EP 278: Ready Sense Go: Sensory Kits for Neurodiverse Children

What makes Rachel Schneider with PRE BOX, LLC a good neighbor?

PRE BOX – Ever wondered how to ease a child’s anxiety about overwhelming experiences like doctor visits, haircuts, or airplane travel? Meet Rachel Schneider, a speech-language pathologist with 13 years of experience, who’s revolutionizing how families prepare neurodiverse children for life’s challenges.

Rachel shares the story behind PRE BOX, her innovative company creating specialized sensory boxes that turn difficult experiences into manageable adventures. Inspired by the recurring question—“What toys should I buy and how do I play with them?”—these comprehensive kits bridge the gap between therapeutic expertise and practical parenting. Each box includes thoughtfully selected themed toys, a sensory compound like dough or slime, and essential visual supports such as a visual schedule, social story, and a ways-to-play parent guide—taking the guesswork out of preparation.

What sets PRE BOX apart in the sensory kit marketplace is its deep foundation in evidence-based practice. As Rachel explains, “We prepare kids for life experiences using the five senses,” but more importantly, PRE BOX incorporates visual supports not found in competing products. Certified by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) as an Autism Resource, these tools elevate each kit from simple play to a legitimate therapeutic resource.

Developed by pediatric speech-language pathologists, PRE BOX kits are designed to reduce anxiety and increase engagement and social participation by helping children understand what to expect. The sensory play included in each box supports cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, language development, problem-solving, and social interaction. PRE BOX also offers customized kits for schools, clinics, and businesses—making their impact even more accessible.

Ready to turn anxious moments into opportunities for growth and connection? As Rachel beautifully puts it:
 “PRE BOX is a tool that children and parents can use to help navigate life’s adventures in a fun and engaging way. We’ll get you ready for the fun. You make the memories.”

To learn more about PRE BOX, LLC, visit:
 getmyprebox.com

PREBOX, LLC
Phone: [phone]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a sensoryboxes for neurodiverse children
company?
Well, one may be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
rachel Schneider, with hercompany, prebox Rachel, how are
you today?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
I'm great.
Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Oh yeah, it's a pleasure to have you on and
we're so excited to learn allabout you and your business.
Can you tell our listeners justa little bit about your company
?

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Absolutely so.
Prebox is a sensory box companythat has been created by speech
language pathologists.
Prebox sensory boxes helpneurodiverse children prepare
for life experiences.
So things like going to thedoctor getting a haircut going
on an airplane.
So things like going to thedoctor getting a haircut going

(01:05):
on an airplane.
Each box comes with themed toys, a sensory compound which is
like it may be dough or slime orsand and also visual supports

(01:30):
that include a visual schedule,a pre-story, which is a social
story, and a ways to play guidefor the parents to just give
them some more ideas of how toplay with the toys and also
really just take the guessworkout of it for them and how to
interact with their child forthem and how to interact with

(01:51):
their child.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Amazing and Rachel.
How did you?

Speaker 2 (01:53):
get started in an industry like this.
So I have been a pediatricspeech therapist for 13 years
and a lot of my caseload hasoften been children with autism
or neurodiverse children.
And just over the years I wasasked by my clients' families

(02:16):
the same two questions, whichwas what toys do I buy and how
do I play with them?
Then I had kids of my own and Igot asked the same two
questions again by all of myfriends, which was what toys do
I buy and how do I play withthem?
So I thought about it and Iknow that how a therapist views

(02:37):
a toy and how to play with a toyis very different than how a
parent views a toy and playswith a toy.
No-transcript.
Teach families and parents andkids the power of play.

(03:00):
Help parents be able tointeract with their child in
both a fun and functional way.
Sensory play can help improvecognitive growth, language
development, problem solvingskills, fine motor, gross motor
skills, social skills.
I mean the list goes on.
Another reason why I createdPrebox and the pre stands for

(03:25):
proactive regulatory experiencewas to help prepare kids for
life experiences with lessanxiety For anyone.
If you know what to expectahead of time in any situation,
you're going to feel lessanxious about it.
So I guess a lot of times myclients' families were, you know

(03:52):
, they were afraid to take thattrip, the what if the.
You know what if my child has ameltdown and I'm at the airport
Like, what am I going to do?
So part of pre-box is to, youknow, help you prepare
beforehand to help decrease thatanxiety, but also the things
that we put in these boxes youcan take with you so that they

(04:14):
are, you have them when you'reactually going to the event or
activity.
You know I really wanted toempower families to be able to
take that trip or do thatactivity.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
So, Rachel, what is the biggest myth or
misconception you come across inyour industry?

Speaker 2 (04:35):
I would say the biggest misconception is that we
are like every other sensorykit out there.
That is not the case.
We prepare kids for lifeexperiences using the five
senses.
Also, we have visual supportsin our sensory boxes, which I

(04:57):
have yet to see that in anyother company in our sensory
boxes, which I have yet to seethat in any other company.
So the visual supports includea visual schedule, which is a
sheet that has picture symbolsthat are in the order of events
that you will most likely seethem when you're going through

(05:19):
that activity, and we also havethe ways to play guide for
parents to give them some moreideas, and also include speech
and language targets in it aswell, and the pre-story or
social story that we write.
And for those of you that don'tknow, a social story is a story

(05:42):
about an experience.
It has real life pictures andit explains the steps to events,
activities and emotions thatmay take place.
Also, we are a certified autismresource by the IBCCES, which
stands for the InternationalBoard of Credentialing and

(06:05):
Continuing Education Standards.

Speaker 3 (06:09):
Wow.
Now, rachel, who are your, Iwould say, who is your target
audience and, in terms ofmarketing, how do you currently
attract them?

Speaker 2 (06:23):
So our target audience is neurodivergent
children and their families, butwe are also great for really
any kids, and I'd say anychildren ages three and up,
because some of our boxes dohave some smaller pieces.
So if you have a child that youknow may put toys in their
mouth, you want to be aware thatthere are some.

(06:45):
Sometimes there are somesmaller pieces in there, but
also we can make custom boxesfor businesses and schools as
well as well.
We have an online store and ourwebsite is getmypreboxcom, and

(07:09):
we also are on Instagram andTikTok and Facebook and we go to
resource fairs and sensoryfriendly days.
We are at some of the outdoormarkets sometimes, so we're kind
of all over the Dallas-FortWorth area.

Speaker 3 (07:29):
Amazing.
And have you ever thought ofhaving your own podcast?
I have not.
And what is one thing you wouldlike our listeners today to
remember about pre-box?

Speaker 2 (07:46):
um.
So I think what I want parentsto know is you don't have to
struggle with the anxieties of,you know, taking that trip,
getting on an airplane, going toa restaurant.
Prebox is a tool that childrenand parents can use to help
navigate life's adventures in afun and engaging way.

(08:06):
So we'll get you ready for thefun.
You make the memories.

Speaker 3 (08:12):
And Rachel, where is the best place for our listeners
to go to learn more aboutPrebox?

Speaker 2 (08:20):
I would say go to our website, which is
wwwgetmypreboxcom.
We can ship anywhere in the US.
We can ship anywhere in the USand we also offer local pickup
if you are local to theDallas-Fort Worth area.

Speaker 3 (08:40):
Well, Rachel, I really appreciate you being on
the show.
We wish you and your businessthe best moving forward.

Speaker 2 (08:48):
Thank you, thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (08:51):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNPFriscocom.
That's GNPFriscocom, or call469-221-9345.
Four, five, the, the.