‘I
figured as much.’”
Now as
director of sales, marketing and product development,
Lisa travels to conferences nationwide and has expanded
her line of handmade products to include weighted
blankets and sensory wraps. She also is a distributor
for Playaway Toy Company and Abilitations.
The
products
SensoryCritters.com currently
has two seamstresses – one in Berne and one in Fort
Wayne – who each complete seven to 10 orders weekly for
distribution in 44 states, as well as New Zealand,
Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and Bosnia.
Compton
personalizes her handmade products for girls and boys,
accommodating special requests. She encourages families
to consult with their occupational therapists, just as
she consults with Michele Mitchell, an occupational
therapist, from Ohio.
Compton and
Mitchell met about a year ago, when Mitchell was looking
for a reputable company that makes weighted products.
During the course of the year, Compton and Mitchell have
exchanged client referrals.
Mitchell
said, “We have even developed presentations together
where she takes my information and her products and goes
around the country educating people.”
SensoryCritters’ products
include:
♦Weighted
blankets, SensoryCritters.com’s best-selling handmade
product, come in assorted sizes – with or without a
quilted top. Quilted-top weighted blankets also are
hand-tied.
All
blankets have a solid-color side as well as a
textured-material side that is multicolored.
SensoryCritters.com offers the only weighted blanket on
the market that does not have to have weights removed in
order to wash and dry it. The blankets do not contain
any poly pellets or rocks. This design is patent
pending.
♦Sensory
wraps include eight pockets that have a different fabric
inside each pocket.
Compton
said, “This way they can explore textures on their own
terms. They can hide their fidgets. You never want to
force a child to do something they’re not ready to do.”
♦Weighted
lap pads are available with or without Content PLUS,
which is padding on the underside so the child doesn’t
feel the beads or the weights inside, which can send a
child with sensory overload into a meltdown.
They
also have one side of solid-color fabric and one side of
stimulating fabric, and can be folded in half for
smaller laps. Compton said, “I wanted to make them as
flexible as possible.”
♦Neck
wraps are available in different types of fabrics and
allow for finger pockets on the ends for sensory
stimulation.
♦Vests
are customized for each child and adult according to the
request, such as fabric choice, zipper vs. Velcro,
pockets, and front and back openings. Weight
requirements are determined by their occupational
therapists.
Compton
said she had to make a vest for a girl who had twirled
her hair away. Because Compton added fringe to the
bottom of this little girl’s vest, the little girl now
twirls the fringe on the bottom of the vest, and her
hair has grown back.
Compton
said, “You have to learn what they do and what to do to
correct it.”
The benefits
Mitchell
said weighted products are beneficial for children with
Sensory Processing Disorder because they improve body
awareness, calm and improve attention and focus, and
decrease sensory-seeking behaviors.
Mitchell
said, “The therapeutic use of weight and ‘deep pressure’
to the muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments allows the
central nervous system to better interpret and integrate
both tactile (sense of touch) and proprioceptive (sense
of movement, body position and pressure) input.”
Jenna McCreary, a
mother of seven children, said weighted products have
helped her children sleep and function better.
“Our
8-year-old would bang his head for several hours into
the night, and all morning long once he awoke. Now he is
much happier, well-rested, and the head-banging has
completely ceased,” she said.
The
future
Where
does Sensory Critters.com go from here?
In
addition to hiring seamstresses, Bob Compton is
developing a new Web site,
www.sensorycraver.com, in conjunction with
Mitchell’s (www.sensory-processing-disorder.com)
to share each other’s information. The SensoryCraver
site will launch in September with a shopping cart of
hundreds of therapeutic sup- plies.
Lisa
Compton’s ultimate goal is to expand operations from her
living room to a retail store to sell their products.
She also would like to hold home parties for parents and
therapists to check out products before they purchase
them. Compton also hopes to establish a school behind
the store to serve children with autism and behavioral
disabilities. Therapists would be available for daily
input. The school probably won’t happen for at least two
to three years.
Product line
Here are some of the weighted products offered by
SensoryCritters.com. For more information, call
260-492-6620 or visit
www.sensorycritters.com:
Blankets —
without quilt top
Blankets —
with quilt top
Vests
Child small
through
Adult extra large
Additional
weights can be added to vests
Lap pads —
without Content PLUS
Lap pads —
with Content PLUS
Lap pad
covers
Neck wraps
Neck
wrap covers
Sensory wraps
Source:
www.sensorycritters.com
Information
Release
July
1, 2005
Information
Release
July
20, 2005
Incredible
Horizons
Becomes
an Affiliate
8/05
Central
Florida
Becomes
an Affiliate
8/05
Media
Release September
25 2005
Information
Release
October
2005
November
05 - was Huge in
Florida for 9 days touring from the east coast to the west coast - We
missed the Media Release but look for our events in our January
Newsletter!
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