Pidley Mountain team comes to rescue of four-year-old boy

A four-year-old Huntingdon boy who struggles with day-to-day activities has been given a ‘hugging’ jacket to keep him calm throughout the day.

Ashton Smith has an over-active sensory system, hypersensivity to stimuli, ADHD, hypermobility low muscle tone, severe sleep problems and epilepsy which means he struggles with activities and rarely sleeps through the night.

The Pidley Mountain Rescue Team (PMRT) has given Ashton a Southpaw Bear Hug, which helps to calm him during the day, and a weighted blanket to help Ashton sleep.

The charity also gave him a dark den which provides a calming environment for the pre-schooler to relax.

Kirstie Smith, Ashton’s mother, said: “The weighted blanket has particularly gone down a treat and helps him calm down at bedtime as it gives him sensory feedback. The weighted jacket is used mainly at school, and the sensory tent is awesome for when Ashton isn’t coping – giving him somewhere to go that makes him feel safe.

“We can’t thank the Pidley Mountain Rescue Team enough for funding these three items for Ashton.”

John Blundell, the charity’s applications officer, said: “We have funded a few of these ‘hugging’ jackets and weighted blankets for children with autism and related conditions and get some great feedback from families on how such simple concepts make a huge difference to the child’s behaviour and to family life.

“Apparently the deep pressure and controlled weight distribution in the jacket and blanket produce a calmer, more relaxed state of mind.”