Hygiene

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This may be something to do with the age group as a whole, also. My oldest will be thirteen in March and is diagnosed with HFA. His hygiene is terrible. About the only thing that I can consistently get him to take a shower for without fuss is for his weekly OT appointment. In the last few months it's been addressed by all of his close contact family members...and he largely still doesn't see any reason to have concern over it. I can remember feeling the same way at a similar age. My smell isn't bothering me, why should take all the time and effort to take a shower? My best friend whose child of about the same age who isn't on the autism spectrum but does have other severe mental health type issues refuses to bathe, and so does another friend's NT child of the same age.

We've had hands-on lessons (over a sink with clothes on) from my son's Grandma (who he is extremely attached to, and who knows so much more than that mere mom, yeah the teen attitude is beginning) on how to properly wash his hair. He has very thick hair that grows extremely quickly, and he has very, very bad dandruff even to the point of resembling "cradle cap". It turned out he really wasn't sure how to do it properly, and coming from Grandma made it easier to here than coming from me. But now that he knows that for sure, it still hasn't increased his desire to take regular showers, just the efficacy of them when he does.

Not really a lot of help, but at least some feeling of not being alone maybe.

I think your right it has something to do with boys this age in general too. It just bugs me that hes getting flakes in his hair and now pimples and dandruff are starting too. Thats funny you said your sons hair is really thick, thats how my ds hair is big time, since I noticed the problem it only seems to be getting worse. And now its flu season and the news is stressing how bad the flu is going around, my ds turns the water on and then off to wash his hands in one second if im lucky. Hes had a flu shot, I just wish he would wash his hands a little better too. I guess we will just keep plugging away one day at a time with this. Maybe if he decides he likes girls he will change his tune. Well just keep trying to develop healthy habbits.

Oh and by the way, it helps alot. Im trying to be as patient and understanding as possible. Knowing others are going through the same thing defineitly helps tons thank you!

deodorant:
I get thrown off most deodorants, not because of the contents, but because of the smell. Many deodorants have quite a strong scent to the point of hurting my nose. Also, if it's a spray-on, it gets quite cold. Who seeks out and buys the deodorant? Why doesn't he like it?
I would suggest going to the store with him and let him choose the scent and type. The market is big, so getting the right one means going though a few brands and types.

i've also had a few problems with some deodorants, in that they create an itchy layer on the skin an the sweat starts beading up and rolls down from the armpits. I'm not a heavy sweater at all, but it is very irritating.


soap:
same thing, it may be the smell, the sensation or problems caused by the soap. Many fluid hand soaps especially smell quite a lot. For hanwashing, I can recommend the non-parfumated, allergy-friendly types. For the shower, you can do the same, or get something less fragrant, A good deal of "for men" shower gels smell a good deal less and can be used as shampoo as well.

toothpaste:
this is a hard one, mainly because the only taste out there is mint, at least for adults (and kiddie toothpastes rarely work). I only brush my teeth in the morning because I can't fall asleep with my mouth tasting like mint. However, different brands still have different "mintyness"; While colgate is quite strong and very minty (the extra minty "cool 'n' fresh type makes my tongue feel like it's on fire), others like aquafresh can be much sweeter and more palatable for those with extra sensitive tastebuds.

So my point is, that there's something out there that your son may be willing to use, however it will take some time going through brands etc. If you can get your son's help in finding something, that would be great, as he'd have to option to choose scents etc.
Going all natural is something I'd never consider, unless it's a last resort, mainly due to the fact that they usually cost double or triple the amount of regular hygiene products (at least where I am)

With deodorant I only use aerosol. I don't like having the deodorant applicator touch my skin.

I never thought of the aquafresh! Its more orangey kind of isnt it. I will make a point to look for that one at the store tomorrow for sure. Yes natural stuff is way more pricey Im with you there, but if nothing else works we will have to go that route. The dentist did give him like vanilla toothpaste or something one time, and he had less trouble with it. That stuff costs 9 bucks for a small tube though... Im going to try the aqua fresh I cant believe that didnt occur to me. I had been looking at stuff for younger kids, which is not strong enough for him but then there seems to be a couple brands just for 12 and up which we have been trying and he hates. I was also trying to think keep it bland as possible with the adult ones he tried, those are also for age 12 to adult. Were going to give the aqua fresh a go. I cant deal with his breath being so stinky, even if its not important to him, the bad breath repels other people, and they will start to tease and or avoid him for that. He wants to own his own electronic company so bad when he grows up, I told him okay businessmen have to have a million dollar smile to give their customers, so start taking better care of your teeth! lol

I dunno because this is starting to drive me nuts. DD is almost 5 and a half and ought to be able to navigate the bathroom and at least get dressed/undressed and scrub herself in the bath (not do her own hair, just use the scrubby and wash herself) but she just can't or won't. She can't even navigate the toilet properly. It's things like not wiping, forgetting to wipe, not wiping enough, using too little or too much tp... She is willing to have her teeth brushed, but if she tries to do it herslef she does an insifficient job. No matter how many times I show her how to do these things she seems to have no idea how to do them... and dd2.75... not dxed but highly suspect, she's doing to be evaluated this spring... this kid hasn't had a bad in awhile. Screams, squeals, anything at the mention of a bath. She says baths hurt and are scary. I worry that if I just give her a forcible scrub down that she will never willingly get into the tub again... yet that day is approaching because she NEEDS a bath.

If you do a bit of googling on toothpaste, apparently mint is a common problem. Tom's of Maine is a brand that comes up a lot, also there are some brands that have cinnamon flavors. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/sho ... p?t=482141

If you go the alternate toothpaste route, you should find another resource for flouride: listerine has flouride-based rinses that are in more kid-friendly flavors and don't contain alcohol (they will also help you with the breath issue)

This is a common issue with many boys in the age group, not just AS ones. They just don't get it. They don't care, and they aren't going to care until many embarassing situations have come their way. I've driven enough field trips to know: teen and pre-teen boys can be gross.

So we've simply made it a rule. Eliminated all possible sensory issues or allergic reactions, and then made it a rule.

I'm afraid you'll probably be dealing with it for years. Just get matter of fact about it and stay consistent.

Yep, it's the age of fun from the sounds for both boys and girls with hygiene.
I was reading over the posts and products over at the states would be different to Australia but one thing l do and have tried is natural products since l know my DD is sensitive to the feel as well keeping in mind what's in the products. However you may be in a situation like myself where the natural product may not be doing the job, e.g, sweating. My thoughts are if your child is going to be teased at school because of smelling of body odor you are going to have to use what works. My way around this was use the natural product first as a first layer and then we used either a sensitive allergy free roll on or spray product with the normal chemicals to help stop the sweating. So l guess its trying to find a happy medium as my DD has enough problems at school to then be teased about smelling.

Hi all! So glad to have found this forum! I am new here.
My dd is 13 and has been not willing to negotiate the bath/shower. This is a new problem (new as in last few months) and we have tried everything we can think of!!
We just found a new Dr. and will be getting some tests run because another issue has been her digestive system and her anxiety. I am hoping as we find solutions to these other issues that the hygeine problem will become easier to cope with.
For teeth brushing (this was a major deal as she was refusing completely!) I just found a solution today. Her dad travels a lot and he uses these little throw-away tooth brushes that come with paste on them. She thought it was great (even though it was mint, but not so strong she couldn't tolerate it) and they are made to use without water, so she can use it in her room or where ever. This worked once, so cross your fingers that after I buy them in bulk at the super market she will keep using them!

We have difficulty with my completely NT 11yr old daughter. Her hygiene is really not good, and now she's coming into puberty its actually a matter of smell and so forth. I've turned to being blunt about it and making her shower every day or two but its a bit of a battle. I guess it's not particularly an ASD thing just a kid thing, although I'm sure ASD makes it harder. Teeth brushing is the one thing we won't let lapse, insist on it morning and night.
With my Autistic son I brush his teeth for him and we bath him, no problems there, apart from him ending up running around the house naked and dripping wet a lot!

My kids DD 11 and DS 9 don't like mint toothpaste at all. I found a BUBBLEGUM flavor (pink) princess toothpaste by Oral B and they have been happy with it, for about 10 years. My son didn't like the princess graphics and I let him choose other toothpastes but he didn't like the flavor as much so now he doesn't care about the lame (in his opinion) princess imagery but you could always put some Duct Tape on it to cover up the offending graphics. I buy it at Ralphs supermarket but it is available in many other places.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oral-B-Stages ... e/10321237


As for body order, I make them smell their armpits when they are stinky. They definitely DO NOT enjoy the smell lol and it makes them giggle in embarrassment. Then I ask "Would you like to sit next to someone that smells like that? Would your friends/classmates enjoy that smell?" If they have a crush (celebrity or in real life, I use their names instead). It helps remind them to take care of their hygiene. Usually, they just forgot to use deodorant, or didn't use it correctly, or need to go take a shower after soccer practice.

Make sure they are able to use the Deodorant correctly - some of them require lots of manual dexterity and strength! Choose one that is easy to use, involve them in selecting a pleasant scent or even unscented, in case you want to stay away from chemicals -Toms of Maine Store dot Com is the only brand I know of.

My AS DD has had a hard time washing her hair ( she is blessed with lots of thick lovely hair ). First, she chose a haircut that would make taking care of her hair much more manageable, she went from almost to her waist hair to hair that is past her shoulders, and got layers. Much easier to wash and brush. We buy her Green Apple (smells way nicer than the original) Head and Shoulders for dandruff, a 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner combo so she will only have to wash her hair ONCE. Use a PUMP! She has a hard time opening regular containers (they are slippery, heavy, and bulky) she has poured too much onto her hand and it spills on the tub floor ( slipping hazard!). A pump container is easier for her to manipulate, so that has helped. Try to keep the shower steps simple. Try to develop a routine, theirs is a shower every other day (they both love hot showers, take a looong time, use up ALL the hot water, so it is easier if they alternate days) unless they had a game/practice/mess then they need one. Also, if I see her hair looking very yucky, I know it is because she isn't doing a good job washing it, so I let her know that she needs to wash it twice, and if it still looks bad then I help her wash it and show her how to do it correctly.

My NT DS had stitches recently and the Dr. said no getting them wet for the first 24 hrs, then my son was tooo nervous to take a shower! 10 days later the stitches came off and an adhesive came on, once again the Dr. said no getting the adhesive wet for 2 days! He was a stinky mess so I let him wash in the walk in shower using a bucket filled with warm water, a stepping stool to sit on and a plastic cup to pour the water on himself. It wasn't the same as a shower but we compromised during those 12 days. Overall, he likes taking showers, and likes to choose his own shampoo/conditioner scents. Another solution on those days you need to get ready in a hurry is dry shampoo, not sure how well it works though.

Making it all a routine, helps so they remember what to do. Don't forget to comment on how good they smell, how pretty/cool their hair looks afterwards. Is there anything that would make taking a shower more enjoyable for them? A waterproof radio? Sponges with Handles? Making their own soap? They earn a privilege, like extra computer time or they can't do something enjoyable until they shower? HTH's )