Sensory Issues Causing Struggles?
A stressed out Mom posted this in our Facebook group recently:
“Has anyone else ever discovered clothing to be a really hard issue with your HSC?”
“I’m about to lose my mind finding clothing that works and my son will wear. Does anyone have any tips?
I just ordered the same exact pants he’s worn for months and he put them on and immediately threw them off because they didn’t feel right.
I’m thinking maybe because they were new and hadn’t been washed a ton of times yet?”
Now, I know this is a common issue, because we see it in our coaching practice a lot.
But I gotta be honest, the response to the post shocked me.
Because even I was amazed how many parents said they deal with this, too.
From issues like not wanting to wear anything new, because it felt weird …
To refusing to wear any socks with seams …
Even not wanting to wear clothes that were too dirty … Or too clean!
People were commenting like there was no tomorrow.
It’s a big issue.
Not only because you want your kiddo to feel safe, comfortable and happy.
But also because if you’re battling these challenges every morning, it can slow you down.
It leads to them being late to school, you being late to work, or just starting the day off feeling super stressed.
And here’s the thing -
It’s not like you can spend a weekend or two finding clothes your kid will wear, and that’s the issue sorted forever.
Because what they will or won’t wear changes over time.
Some parents say their kid is fine for a year or two with certain types of clothes …
Others tell us it changes on a weekly basis.
So what can we do?
Well, the crux of it is, you need to work out whether your child simply has a sensitivity, or if they fit the criteria of SPD - Sensory Processing Disorder.
The good news is, if it’s merely a sensitivity, you work on this in the same way you would any kind of meltdown or outburst.
You work out what emotion is triggering the response …
You help your kiddo work through this, by using the skills and coping mechanisms they’ve learnt in other areas of life, and get them to see that new or different clothes aren’t really something they need to see as a threat.
If that works, awesome!
Problem solved.
If that doesn’t help though, it’s likely they’re battling with SPD, rather than a basic sensitivity.
And in this case, all the comfy clothes or shopping at different stores won’t help.
As adults, it can be tough to get our heads around this.
After all, clothes are clothes, right?
And sure, some things are comfier than others, but can it really be that bad?
Well … Yeah!
With HSCs who also have SPD, just imagine that whatever you feel is magnified 100 times for them.
So that sweater that might be slightly itchy for you, makes them feel like they have ants crawling over their skin.
The rough t-shirt tag that most people simply put up with feels like someone is constantly scratching their back with a nail.
Clothes can even make them feel sick, or experience headaches and physical pain.
So if you go through all your normal HSC parenting strategies and none of these work, you could be dealing with SPD.
If that’s the case, I suggest you book a call with me and my team.
We have LOTS of experience helping parents and kids with SPD.
I’m confident we can help you too.
Because let’s face it, going through this alone is no fun.
But with the right guidance, support and coaching, there is a solution.
And look, even if your kiddo doesn’t have SPD, and is merely displaying their emotions by way of a meltdown, you need that extra support.
So if you’ve found yourself having constant battles about what t-shirts they will or won’t wear …
Buying 20, 30, even 50+ pairs of shoes, because they wear a pair once, then simply refuse to put them on ever again …
Or you’re sick and tired of thinking people are judging you when your kid goes to school in dirty jeans every day, because they hate clean clothes …
Speak with us, and we’ll work out a game plan together: https://www.megghanthompsoncoaching.com/talk
For families with high school aged teens: https://www.megghanthompsoncoaching.com/teentalk
