Asperger's Syndrome

[mylesmom]

Hi Everyone
I am new here. I have been fighting for a diagnosis for my 7 year old son. He was recently tested at Kennedy Krieger Hospital in Baltimore Md. So far diagnosis is Asperger's. Had an EEG done also waiting to schedule MRI of brain and spine. My son has severe clothing issue's. He will only wear bib overalls which are huge. He will not wear anything around the waist. He also wears his shoes big. His clothing drives him wild so wild that he has trouble concentrating in school. He will not sit down in chairs because he does not want the clothing touching his stomach area. Has anyone ever encountered this problem.? Now he is having trouble tolerating even the bib overalls. When he comes home from school he puts on a big t-shirt with no underwear, and his whole emotional state changes. He does not like crowds noises, nor children his own age, sleep is difficult for him and he will only eat certain things. He was going to a therapist but our insurance will no longer pay for help. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Kris Blake

[kaky]

Hi,
I was just looking around for some information on epilepsy and found this forum and just had to respond. I have a daughter who has asperger syndrome. When she was about 18mo she had a seizure and life was never the same. They put her on medication for the seizures and never had another one again until she was 14 (she is fifteen now) and was only on the meds for a year and half. After that first and only seizure we started seeing some changes. And at the age of 5-1/2 she was diagnose with A-S. When I read about the clothes thing, I can totally relate. My daughter hates to shop and get new clothes. She always tells me her old ones are ok. She will only wear certain types of tennis shoes. I did find a pair of boots that she will wear but they have to be a certain type. She will not wear any shirts or tops with a collar or buttons. It drives her crazy. She will hold out her arms stiff until you get it off of her. They say this is very common for these children. Have you tryed different types of fabric in clothes. I heard that sometimes helps. We read about an adult lady that when she wore satin it would feel like needles on her skin. The only thing I can say is don't give up, and keep trying things. It is frustrating, but sometimes you get little surprises. These kids can teach you things about your world as well. They can show you whats important and how your viewpoint of things can be different. Fell free to write back anytime. Sometimes it helps just to share and talk to someone so you don't feel like you are on an island. The lady that we mentioned before later went on to become a lawyer. She overcame part of her clothing issues by finding a really tight fitting shirt that she wore under everything. It kept her isolated from other fabrics and made her comfortable.

Good luck,
Andy and Kathy

[mylesmom]

Andy and Kathy
Thank you for responding. I have tried other fabrics he will not wear a shirt under his bib nor keep the sides of his overalls buttoned. He wears a size 14 to 16 size bib and shirts usually are cotton or acrylic sweaters over his bibs. The sleeves are pulled down covering his hands. His shoes have to be crocs or velcro, where he can adjust the sneakers, one's with laces he tells me feel to tight. We did have two OT's observe him. They both told me brushing and pressure. I tried this but it has not made a difference. It is hard finding pants as he will wear nothing around the waist. If I put on sweat pants he will pull the pants down under his rear end. My fear is at school someone will complain, even though the school is aware of his condition. I do not fight him on forcing him to wear clothing that will make him feel even worse. He sleeps naked. One OT told me to try a tight fitting pair of lycra biker shorts. But I am hesitant to try it because he hates any thing around the waist. I thought maybe a one piece, but wonder how this will work at school. He has some trouble tying shoes, buttoning, and zippers. The other OT told me to introduce new pants and make him wear it for 15 min, and gradually move the time up. He watches the clock, and then rips his pants off. The pediatric neuro, at Kennedy Krieger of Baltimore MD, said he has not seen a child with clothing this severe. He is now pulling down the straps of his overalls and the pants are getting lower and lower, I am afraid soon he will not keep them on. In school grade wise he does well, emotionally as soon as we get to school his whole head goes down, and he acts completely different. He tells me he hates school. He would be comfortable to go to school in his dads huge t-shirt. I am going to try something tight under bibs and see if it works. You are right he has taught me alot, and is really a neat kid. He was my over 40 baby, I just hate to see him suffer so with his clothing. Thank you for sharing your story.
Kris Mylesmom

[AspieMom247]

I am just seeing this post as well, and though it is a very late response, maybe it can help some others in the future somehow. My son is almost 9 and still cannot tie his shoes and a giant part of that is because of our enabling him in the way of velcro shoes. He is now to the point where they are extremely difficult to find in his size. Thank God for sketchers z-strap shoes? He hates button shirts as well, but today was his picture day and he went to school in one. I put a t-shirt underneath it so if he does hate it that bad he can take it off the second the pictures are over.
I pick out my sons clothes during school days for the most part. Weekends he can choose as he likes. Button shirts, collared shirts and turtle necks, good luck! Why not just save those for special events or church? I send my son to school every day in a t-shirt of his liking. He used to just like zippered pocket pants like cargo pants, emphasize how they have cool pockets and also most might have the drawstrings on the size with the size adjuster, easier than buttoned pants with zippers. and they feel very light on the body. I do encourage my son to bring a zippered hoodie each day in case he wants that security of hiding inside something. He takes it whether he plans to use it or not.

Why not give a choice sometimes, of a few items and let the child pick the lesser of the evils on their own. Like i will say here are your pants and you may choose one of these 3 shirts. Then the child has a choice but a controlled choice, do you see? And not be so willing to give in on the overalls. I might even go so far as to say we can't get overalls anymore, they stopped making them (yes a total lie) , or I do not have enough money to buy overalls, or Overalls are CLOSED. That is a term for "we are not doing that anymore"
Autism spectrum children and even adults have supersensitivity to certain things, whether food, clothes, surroundings, smells, sounds etc... Clothing can sometimes be a major distraction for them. But they need to know what is appropriate and what is not. If you do not want your child wearing overalls, you need to remember you are the one in control and not to sway on that. They also need to learn that keeping their clothes on is appropriate. The longer parents enable a habit such as the bib-overalls problem, the more ingrained it will be in that child that they can get away with getting to wear them or do those things.
Don't let anyone tell you different, but Aspies are smart and sometimes some even think they can outsmart the non-aspie. My son tries to do it to me all the time. So even though the child is being difficult to get their way, sometimes the parent needs to make clear they are the adult and rule maker. Do not let the child see how frustrated they are making you or tantrums such as that will keep going on. Like i tell my son, I know you understand what I am saying and the answer is still no and that is not going to change.
Acrylic sounds extremely itchy to me. Have you tried a cotton fleece jacket or sweater? They are very soft and comforting. My son also likes to wear those new type of jogging pants that make the swoosh sounds when he walks. We call them swoosh pants LOL. When you have a chance and are not rushed, take him to a fabric store maybe where they have many kinds of materials and let him feel them to see which he likes against his skin. And then go shopping for some clothes.
Hope anything i have mentioned helps anyone. This clothing issue though is pretty much a trial and error thing i am thinking. Go to a thrift store like me. It is easier than going back and forth to exchange stuff.