Stress sensors

[MrsAverage]

Interesting new tech.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44680214

Wonder what the results will be

[bowlingbun]

Can I have one please, with solid results so I can show SSD how much stress they are causing me, and one for M too.

[Melly1]

I think they would be only be of use with those that suddenly "blow" with no outward signs of there being a problem and for those in services where the staff don't know them well enough to recognise that someone is getting anxious.

With S and the children in my class ( non verbal, ASD,) we nearly always recognise the signs when stress is starting and so can then implement various strategies to help the individual.

Now if they could invent something that could tell us WHAT the issue(s) is/ are on those occasions when we can't work it out - now that WOULD be useful and amazing!

Melly1

[MrsAverage]

Would such gadgets help people recognise their own stress levels do you think? Maybe for adults more than children

[Honey Badger]

Generally in adults the physiological markers are more obvious when we're under duress but you would hope it would have applications across all demographics where communication difficulty is involved.

Getting to where we can identify high octane/stressful situations in loved ones that can't vocalize is a big deal in itself.. especially when you are dealing with severe variants of developmental disorder or neurological impairment where visible signs of being triggered don't show up right until the meltdown/event phase.

Its basically another take on those "fit bit" watches, just looking for different things.

[Melly1]

Hi,
I've changed my perspective on this, since first posting.

A combination of Honey Badger's post, teaching assistants wearing fitness trackers and raving about them. In addition, it's not always easy to motivate S to exercise at weekends and holidays and I'm less active when not dashing around at school.

I started researching and was going to get very basic ones but then was intrigued by ones that tracked different sleep stages etc

We needed ones that didn't need a smartphone to connect to as neither of us have one. Whilst researching I came across one which measures stress in addition to all the usual things plus is waterproof and I bought it for S.

It is very interesting and shows despite the regular so called relaxing he does at home and college he isn't actually very good at it apart from when he actually asleep. It is good for clarifying when he is just moaning but actually quite calm and when stress is building invisibly and identifying stressful times in his day. I think it could be used to make him more aware of how is feeling too. All in all a useful tool.

Melly1

[bowlingbun]

What's it called Melly?

[Melly1]

BB,

S has a Garmin Vivosmart 3.

Melly1

[MrsAverage]

Wow! I am so glad this has helped S, and Melly too, of course. I wonder if theres anyway of feeding this back to the designers, maybe they could enhance it?