Tip of the Week for January 21st, 2013
Clothing and the Sensory Sensitive ChildWhen you have autistic children, you are likely to come across all sorts of oddities with clothing. Common quirks include chewing or sucking on sleeves, having great discomfort from elastics and labels and wanting to take their clothes off.One tip I keep hearing from parents of children with autism is that their kids find it much more comfortable to sleep in one-piece pajamas. It may well be the lack of elastic around the waist, since the belly seems to be especially tender for many with autism. They can be hard to find though, so it you find a supply, stock up. Clothing designed to meet the quirks of autism can make night time much more comfortable.One tip offered to help keep the child in pajamas who always wants to take them off, is to purchase pajamas that are fastened in the back, that way the child cannot get to the zipper or the buttons. This of course works best for younger children, but has been an effective strategy to keep them in their pajamas through the night.Do you have the child with autism that loves wearing his old clothes rather than his new ones? Dressing, grooming and presentation are areas of life skills that we try to incorporate into the education of children with autism. However, there are small areas where we face a challenge. Getting children to wear new clothes, is one of them. Children and adults with autism tend to prefer to wear old, faded worn out clothes, and it can be quite difficult to get them to change.So why does this happen? Old clothes are simply more comfortable than new ones. It makes perfect sense. Old clothes are softer and must be so much easier to wear for children who have sensory hypersensitivity. The solution is simple. Wash new clothes a couple of times before you introduce them to your child. Ensure that all the starch is gone. Choose soft, comfortable fabrics rather than anything scratchy. And if all of this doesn't work, let the child wear an old vest underneath their newer clothes. These little adaptations can make dressing easier for children with autism. Try to avoid clothing styles that are tight or that have a lot of seams, zippers, and/or other fasteners.EBook of the Week: Educating Children with Autism [electronic resource] / Committee on Educational Interventions for Children with Autism, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council. National Academy Press, 2001. This ebook investigates methods and strategies on educating children with autism, and makes recommendations.
You may search the library catalog via the SESA website, or contact Anne directly by email at afreitag@sesa.org or by phone at 907-334-1301.
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