Hi, I’m looking for advice or experiences around clothing refusal and sensory difficulties.
My son is 4, autistic and has significant speech delay. This change seemed to begin during the recent heatwave.
At first, he still wanted to go out but became very upset when it was time to come home. He then started refusing to go out altogether. More recently, clothing seems to have become the main obstacle stopping him from leaving the house, so I wonder whether these changes are all connected.
At home, he is happiest wearing only underwear. He strongly resists T-shirts and vests. He may remove them immediately or become very distressed when I try to put them on. He has also started calling tops “dragons.”
He appears to understand that clothes are needed to go outside. I sometimes open the front door for him and he shows that he wants to leave, but when I say “clothes first,” he usually closes the door and stays inside. On one occasion, he walked to the car in his underwear and then accepted a T-shirt and shorts before going to the playground. But he did the cry during the journey and on the way home.
I have tried reducing pressure, giving warnings, showing him the clothing first, offering choices and using soft cotton clothing. I am also looking for front-opening, collarless tops so that nothing has to go over his head.
I spoke to our GP by telephone. They did not think it sounded like a medical issue, although they have not examined him in person. Getting him to attend the surgery would also be very difficult at the moment.
Has anyone experienced anything similar, and what helped? I have been at home for nearly 3 weeks now and I'm worried his anxiety around leaving and clothing may get worse.