Birthday suits, and jaybirds, and Donald Ducks, oh my!
I’ve heard lots of kids enjoy running around in their birthday suit, being a jaybird, or, slightly better, Donald Ducking it. I can’t help but feel my son enjoys it a little more than most, though. It has taken years for him to partially accept society requires otherwise.
Learning about the sensory needs and sensitivities surrounding autism helped me to slowly learn what stayed on my boy’s body a little longer before the inevitable spontaneous falling off, and that always occurred at the best of times, say, for instance, when we had visitors. (Let’s just say, people that dare return come to respect, understand, and love our home and its special natives, including when certain views happen to randomly catch their eye.)
It has taken me years to find a niche of clothing that my son actually enjoys wearing! Now, he still likes to Donald Duck it, but… he only does it at home, and the clothes stay on an acceptable percentage of the time (and for those unaware of the temperature regulation issues common with autism: no, the cold of winter does not impact this!). At times articles of clothing even get spontaneously put on. (We are choosing to omit if they are right-side out, or properly front/back, or even right-side up! Regardless - SUCCESS!) We have reached a mutually acceptable level of being clothed!
I’d like to offer a brief compilation of useful resources already in existence, and add my unique spin that might help you further. Particularly, if you have the same concerns as I do, which go beyond just keeping the kid clothed, but include the health and safety factors that most of us don’t know to consider when it comes to clothes, but I now feel is so important for our loved ones on the spectrum.
Great resources out there already:
Autism Parenting Magazine is a phenomenal source for special needs families. It is worth the time checking out, including their free virtual conferences and even their reasonable monthly access magazine subscription. It really is designed for and useful for us families, as the name implies.
They list Fun and Function. We purchased a few things from them a few years back, and they worked! Particularly their tight undershirts, the weighted vests, and compression vests.
Tranquil Turtle isn’t clothing, but it is under this article’s “Autism Gifts and Merchandise” section. My son LOVES HIS! You can change the magnitude of the light (brightness) and sound (volume) of those options. It also has a timer, so you aren’t replacing the batteries after every night of it being run all night long. It is about $60, so not cheap, but my son loves to carry it around when it is on, and it is in the middle price-range of most of the sound machine/light projectors on the market.
A great article that gives specifics to consider while shopping for clothing, and a list of brands to consider.
Note the first recommendation, Hanna Andersson, is organic.
Spectrum Disorder: The Best Sensory Clothing Brands for Autistic People
Getting de ja vu on some of these?
My 2 cents: Clothing Source Recommendations, Bottom to Top
Shoes - my son loves his Keens boots and sandals. They are quality, super light-weight, and very flexible. Check out our blog post on shoes for more info. If you have questions, reach out to me, or go straight to the source: Schmitt’s Stride Rite, here in town.
Socks – Bombas! These are the first socks my son not only keeps on, but I can’t get him out of. Even for the shower, or to change out for a fresh pair- they only come off at the last second possible. They don’t have seams that cause sensory issues for my son, and they are nice and tight. When you get sticker shock- please know they are very high quality, so you don’t need a bunch! (They also provide a fun matching challenge!)
Undies - Lucky and Me, all the way. They are designed to be sensory sensitive and soft and comfy. They also have a few great organic options for those of us concerned about protecting those crown jewels from that perspective. They have expanded their options significantly the past few years.
Pants, tops, pjs, sweatshirts, etc. I’ve gone organic, and to be truly organic you need to stick with those companies whose manufacturing process doesn’t add them in. If they use organic cotton, but then inject a bunch of stuff to create the final product, it doesn’t produce the safer product you think you’re paying for. Check out Mamavation for more information on this. We have been very happy with the following on the Mamavation list:
Mate the Label and Pact are the clothes both my son and I wear almost exclusively now. It really simplifies the shopping experience and saves oodles of time and decision-making anguish! They are quality clothes, not the one-and-done of most these days. We also purchased our linens from them as well- sheets, towels, etc. I feel when you get the “last call” and clearance savings- knowing my baby is wrapped in fabric that won’t negatively affect his health is worth every penny.
Our Clothing and Autism
If you’d like to learn more about things like “forever” chemicals in products (including clothing) and the link to our health (particularly autism) here’s a starting point for beginning the journey down this fascinating rabbit hole:
From back in Sept 2012- “Autism risk factors: genes, environment, and gene-environment interactions”
The Autism Research Institute’s Executive Director Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D., article: “Genetics, the Environment & Autism”
I had the privilege just this week of listening to Dr. James Lyons-Weiler, PhD: President and CEO of IPAK, a nonprofit that conducts research in the public interest, including autism. My copy of his book is still cold from arriving. The book’s forward is by Dr. Richard E. Frye, director of autism research at the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute. The Environmental and Genetic Causes of Autism, ISBN: 978-1510710863
Published just this week: ‘Forever’ Chemicals Put Kids at Higher Risk of Diabetes, Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases. A study published Wednesday found that PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — used in a wide variety of consumer products — disrupt key biological processes, putting children and young adults at higher risk for a broad range of diseases.