Clothing

Thank you all so much I really appreciate all your advice! I am going to look into some companies named below and try him with some clothes from them to see how he gets on and fingers crossed he likes them if not I will try some of the strategies people have advised to see if o can persuade him to wear them or a blanket even. Thank you all again xxx

Could be sensory issues with clothing textures. Could also be problems with temperature regulation that are also common with autistic people. I really struggle with regulating my own body temperature, and I often feel far too hot in situations when other people are comfortable or even cold. One of the biggest struggles of working in an office for me was the temperature.

Before lockdowns when I had to go into the office it was a continual struggle between me and everyone else because I was always too hot and everybody else was cold and asking for the heating to be turned up. In my own home I generally have it quite cold (16-17°C) and I sit around in underwear.

When it comes to sleeping I struggle in other people's houses or hotels because I find the bed coverings too warm and I need the windows wide open. I like to have bear arms/legs exposed.

I can't cope in shops because I find they are always too hot. I don't know if there is some specific reason that they heat clothing shops to 25°C or more but I get very stressed out in such an environment and almost have panic attacks and need to get out after a few minutes. For this reason I went years without buying new clothes. I have many bad memories of it.

Hi, a few years ago, I used to be pretty much the same to your son - I was very sensitive to clothes and refused to wear tights through most of primary school, even in the snow I had my legs bare all day. I was [and still am] the same with restricting materials too as they don't stretch and don't have enough flexabuility to be comfortable for me. I found that after a while of trying to be comfortable in those sorts of clothes, cotton materials and stretchy materials were much better for me. I particularly find that denim is horrible for me and so I avoid it completely. If his clothes also have large seems or stitches then that may also affect him as it does with me, even possibly long sleeved tops can be uncomfortable.

As I have gotten older, I have found it much easier to wear a wider range of clothes without wanting to tear them straight off in frustration. I know for myself that I also hate wearing too many layers, having my coat hood up and wearing hats and gloves too, but pure cotton should be good to avoid as much discomfort. For me, I hate normal socks aswell so I prefer warm, winter socks intstead of those close to the skin and sitting on the ankle or below. Overall, it might be better to avoid materials too close to the skin, that are low waisted and woolen materials, as they can be horrendously itchy for kids and adults with ASD. 

If your son maybe has a special toy or teddy to comfort him, you could bring it out so that if he approaches a sensory overload he can calm down from an uncomfortable or stressful situation, this may encourage him to be able to come out more if he has a way to relife himself from a difficult sitruation. You could also see if you can buy some cotton thermal underwear for under his clothes so he could maybe wear shorts insted of trousers but they may be too restricting for him ? 

Extra info : If your going on a day out where it might be loud or busy [ this could even be walking down a road ] make sure you carry something like a soft toy or fidget toy [for a little distraction and comfort] , noise canceling headphones and even something to chew or suck as when I got really anxious I sucked my thumb for 10 years [ although took its tole on my teeth ]. I also find it comforting to hold someones hand while I am out as it makes me feel safe too. As he is non verbal, by maybe having a type of wrist band [e.g. with bells on it ] he might be able to let you know if he is having an overload and help you figure out his discomforts. 

Unfortunately, it is very common to be so sensitive to clothes and materials but it may require a bit of experimenting, as it did for me.

Hope some of this helped, 

MJFR

Yes, all H's comments are very sensible. And this is all going to be rooted in his sensory needs, either colour, texture or temperature or pressure. 

As a kid my mother struggled to get me to wear a coat outdoors. My coat was a nasty, bulky constraining thing which felt corse, made me overly hot and had buttons, which made me feel nauseous. I would later wear a duffel coat if it was two sizes too big 'cos it was lined with something softer and had toggles.

And besides, I was never, ever cold.

Of course, you worry about your child getting cold, but he may not genuinely be feeling the cold. One option might be just let him wear shorts if he wants. After all, as a society we did used to send little boys to school in shorts in January because trousers were for adult men.

I guess the other thing you could do is experiment with different fabric samples at home to see which textures he likes and which annoy him, then get clothing made of the ones he likes. 

There are a few companies out there now designing clothes for people, especially kids, on the Spectrum; super soft seams, no tags, pure cotton etc. You might have found some of these already. But if not, Born Anxious is one. I love their T-shirts.

H always has something useful to say in these situations.  I can't add to that but just wanted to send you and your son good wishes.