When I saw this sensory item, I was immediately taken back many years. My memories of this item include a very young and non-verbal Elizabeth. She was also deep in the throes of her Sensory Issues ( Sensory Processing Disorder, SPD).
It is called the Abilitations Jiggler Massager.
This sensory device, (I call it that because it is like a toy but calling it that would do it a big injustice), looks like a over-sized pen with a rubberized topper on it. But give the topper a turn and you will immediately feel the vibrations begin.
Our topper was the elephant but they come in a two pack. So you can get the Elephant/Gator or the Kangaroo/Parrot.
I remember that our beloved therapist, Mary, used one on Elizabeth during a session and she recommended that we get one to use as a follow-up at home. So we did.
I can say that we used it a lot in our early therapy days.
We used it to sort of “wake-up” her mouth to begin any speech work. We used it to help her learn where to place her tongue to make certain sounds. And we used it to give some nice sensory input to her lips as she did not always use them to form difficult words.
The trunk of the elephant was used to reach her tongue and lips well.
In other words it was used almost daily.
You can clean it easily and it takes two “AA” batteries ( not included) to keep it up and running.
So that was our use of the Jiggler, but I have a friend who has a daughter who has Dyspraxia and SPD as well. When we got together to visit, I noticed her daughter was holding the “gator” Jiggler as a kind of fidget. Her mom told me that she likes the feeling of the vibrations in her hands. This little girl kept the Jiggler Massager with her the whole time we were visiting. This made me realize how great this would be used in this capacity as well.
One of the uses listed on our site is for the Jiggler Massager to provide sensory input of the face and mouth, but this little girl showed how much the vibration can be welcomed on the hands and arms.
I can see them being an easy sensory tool to take with you on a road trip or vacation with your special needs child, because they are small and easy to tuck away in a bag.
So if you think this sounds interesting to you, please take a look at them on our site.
I wish everyone a peaceful week.
Michele Gianetti
author of ” I Believe In You: A Mother and Daughter’s Special Journey” and “Emily’s Sister”
Special Needs Essentials Blog 