What can we do to keep our autistic great grand child dressed?

Question

When he gets to his home or to our house he strips down to his diaper, and gets upset if we try to redress him.

Answer 1

If I was you I would ask an experts opinion on a topic like that. Trying out what people think that you should do is not the best idea, especially considering that you don't know how serious they are.

Answer 2

Many children with autism are "mini strippers". They can't stand the feeling of clothing, either because it is too loose or too binding or it's just itchy. Make sure that all of his clothes have the tags removed, are washed in baby fabric soap (such as Dreft) that has the least "scratchiness" to it, dried with unscented fabric softeners and sweaters have something under them. Try using "onsies", the shirts that snap together on the bottom, under his other clothes so that he can't easily remove the clothing, and so that it provides more protection against other clothes touching his skin. As I'm sure you know, children with autism usually have lots of sensory issues, and are very particular about what they touch, smell, eat, and see/look at. You can help him to regulate his sensory system by giving him deep pressure touch (like massage) by squeezing up and down his body. Start at the shoulders, giving firm pressure squeezes and go down his arms. This can help to increase his tolerance of touch. Ask your grandchild's parents to talk to the pediatrician about starting a program to decrease his tactile sensitivity called the Wilbarger Protocol. This is done by an occupational therapist (who should be consulted since the child is diagnosed with autism anyway). Basically, it involves the use of a surgical brush (very soft brush) that is rubbed in a certain way on the body to decrease sensitivity (and also includes using the deep pressure touch). The occupational therapist can then show the parents how it is done, and it should greatly help decrease his need to strip off clothing. Sometimes it is the littlest thing that could be bothering him... noise from the jingling of snaps on overalls, the softness of the fabric the clothes are made from, the length of the sleeves on a shirt (some children can't stand long sleeved shirts), even the pattern on the clothing (some patterns are too visually distracting for a child to handle). Talking to an occupational therapist can give the parents tons of great ideas to work on this skill and many more issues related to sensory integration dysfunction.

Answer 3

I have worked with autistic kids for many years and I would first try to figure out why he is always taking his clothes off. Is it the clothes are too scratchy, is he too hot, does he like the way the air feels on his belly? I don't know how old he is but you could start structuring naked time by setting a timer for him, e.g. if he keeps his clothes on throughout dinner he can be naked in his room for 5 mins but when the timer goes off he has to get dressed. Another thing you might want to consider is if he needs a transitional activity in place when he goes to your house such as putting on slippers, or putting on a special sweat shirt? Good luck!

Answer 4

He has sensory issues,and dislikes clothing for that reason.My son is a high-functioning autistic child,age 7,and was the same way when younger.He has outgrown a lot of these behaviors,but still wants the same clothing every day--that which he is attached to.He knows that is not possible--but still gives it his best shot,by whining about it.I firmly but kindly let him know that many other clothes are available for this particular day,and though at times it is still a struggle,by repetition and consistency,he is accepting it.
It is not easy--just stick to your guns,and tell him that wearing only a diaper is not appropriate,the clothing needs to stay on,and take away a privilege or two if he balks.
Good luck:)

Answer 5

These kids seem to feel like a part of the world when they are naked or half naked. My son isn't autistic but has a sensory processing disorder which is usually present in autistic children. He likes to just wear shoes when he gets out of the bath...nothing but shoes not matter how cold it is in the house. You could try buying him a stretchy body suit that will keep him covered and still allow him to feel more free from clothing...my son prefers tighter clothing over baggy clothing like jeans and tees. Good luck.

Answer 6

My little girl was the same way only would take it "all" off!!!!!!!!! We would be going down the street and I would see things flying out the window.............what a time we had and never found a thing that worked until one day I took her to a dr apt with me as I had no one to watch her and she began stripping in his office, he told me it is a sign of an overactive thyroid gland. We had her checked and he had hit it right on the head. Once she got on her medicine we never had another problem with her stripping! Good luck!

Answer 7

he's so young right now it's not a big problem. i would say that after he calms down, try to redress him, explaining to him why. since he is autistic, it may be hard for him to communicate to you why he doesn't want to wear clothes, so you have to do all the communicating, explaining why we wear clothes, why it's important, how it's ok right now to be in his diaper in the house, but out in public you need to wear clothes, etc etc. he will probably fight you when you try to re-dress him; let him stay undressed and try again later.

it's hard when your communcation is limited. best of luck to you.

Answer 8

Clothing issues are fairly common with children with autism. Its not really the autism that causes it, but many children with autism also have sensory processing disorders.

If he has actually been diagnosed with Autism, then there are some therapists and other professionals involved. The best thing is to check with his team of professionals about suggestions for a sensory diet (not food diet, but activities and exercises that are done on a daily basis). The sensory diet helps regulate the neurological system so that things like clothing, noises, etc are not as disruptive.

Believe it or not... getting undressed shows that he has the ability to do things to help himself regulate and adapt. Something is bothering him and he tries to fix it. As the grown up we dont like kids running around undressed. But in terms of understanding how he thinks, it shows that he has problem solving abilities - and this is a very good thing.

You can talk to his therapists for suggestions, make sure that the clothing he has are things that are comfortable for him, and when he does choose to get undressed - dont worry about it. If he is indoors (or in your yard), can it be ok for him to not wear all of his clothes if we understand that it is his way of dealing with things that are bothering him?

You didnt say how old he was... these things do get better the older a child with autism gets because they (with therapy and school) get better at managing their adaptation strategies. Until he gets to a certain age, you will have to balance which are the good times to insist on clothing (like getting ready to goto the store) and when are times that he has some choice (giving him the ability to choose at times, helps when there are times that he doesnt have a choice).

It can be a long road, but as long as he has lots of family members (and since you mentioned great-grand sounds like alot of family) and professionals things will get easier to manage with time. In the meantime... look at it this way.. you have lots of opportunities to take naked pictures to show his prom date and embarass him with later.

Answer 9

He needs therapy. If a child is treated early enough his autistic behaviours can be managed, even deflected sometimes. Please get your great grandson a therapist, they'll work in the home and even create a special program tailored to him. Make sure you find a therapist who specializes in ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis), all of their results and treatment tactics a research based.

Answer 10

My aunt just wrote a new book on such issues. She is one of the best autism experts in the country. Her name is Dr. Karen Levine. She is based out of Massachusetts. The name of her book is "Replays", she co-wrote this book with another autism expert. You can order her book on Amazon. I hope this helps you....I'm not quite sure what the book would say about it, since I haven't actually read it, but when I saw your question, I knew it would be somehow addressed in her book. Good luck!