Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi I’ve only just joined. We don’t have a diagnosis yet for our 11 year old daughter (assessment due to take place on 2 February) but it is suspected that she will be diagnosed with Aspergers and possible ADHD.
A current issue we are struggling to manage is the fact that she doesn’t want to wash. When we tell her she needs to shower there’s always a reason why she can’t or won’t. She really smells. She knows she smells but still won’t get in the shower. She says if we keep telling her to do it she won’t.
Had anyone else experienced this behaviour?
The experience of a shower can be a bit overloading - temperature changes, water tickling as it runs down the body, hair getting heavy, strong smells of shampoo and soap, confined space, echo sounds, skin feeling odd afterwards - so lots of trigger points to avoid. You're also going from a static point of comfort to deliberately make herself uncomfortable - why would she want to do that?
How does she react to a bath? You might need to get toiletries without scent too.