How to make a DIY Body Sensory Sock for your child with autism

Does your child seek out lots of deep pressure input? Do they need tight clothes, and enjoy rough play? It’s likely that their body is seeking more proprioceptive (deep pressure) input.

You might have seen pictures of kids using lycra Body Sensory Socks, and thought they’re a bit expensive for your budget. So here’s how to machine sew a basic one yourself, for just the cost of the fabric:

1. Measure your child’s height & the width of their shoulders

2. Cut the length of your stretchy lycra fabric to to twice your child’s height.

3. Cut the width of the fabric to the width of your child’s shoulders plus 4-6 inches (10 -15 cm).

4. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise

5. Sew up the 2 long edges. You’ll need a needle for your sewing machine which can cope with stretchy fabric.

6. Sew several inches across both sides of the shorter edge, leaving a gap in the middle for your child’s shoulders to fit through.

7. Check that your child can easily step inside the sensory sock & pull it right up to their head before sewing the seams a second time to make them secure.

I hope your child enjoys using their body sensory sock as much as my son did!

Check out these Sensory Processing resources:

Sensory Processing Disorder Easy Read Guide For Parents

Sensory Processing Checklist

Thanks for reading,

Kirsten