Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

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

• Sophia Yvette

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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: +1 (214) 499-8593

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 3:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a sensory boxes for neurodiverse children company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, rachel Schneider, with her company, prebox Rachel, how are you today?

Speaker 2:

I'm great. Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 3:

Oh yeah, it's a pleasure to have you on and we're so excited to learn all about you and your business. Can you tell our listeners just a little bit about your company?

Speaker 2:

Absolutely so. Prebox is a sensory box company that has been created by speech language pathologists. Prebox sensory boxes help neurodiverse children prepare for life experiences. So things like going to the doctor getting a haircut going on an airplane. So things like going to the doctor getting a haircut going on an airplane. Each box comes with themed toys, a sensory compound which is like it may be dough or slime or sand and also visual supports that include a visual schedule, a pre-story, which is a social story, and a ways to play guide for the parents to just give them some more ideas of how to play with the toys and also really just take the guesswork out of it for them and how to interact with their child for them and how to interact with their child.

Speaker 3:

Amazing and Rachel. How did you?

Speaker 2:

get started in an industry like this. So I have been a pediatric speech therapist for 13 years and a lot of my caseload has often been children with autism or neurodiverse children. And just over the years I was asked by my clients' families the same two questions, which was what toys do I buy and how do I play with them? Then I had kids of my own and I got asked the same two questions again by all of my friends, which was what toys do I buy and how do I play with them? So I thought about it and I know that how a therapist views a toy and how to play with a toy is very different than how a parent views a toy and plays with a toy. No-transcript. Teach families and parents and kids the power of play. Help parents be able to interact with their child in both a fun and functional way. Sensory play can help improve cognitive growth, language development, problem solving skills, fine motor, gross motor skills, social skills. I mean the list goes on.

Speaker 2:

Another reason why I created Prebox and the pre stands for proactive regulatory experience was to help prepare kids for life experiences with less anxiety For anyone. If you know what to expect ahead of time in any situation, you're going to feel less anxious about it. So I guess a lot of times my clients' families were, you know, they were afraid to take that trip, the what if the. You know what if my child has a meltdown and I'm at the airport Like, what am I going to do? So part of pre-box is to, you know, help you prepare beforehand to help decrease that anxiety, but also the things that we put in these boxes you can take with you so that they are, you have them when you're actually going to the event or activity. You know I really wanted to empower families to be able to take that trip or do that activity.

Speaker 3:

So, Rachel, what is the biggest myth or misconception you come across in your industry?

Speaker 2:

I would say the biggest misconception is that we are like every other sensory kit out there. That is not the case. We prepare kids for life experiences using the five senses. Also, we have visual supports in our sensory boxes, which I have yet to see that in any other company in our sensory boxes, which I have yet to see that in any other company. So the visual supports include a visual schedule, which is a sheet that has picture symbols that are in the order of events that you will most likely see them when you're going through that activity, and we also have the ways to play guide for parents to give them some more ideas, and also include speech and language targets in it as well, and the pre-story or social story that we write. And for those of you that don't know, a social story is a story about an experience. It has real life pictures and it explains the steps to events, activities and emotions that may take place. Also, we are a certified autism resource by the IBCCES, which stands for the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards.

Speaker 3:

Wow. Now, rachel, who are your, I would say, who is your target audience and, in terms of marketing, how do you currently attract them?

Speaker 2:

So our target audience is neurodivergent children and their families, but we are also great for really any kids, and I'd say any children ages three and up, because some of our boxes do have some smaller pieces. So if you have a child that you know may put toys in their mouth, you want to be aware that there are some. Sometimes there are some smaller pieces in there, but also we can make custom boxes for businesses and schools as well as well. We have an online store and our website is getmypreboxcom, and we also are on Instagram and TikTok and Facebook and we go to resource fairs and sensory friendly days. We are at some of the outdoor markets sometimes, so we're kind of all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Speaker 3:

Amazing. And have you ever thought of having your own podcast? I have not. And what is one thing you would like our listeners today to remember about pre-box?

Speaker 2:

um. So I think what I want parents to know is you don't have to struggle with the anxieties of, you know, taking that trip, getting on an airplane, going to a restaurant. Prebox is a tool that children and parents can use to help navigate life's adventures in a fun and engaging way. So we'll get you ready for the fun. You make the memories.

Speaker 3:

And Rachel, where is the best place for our listeners to go to learn more about Prebox?

Speaker 2:

I would say go to our website, which is wwwgetmypreboxcom. We can ship anywhere in the US. We can ship anywhere in the US and we also offer local pickup if you are local to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Speaker 3:

Well, Rachel, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPFriscocom. That's GNPFriscocom, or call 469-221-9345. Four, five, the, the.