Sensory issues - clothing

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One of our grandson's big issues now is his clothes....Nothing seems to feel right. And, I'm sure you all know what that leads to! He will meltdown at school and need different clothes even though when he first got dressed, all seemed ok.....we have found the seamless socks, but at times even those are a problem. He only seems to be happy in shorts and with winter coming up, that may be a problem as well.

He is on Focaline and the specialist that he just saw suggested lowering the dosage so he will hopefully gain some weight. He is very thin. He also suggested leaving him off the meds on weekends.

But, as for the clothes, I'm wondering who all has this same issue. If he gets splashed by water, say while washing his hands at school, the clothes need changed....I'm wondering, (to the Aspies here), what is he feeling? Also, with the clothes issue, does it hurt? When we go for a walk, he stops to empty his shoes several times - things just get in there that have to immediately removed....I want to know what he is feeling so I understand.

Thanks,

I am somewhat tactile defensive, my sister is VERY. I cannot stand any part of my sleeve or clothes being wet, not because it hurts, but because it draws my attention so I can do nothing else or think of nothing else. If he is at school, and he has to concentrate soooo hard just to get through the day, to deal with a barrage of sensory input of all kinds, a wet sleeve or something in the shoe is not just an annoyance. It's absolutely intolerable.

Have you ever been on your way home from work after a bad day, you're hungry, you get stuck in traffic or have to run a thousand errands, and then the tag on the back of your neck all of a sudden starts to bug you when it never did before? Imagine that feeling all day long.

Things like that can feel intensely uncomfortable. At best, it's a constant annoyance that makes it hard to concentrate on anything else. At worst, it's painful. The constant discomfort can trigger other psychological feelings such as that of being trapped or punished. It can create that distressing, disgusting feeling like a bug crawling down your neck, where you just want to urgently remove the thing that's causing the sensation. Some sensations can create symptoms of physical illness like nausea and headaches. That's how it's been for me at least, especially when I was younger.

What works clothing wise? Silky material? Cotten blends? Most likely - cut out the tags. It's sad to start the day out with a clothes fight. When Z spends the night, I usually just let him stay in his pajamas, but, that doesn't always work.

Sweat pants feel wrong too....and he really can't verbalize why at times....It may be the zipper along the pants rubs his leg - guess that would bother me too...but, then we try no zippers on the leg pant and still - he'll drop them! It's quite a challenge - we're just trying to find the key.

Thanks,

When something like that bothers me, its like the volume of sensation is suddenly turned at top volume. I can relate to not being able to tolerate something in my shoe. Even when walking in my bare feet through the house, if a piece of trash gets stuck to the bottom of my feet, its intensely irritating. I feel as if it is interrupting the sensory "dialogue" between my foot and the surface beneath it. I would say just keep experimenting with various clothing fabrics, until you get a collection of favorites for him. I mostly shop at second hand and thrift shops, because the clothing there is already broken in and soft, and I don't have to go through the multiple washings to soften the fabric. And most of my apparel is made of soft cotton or other fabrics that mellow with use. I can tell if I like something just by feeling it in the store. I always try it on, to see if it's going to irritate me, before buying, too. I've also started using non scented laundry soap, because most of them are too strongly scented for me. BTW, I used to have meltdowns when my mother tried to dress me. I was too little to understand just why, but I have a distinct memory of one incident which started because I hated being dressed in red!

Personally, I hate the feeling of wet clothing. Not because it's painful but because the feeling of wet clothes comes across as very unpleasant. I feel the same way about putting wet or greasy hands in my pocket.

I understand about stiff clothing(especially blue jeans). Like the wet clothes they are uncomfortable, but I can tolerate it and wear them but to me I like them much better when they are worn and nice and soft.

My daughter needs her clothing tight, shoes tied just right, seamless socks, etc.

She used to freak out all the time, but it is becoming more and more manageable. When she is overloaded, mid-meltdown, stressed etc she seems to be hyper aware of these sensory problems.

Mornings are always a struggle, but I cealry remember a day when we were walking down the street to school, after 3 changes of clothes, a change of jacket, tried 3 pairs of shoes, she was having a fit. Yanking and pulling at every item she had on, she started screaming and darted in the direction of home. When I finally caught up, she was in tears, ripping her clothes off out on the street. I convinced her to keep herself covered, found the problem and eventually arrived at school.

When we walked through the doors, we both looked a mess and I asked for a pair of scissors, and began cutting all the tiniest little bits of thread out of her jacket, shirt, etc, removed all tags and only then was I able to head off to work.

The reason for the tight clothes would be that she doesn't have to be super aware of all the little threads, tags et

My son and I are both very uncomfortable in most clothing. Lately I've found some very soft cotton Old Navy shirts that work well for both of us. Soft, natural fabrics are usually best. Cotton, lyocell/Tencel, and there is even clothing made from bamboo fiber. I absolutely love to wear bamboo socks, they are very soft and comfortable. My friend's Aspie son will wear nothing other than Old Navy fleece.

My son wears mostly Old Navy shirts because they don't have tags, and they're soft. Pants may be a problem, but you could try the pants that zip off and become shorts. He might like the idea of being able to control whether they are shorts or pants. They're also lightweight and baggy (that's what my son prefers). I just bought my son a pair from Gymboree.

Have you tried different cloth blends? Denim and cotton may be scratchy and uncomfortable, so maybe try a softer, smoother cloth instead. As for the pants, it seems like he likes to have his lower legs free, so why not try for a boot cut pant to give him more room. See if he likes tighter, or looser fitting clothing, and go from there.

I have worn all cotton for all my life, socks, underwear, tee shirts, flannel shirt and cotton jeans.

Pretty much all other type of material, cause irritation.

Imagine for a minute, sitting in an easy chair, watching your favorite show, while someone distracts you by flicking your ear, or poking your arm, every two seconds.

How well would you be able to focus on your show?

Incorrect clothing, is nothing less than a Chinese Water Torture.

Our son (no dx right now) will only wear pajamas tops, the long ones with the tight ribbing at the wrist.
They have to be pretty darn tight and cotton, can not be loose on the arms at all.
For bottoms only jeans.

He has always been very difficult about his clothing.
When he was 1.5 he wore shoes 24/7 and if we took them off..umm..ya.
Then it went to only long sleeves and jeans then to only pajamas tops and jeans about 1 year ago and yes even in 100 deg weather he wears that get up.

My Aspie son is exactly the same way, always has been almost from birth. He's better now that he's a teenager and better able to handle things, but it's still quite an issue. He's very sensitive to tight clothes, scratchy clothes, clothes that get the slightest bit wet, etc. Even when he was a baby, the moment he was wet or had a bowel movement, those diapers HAD to be changed RIGHT THEN. He was also sensitive to what the clothes looked like visually, he especially hated, and still hates, stripes going in any direction. He's also very sensitive to things such as you describe, with the stopping to empty shoes, etc.

I don't get angry or upset with him at all; I have some of the same issues (I'm learning disabled and mildly autistic/Aspie myself). It's almost like it's physically painful for them, they become obsessed with it, and their minds can't get "unstuck" from the pain. NT's are usually able to put discomfort like that on the back burner and then deal with it later, but it's very difficult for Aspies/autistics to do the same thing, it's nearly impossible for many of them.

My daughter was the same way. It was so cute, when she'd come over to me and say, "Odor!" She would be on the verge of tears, tugging away at her diaper.

We went shopping today - at Old Navy (I think we should get some kind of "kick-back" for this, it's like a commercial for them)....We let Z try on tops - they definately are soft and have that broken-in feeling. No tags! He said they felt really nice, but, that could all change the next time he wears them....it's like trial and error.

We appreciate, so much, all the input.

No, I just can't relate to how it feels to be sooo upset with a wet spot - but I do understand that it is sooo irritating to Z. Again, this is the greatest web site!

Thanks,

That's awful. They can feel just right in the store and then when you wear them, you want to tear your head off. It wastes so much time and energy and effort....