Stephanie is the inventor of Senseez vibrating pillows.
Senseez can help parents, teachers, and therapists give children on the autism spectrum or ADHD calming and soothing sensations.
Q: Stephanie, please tell us about yourself – we want to get to know you. Give us an overview of what you do for the autism community.
I am a professor and mom of a child with ASD. My son was diagnosed at the age of two.
He had trouble sitting in one place long enough to finish a meal or read a book so his occupational therapist suggested a vibrating mat. Unfortunately, the vibrating mat was large, heavy, and not very portable. This made it difficult to use the vibrating mat in a public place.
I could not find a vibrating cushion that was portable and battery powered so I invented Senseez in 2012. I began by hand sewing the first vibrating pillows out of my basement.
Today Senseez is distributed through 55 vendors and a part of the proceeds goes to the Autism Society of the USA.
Q: Share an inspirational story- one of those moments that keeps you going and moving forward with your project.
There were many challenges to get Senseez to our customers – as is always the case with any startup.
The thing that kept me going was the positive feedback we were getting from people who wanted our pillows!
Initially, the pillows that were hand sown in my basement sold out. Our first round of 600 pillows was sold within a couple of months.
Q: What are you currently working on?
At Senseez, we are currently improving the design and bringing in new fabrics for our Touchables line. The kids will love the new styles and feels!
Q: What has been your proudest moment?
My proudest moment with Senseez was getting 3 offers from the Dragons on Dragon’s Den.
Going on the Dragon’s Den was a whole different dragon in itself!
I was really proud that we received those offers from the Dragons and it spoke to the validity of Senseez vibrating pillows.
Q: What’s your number one favorite autism resource that you share with parents and educators?
Asperkids – They are a great social education company. They have great books and offer great resources for children in the autism community.
Also, my work on Sexpressions is a great resource that helps to make sex education accessible for youth and adults on the autism spectrum.
Q. What vision do you have for the future of the autism community?
I think, now more than ever, being different is cool.
There are a lot of products coming out for kids with special needs that will help them stand out less and blend in with their peers.
Q: Share one piece of parting guidance, and share the best way our readers can find you.
The best inventions come from moms and necessity!
You can find out more about our vibrating pillows at Senseez.com
Listen to more interviews like this one when we launch the Edx Autism Podcast Show in July!
Pretty amazing blog. Congratulations and I wish you the best for your project.
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