Wow, did some checking on pricing for the vests and they have really gone up! We paid a local woman $25 for ours, but that was a few years ago. We donated it to the school after he grew out of it. They aren't that difficult to make so maybe you can find a relative/friend with a little sewing skill and put it together?? Wouldn't have traded ours for anything! They even used the dinosaur pattern material & he wanted to wear it! Hope that helps!

We used a weighted vest until my son was around 10. When he would get over-stimulated, we would put the vest on and re-direct him to quiet activities or just sitting him in our lap and telling him a funny story (softly) or talking about something he was interested in. Re-direction was the main thing that seems to help with his over-stimulation. Therapy helped him recognize when he was reaching that point and provided methods to get him to settle down again, i.e., deep breathing, reading a book, sitting with his blanket, coloring, etc.

My son also wore a weighted vest. He loved the way it made him feel.

Oh and yes the weighted vest was the thing that helped the most

Here is a story about my son

http://kyleastory.blogspot.com/