Student refuses to wear suncream

I also don't like sunscreen it is often very sticky and unpleasant, but saying that I also have the sense to cover myself in lightweight, loose fitting, and airy cotton clothing and a brimmed hat in the heat and blazing sunshine, spent 3 weeks in the caribean and didn't tan at all. Depending on the clothing style required I'd recommend getting them to do that; wear light weight loose stitch cotton or chiffon, something thin and highly breathable.

I'm one of those against sunscreen as its full of chemicals I don't agree with. 

But safety in sun is limiting full exposure, 20 mins max at a time, seek shade and cover when possible. 

Vitamin D is a fantastic hormone to regulate the immune system. Along as the student knows that full sun, for too long won't be great for them. 

so they lay inside on the floor in the sun light? I mean glass blocks a lot of uv light and you can buy a sticky film that you can stick on it to block close to 100% of the uv light. Wouldn't that be easier than trying to get a kid to wear sunscreen indoors?

We do apologise for not making it clear from the start but we teach autistic students aged 11-19. There's only 20 students so it's a small school and a smallish garden with a swing, seesaw, a bench and games. There is a uniform but that's only a top and jumper which only 2 students wear, they do prefer wearing their own clothing. 

The student, has kept telling us, for 2 years now, since they started, that they do not like the sun, doesn't like being outside, doesn't like the shade but with this got weather, they spend 95% of the day in the sun laying on the floor. We have started to gain trust so we are able to apply suncream to the arms and face if its by a staff they say. 

They also love their hat and sunglasses but will only wear it on their terms. 

NAS80219 said:

For example, they came into school covered up so they don't need to wear suncream. This means they are getting really hot and dysregulated and struggles to regulate the body.

The problem could be better assessed with other Autistic Adults if we had more detailed information. I'm having a hard time understanding what you're conveying here, and it could be a loss in translation, but being covered up doesn't necessarily equate to also being hot and "dysregulated"... I'd like to help, though!

I'm going to assume this is a female body, though maybe identifying other and in their teens? If so, this detail is not minor and changes how I might approach helping guide the student with conscious practical steps toward hyper-vigilance, which most of us need to undertake throughout our lives to stay safe. Health & safety is always primary. This detail also shifts how I would engage. A younger child might not need to feel a sense of agency in the same way as one becoming-adult. So shifting how I communicate in a role of being Responsible and Supportive, so they want to listen is key.

I might start with Hydration. Which includes making sure they have an equal amount of real sugar (not chemically designed) and salt in their diet and a water bottle out side. 

Fibres matter. No biology will regulate properly while wearing plastics. And polyester/nylon are made from teeny tiny plastic thread. It's a by-product of petroleum. Obviously it's incredibly difficult to find natural fibre tops for women. But perhaps you could send the parents to: https://www.cambridgebaby.co.uk/catalog/women/vests-and-leggings

A step further: Human biology naturally regulates temperature with Cotton/wool/silk (setting aside hormonal regulation such as the Thyroid), but Eucalyptus and Bamboo based fibres will actually cause one's biology to stay cool. I don't recommend these in winter.

The teenage years present a series of natural dysregualtion biologically for everyone. The female sex can take herbal supplements if they are having difficulty with their cycle, which can be a warning signal that other hormonal changes need help with a sort of grounding, these affect heart rate among everything else. Biology should always be minded first.

The problem of how to convey a thing is important. How to help children believe I care  without appearing overbearing or controlling or untrustworthy? Sometimes, just handing out water and not making a deal of it, can be important. My grandmother would always say, "now, eat what you can" - never forcing us to do something which could result in harm. And food is increasingly harmful to many of us. Her father had undiagnosed gluten issues. My father is intolerant, I have even more food allergies. And one can drown from drinking too much water! But we're not going to this extreme.  

However, the bigger issue isn't suncream or what they're wearing or a clocked 5 minute militant drill in the shade. The Big issue is Alexithymia, the Monotropic Autistic brain sensing everything-all-at-once. The child is seeking a break so they don't break and there is a gravity toward the sun, a source of vitamin D and life-source of our planet, as that Reasonable action of pausing for a minute and regrouping.

Another issue could be not "autistic b&w thinking", but Non-Autistic B&W thinking, which demands and doesn't bend a little like a reed but commands a thing like a stick. "This is how we do a thing" is not always how a thing needs to be done. Allow room for Creative out-of-the-box explorations, which is what Autistics can be good at. When we speak of the other's health, it may be entirely different than mine. For instance, my mother was allergic to iodine. I had a depletion when young, we rarely ate fish. As an adult I've found my BEST diet is literally anything from the sea. I now stay hydrated. I'm rarely sick (as opposed to when young when I was sick often). I don't handle the sun well, but my son is 1/4 Greek. He thrives with it. Not getting enough Vitamin D actually gives him biological depression. Now we supplement with Ashwaganda in the cooler months. Hopefully I'm making sense: I try to be aware of my own bias. 

Returning to the Apex of the situation, from what I can understand: And that is the ability to sense-percieve properly with internal and external senses. Something like yoga is useful. Learning to consciously engage each individual muscle and sit with them for whatever amount of time we need. Engaging in learned Balance is something I would recommend ALL autistics, if they have the ability to, do from a young age. Learning to harness one's innate ability to hyper-focus, learning to structure uninterrupted TIME. These contribute to Learned Regulation, a type of minding one's health and well being. 

Personally I only ever use sunscreen when swimming in the sea. And I’m fine but then I don’t spend a long time in the Sun and I do tend to cover up. It’s not surprising a young child wouldn’t want to just hang around in the tiny amount of shade the average school playground has. I’m assuming he’s an outdoorsy type because if you told me I had to stay indoors at school I’d have been very pleased about it. Can there not be some flexibility in the uniform to go to some sort of baggy pants and long sleeve shirt set up? Something similar might go for a hat. The standard hat you give him probably looks stupid, makes him look silly to his friends. Now if his parents took him to pick out his own hat, one that was comfortable and looked cool …

This student will only wear black joggers, and we've only been able to get them out of thermal fluffy joggers which they wore last term so that's an improvement. I believe their hoodie is relatively thin, a lot thinner than the winter fluffy one they wore recently aswell. We've asked the parents to make sure they have a pair of shorts in their school bag so there's a back up plan incase. They wear polyester sporty tops which is thin but 70% of the time, in black.

How would they be with clothes that cover them up more that are thinner and looser so won't make them overheat? That's what my mum does in summer to protect her skin from sun damage (because sun cream alone isn't enough) and it seems to work for her.

Thank you for your reply. I would first like to say that we never force our students to do anything unless it's in their best interests. For example, they came into school covered up so they don't need to wear suncream. This means they are getting really hot and dysregulated and struggles to regulate the body. We use all available ice packs and umbrellas to help with this but sometimes it isn't enough therefore we take their jumper off to help regulate their body temperature quicker. They also have a weighted blanket on them when in the school garden. 

We are slowly getting somewhere with the suncream, because they are allowing it to be put next to them but before they'd refuse to talk about it, let alone have it in the garden. Today we are going to try a new schedule of having 5 minute breaks in the shade every now and again in order to keep the body regulated to a point. 

Once they are regulated they are eager to do work so the issue is trying to keep them regulated throughout the school day. Whatever we do to try and help, majority of the time they refuse. 

A little sun is one thing, but with all children, sometimes the best you can do is help them explore options, understand consequences and give them everything they need to learn to make better choices. 

One thing which is particular to Autism is a different Salience Network: feeling everything as "too real". Being that humans have a capacity for so much, if I have a great deal of extra-sensory affects incoming, I can be overwhelmed by only so many before I'm no longer aware of everything else. I've heard individuals describe an experience of psilocybin (in the States where small controlled situations are legal) as tapping into this part of the brain - suddenly the senses 'come alive'. They mentioned they wouldn't be able to cope like this 24/7. Autistics learn to cope. Everything is an intense impact. 

So, I'm a bit confused. The student must cover up, but when they do they're forced to uncover? 

In the desert, it's better to wear natural fibres (not polyester) like cotton because you can't wear enough sunscreen. So, if the student has opted for a long sleeve and a hat, then I may suggest to meet them where they're willing to appropriate Self-Care.

Not doing work is another element. But, the sun is healthy and not year round in the UK. A regular dose is actually good for wellbeing. I would suggest help them learn to negotiate. Is taking a break in the sun a way of rejuvenating the self for a more productive burst of action? If so, then a pause to shut down and regroup could be better for them on the whole. if they're at a breaking point, and they perform the Adult Task of noticing their at a Limit, taking a Pause, and then going back to complete a Task, then perhaps they're not doing everything wrong. 

Basically, it's probably important to explore everything they're impacted and overwhelmed by. Obviously I don't know how old this individual is, and where they're at in growth, which can make a difference. 

Children trust those who they feel seen and understood by. It's better to not create a double-bind here, allow a cotton covering and see if they'll just use sunscreen on the nose to begin. Start small. 

They are now turning up to school in joggers and hoodie, sitting in the sun, so are getting extremely hot. They also really struggle regulating so self-injury is becoming a lot more frequent and unpredictable. They said they don't want to wear suncream which is why they are covering up. 

We do force/help them to take their hoodie off because its in their best interests. We use an umbrella to shade them since they refuse to sit in the shade. 

We don't know what else we can do as such but the self injury is a problem. But the root of the problem is not being able to tolerate suncream.