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Advice? Suggestions? Getting Dressed

Maz&Alfie
over 4 years ago

I'm new to the forum, I'm struggling to get any support or suggestions in my local area, I have a huge list of thigs I need help and advice about but Rome wasn't built in a day.

My 6 year old son is not diagnosed but is showing signs of PDA Pathological demand avoidance.

One of our biggest challenges is Alfie getting dressed in the mornings.

He literally just does what he wants to do, if we try to dress him he has a meltdown and will take all his clothes off. Most mornings he gets dressed at the very last minute but then can't have breakfast at home (he has breakfast at breakfast club) that then leads onto the whole other problem of getting him out of the door without breakfast. I know this sounds like standard child behaviour but everything is on a heightened and more extreme level. Alfie can often hurt himself and others.

Does anyone have any suggestions about methods or techniques I could try?

I have tried the obvious like alarms and reward charts. they will work for 2-3 days and then he decides he doesn't want to do them anymore.

I'm open to trying anything, Mornings are an absolute disaster.

Parents
  • over 4 years ago

    My son doesn’t have PDA but around that age we (picked a good moment) and agreed/wrote morning rules which we laminated and put up on his bedroom wall. They included as soon as dressed and teeth brushed he could go downstairs and watch tv on volume 10. If he went downstairs before dressed no TV that day. Yes, we did have a few shouting matches to begin with but as the rules were written and laminated they have remained non negotiable, now a couple of years on it is an unquestioned routine, even on holiday. He has his clothes laid out for him the night before, all clothes are easy fastening etc. I admit the teeth brushing can sometimes be hit and miss where he will run the brush under the tap to pretend they are brushed but as soon as I go down stairs TV is paused until he has gone up and brushed them. 
    it was worth a week of meltdowns and arguments for us to have permanently solved the getting dressed battle we had! Obviously every child is different so not sure if it would work for you but good luck either way. 

Reply
  • over 4 years ago

    My son doesn’t have PDA but around that age we (picked a good moment) and agreed/wrote morning rules which we laminated and put up on his bedroom wall. They included as soon as dressed and teeth brushed he could go downstairs and watch tv on volume 10. If he went downstairs before dressed no TV that day. Yes, we did have a few shouting matches to begin with but as the rules were written and laminated they have remained non negotiable, now a couple of years on it is an unquestioned routine, even on holiday. He has his clothes laid out for him the night before, all clothes are easy fastening etc. I admit the teeth brushing can sometimes be hit and miss where he will run the brush under the tap to pretend they are brushed but as soon as I go down stairs TV is paused until he has gone up and brushed them. 
    it was worth a week of meltdowns and arguments for us to have permanently solved the getting dressed battle we had! Obviously every child is different so not sure if it would work for you but good luck either way. 

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