Squease – Pressure Vests

Squease is an inflatable deep-pressure vest made by a small company in Oud-Beijerland, in the Netherlands, for autistic people, people with ADHD and anyone with sensory processing differences who finds firm pressure settling when a busy room, a change of plan or close contact with others becomes too much. It uses air rather than weights: the vest has air pockets around the upper body, and the wearer fills them with a hand pump, so the pressure is there only when they want it and at the strength they choose.

The vest can be worn on its own or zipped inside a Squease hooded top, where it passes as ordinary clothing at home, in school, at work or on the move. Deflated, it hangs loosely, which makes it practical to keep on all day — the main difference from weighted vests and compression garments, which press constantly. Squease positions it as a way to head off overstimulation, take the edge off anxiety and stress, calm down during panic, concentrate and fall asleep. The company dates from 2009, and the vest was introduced to UK buyers at the Autism Show in London in 2012.

For anyone unsure whether deep pressure suits them, the most useful detail is the rental route. Squease rents out a new vest for four weeks, and the rental cost is deducted if the wearer decides to buy, so the vest they have already been using simply stays with them. The vest is sold through the Squease webshop and stocked by Dutch sensory and therapy equipment suppliers, and it appears in the assistive devices database of VAPH, the Flemish agency for people with disabilities.