My 2.5 year old with autism who wears many layers of clothes

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Hello,

My 2.5 year old boy on the spectrum has a new behaviour issue every now and then. From last couple of days he wants to wear many layers of clothes, whichever he finds. Yesterday night he wanted to sleep with 3 shirts and 3 pants on
Terrible tantrums if asked to remove any. Even when he goes out he wants to have all the clothes on. On top of all he will wear the clothes to go out ..He will not let me wash his clothes. If allowed to wear all, he is the happiest in the whole world

We live in a tropical country and its hot here. People have trouble even wearing a single light layer.

Everyday bath, going to preschool, sleep time is horrible with hours of non stop crying because I ask him to undress (Its not that he dislikes bath or anything, he infact is very scared that I will not let him wear all the layers of clothes again) I am stuck and scared of him these days.

Any insights on how this can be managed?

Thanks & Regards
sresree

It sounds like maybe it is a pressure thing? Like maybe he likes the pressure of all the clothing. It could be a temperature preference too, but if it is very hot there, I am guessing pressure.

Does he like firm snuggles? Does he seem to act like he is cold without the layers? Answers to the those kind of questions might help isolate the specific issue.

If it is temperature I cannot imagine what to do b/c even if you wanted to make your own home like a sauna, the outside world is not going to adapt.

If it is pressure, then you can buy or make one of those pressure vests, and maybe that would work and you could substitute it for the layers.

For night, you can buy or make a weighted blanket.

For the bath, the only thing I can think of is a life vest, but you'd still have to clean his upper body before you put it on him.

Thank you. I will try your suggestions.

But he is bit confusing. he like tight hugs, but when tried to wrap in a blanket, he did not want it.

And last day he was sweating and struggling to sleep because it was so hot with so many layers on

I am doubting if he is just trying to prove his independence? Or it is a sensory issue, not sure.

He wants to select what to wear, he even wants a belt on, a cloth around his neck and what not these days.

One day he even wanted to wear my shirt. With some screaming and a lot of explanation he finally left it

Its cute to see look at him with so many clothes on, but real trouble when we have to go out or bath time or bed time

Very difficult to understand him and I constantly fear what next ! !

Maybe the layers kind of function as a super hero costume? With sensory issues, your son is then more comfortable leaning against things, sitting on things, the possibility of bumping his elbows, etc.

PS I'm not a parent. But I am an individual most probably on the Spectrum who has sensory issues (I'm comfortably self-diagnosed)

i know this is old but my 3 year old has started doing the same exact thing. what did you find to help?

This is a curious one: Aspies can take up perseverating on Anything at all . but the clothing thing..Had tried to figure out when I was very small . I had a pair of cowboy boots, for my little feet. Snd it never had occurre to me that my innate lack of proprioception , was trying to armour itself against the world I lived in . And Gawd knows. my feet and shins seemed to bump into everything at ground level , And my toes got hurt very easy .It upset me terrible when the boots wore out .And I did not understand,why my boots had to go. My late friends brother as a
late blooming teenager.Had a very strong tendency even after 20 yrs old to wear a black leather biker jacket .
No explaination, no understandings as to why . Then it dawned on me ..I do something similiar , when out in the yard working instead of removing clothes , I add clothes, So if my proprioception goes away while trimming a bush or cutting something,I dont get hurt as bad, if I fall ..just like wearing a hat for the sun.Its a type of protection.
Just my candid opinion.
( seeing a issue from your point of veiw ,( too much clothing) is easy, but seeing from a Aspie childs mind , you better be on top of your abilities for insight to your childs mind ,,Perhaps ?
Freshly washed clothes can be an irritant to a childs level of understanding concerning what they feel on their own skin.
Just a thought : Clothes on = warm skin, Clothes off = cold skin . Pretty simple .IMHO