DRESS YOUR CHILD FOR SUCCESS By Teri Allen, OTR If your child is overly sensitive to touch, the right clothing choices will improve his attention, behavior, and comfort level. If you pay close attention, your child will communicate clothing preferences to you either by behavior or with words. For example; your child may refuse to wear jeans preferring sweat pants. Stiff new clothes may be discarded for well worn and softer ones. Constant fussing with, removing, or adjustment of clothing may indicate that the child is uncomfortable. When a child is overly sensitive to touch, we refer to this a tactile defensiveness. As a parent, your first step in assisting your child is to develop an understanding of tactile defensiveness and how it affects your child's behavior. Then, you will be better prepared to assist your child. The sense of touch has 2 basic functions: discrimination and protection. Discrimination allows us to "feel" things such as differences in texture and to know exactly where we have been touched. Protection is necessary for survival and alerts us to pain, a threat to our well being, or danger. In most people there is a healthy balance between the discriminative and protective functions of touch. When a child has tactile defensiveness, protection and discrimination are out of balance and the protective function tends to override the discriminatory function. When your child responds to a touch sensation in a protective manner, his behavior reflects a need to defend himself from a perceived danger. He may withdraw or pull away in an attempt to escape the discomfort or perceived danger. He may "come out fighting" and be physically aggressive for no obvious reason. His responses will vary in intensity from time to time depending on his current state of stress or internal organization. The child who has tactile defensiveness, will perceive things that are comfortable for most people,(such as a hug, the seam in his socks, or a turtle neck shirt) as painful, threatening, or at best, irritating and disorganizing. Although you may not perceive these things as painful or irritating, it is important to respect the fact that your child perceives these sensations differently. Below is a list of suggestions that are often helpful in dressing the child with tactile defensiveness. You may find you need to make only one of these accommodations or all, depending on your child's unique needs. Avoidance of clothing fabrics and details that are irritating to your child will allow him to focus on more important things than the seams in his socks or how his shirt sleeves feel. • Choose soft fabrics such as cotton knits, "sweats", flannel or polar fleece (These fabrics are currently popular and easy to find). • Avoid denim, wool, and other fabrics that are scratchy or stiff. • Wash clothing once or twice before your child wears it. • If your child complains about shoes and/or socks or persistently takes them off, try turning socks inside out or buying ones without seams. Have your child try shoes on before buying, and walk in them on a carpet before deciding to keep them. Avoid stiff inflexible shoes. • Observe your child's reactions to turtleneck shirts or shirts with tight collars. If he complains or is constantly tugging on the neckline, you should avoid these styles. • Pay attention to complaints about waist bands and/or belts and look for garments that fit without binding at the waist. • If tags in clothing irritate your child, remove them. • Observe your child's preferences for long or short sleeves, and whenever possible respect this preference. • Don't forget to look at pajamas and bedding. Most children with this disorder will sleep better in cotton knit or flannel pajamas and sheets. These suggestions will help your child compensate for the tactile defensiveness, but will not treat and improve it. To treat the tactile defensiveness, seek the assistance of an Occupational or Physical therapist experienced in treating this disorder. Treatment can have a significant impact and allow your child to be more comfortable with touch sensations throughout his life. |
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