Eagle Scout candidate donates autism sensory kits to 6 South Shore towns

COHASSET, Mass. — When Sgt. Paul Wilson of the Cohasset Police Department heads out on the road, he now has with him a new tool. One that he said is critical.

“Anything to distract them from an issue that can make their issues worse definitely helps out in an emergency situation,” Wilson said.

Each Cohasset Police cruiser and fire truck now carry sensory kits to help calm people with special needs and autism during emergencies. The kits contain fidget toys, including jelly worms, a Rubik’s Cube and a small basketball, which can help keep kids busy with their hands. There’s also a weighted blanket to provide comfort, books, a set of cards with symbols to communicate to those who are non-verbal and noise-canceling headphones.

“Obviously, if there’s an emergency situation going on say like a motor vehicle accident and there’s an autistic child in the car, all the noise and issues may be a trigger for that child, so the headphones can help ease that problem,” Wilson said.

The sensory kits were put together and donated by Eric Hense, a 15-year-old Cohasset resident, as part of his Eagle Scout project. The project was inspired by his older brother, Tommy, who has autism.

“I know, for people like him, it would really benefit the community and people who aren’t even, who might have another disability, would be able to use these sensory kits,” he said.

In addition to Cohasset, Eric has donated the sensory kits to five other South Shore towns including Hull, Hingham, Hanover, Scituate and Norwell. Eric has donated 80 kits in total. He raised $6,000 through a GoFundMe account to help pay for them. Eric hopes to earn his Eagle Scout rank in the next few months.

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