By CELA on 24 May, 2021

Imagine sitting in a circle with your preschool friends who are listening intently as an educator reads We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. They’re enjoying the story but all you can focus on is the itching sensation around your neck caused by your thick winter pullover. You just don’t have the words yet to tell your educators how much it bothers you, and you don’t know how to remove it. All you can think to do is cry and scratch, and it’s making you feel miserable and frustrated. This is the experience of a child with clothing sensitivities.

We speak with Paediatric Occupational Therapist Laura Petix about how to support children experiencing sensory clothing issues.

For children with sensory clothing issues, sensations that may be unnoticeable to us are unbearable to them. The tag on a t-shirt, the seam on a pair of shorts, or even the fuzziness of socks can impede a child’s ability to function in important activities. For educators and parents, this can create hygiene or safety challenges and risk obstructing a child’s opportunity to play or learn.

If a child has issues with clothing, do they have a sensory processing disorder (SPD)?

Throughout our busy days, our brains are constantly receiving information about our environment through our senses. The coffee we smell, the traffic we hear, and the clothing we touch all send signals to our brain which then registers the information and decides if a response is necessary and how to react. 

The concept of sensory processing difficulties was introduced by Dr. A Jean Ayres in the 1970s, after identifying that some brains were unable to regulate all of this incoming information in the same way that many of us take for granted. 

Whilst many of us have unique sensations we may not like, such as the sound of nails on a chalkboard or the feeling of a cotton ball, an SPD can hinder the daily activities and interests of a person. When a child’s sensory clothing issues negatively impact their social interactions or education opportunities, it may be indicative of a Sensory processing disorder.

A child who has a clothing sensitivity is considered to have a low threshold for tactile input, meaning they register tactile input at a higher rate than neurotypical people,” explains Paediatric Occupational Therapist  Laura Petix.

SPD Australia states that SPD affects the functional skills of 1 in 20 children. A common misconception around SPD is that it is just another name for ADHD or a form of autism spectrum disorder. Whilst there may be many overlapping symptoms, this is incorrect. SPD, and clothing sensitivities in particular, can impact any person at any age regardless of whether they also have these disorders.

What are some signals indicating a sensory clothing issue?

According to Petix, children with sensory clothing issues can sense every seam, wrinkle or fuzz ball in a sock. They are extremely irritated by tags. They may not be able to tolerate clothes that fit them and rather prefer clothes that are too tight or too big. In extreme cases, some children cannot tolerate wearing underwear at all or socks or shoes. She identifies some signals educators can be aware of that may indicate clothing sensitivity issues. It is important to note that these signs do not definitively determine an SPD and each child’s situation should be considered individually.

Some signals in children could include: 

  • Being particularly fidgety or unfocused and continually playing with or adjusting clothing.
  • Refusing to play dress up games when given the opportunity.
  • Regularly wearing a “uniform” of the same clothing and exhibiting agitated behaviour if they deviate from this clothing. 
  • Wearing clothing that is not appropriate for the weather or is the wrong size.

How can we best support a child experiencing sensory clothing issues?

As sensory issues can lead to educational, social and emotional challenges for children, it is crucial to understand the effects of sensory issues. Their behaviourisms are at risk of being negatively misinterpreted, including labels such as disruptive, impulsive, immature, or belligerent.

Here are some helpful tips for parents and educators supporting a child with clothing sensitivities:

  1. Find clothing without tags in or remove the tags.
  2. Use clothing with super soft fabrics or natural materials—synthetic blends can be uncomfortable to sensitive children.
  3. Allow plenty of time for the child to get dressed so they can become familiar with the sensation of each fabric on their skin.
  4. Try to purchase multiple items of the clothing that the child finds comfortable.
  5. Have heavy clothing or blankets available for children who find comfort in a “cocoon” feeling.
  6. Avoid clothes with difficult fasteners—velcro and drawstrings will keep children from getting frustrated and worked up overt tricky tasks like buttons and tying.
  7. In sensory sensitive children, dirty or wet clothing can trigger dysregulation, so always have extra clothing on hand.

 

The best way to support a child with sensitive clothing challenges is to work with them and support them in their sensory needs rather than work against them," says Petix. "Allow them to feel comfortable, which will enable them to focus better on what they are doing.

 

Check out Laura Petix (The OT Butterfly) and other resources on sensory processing challenges below.

Further reading:

The OT Butterfly – Paediatric Occupational Therapist Laura Petix

Child Mind Institute – Sensory Processing Issues Explained

SPD Australia – Supporting and advocating for people with Sensory Processing Disorder

About CELA

Community Early Learning Australia is a not for profit organisation with a focus on amplifying the value of early learning for every child across Australia - representing our members and uniting our sector as a force for quality education and care.

Comments

11 comments

Ker Sin Tan
Posted on 18 Apr, 2025
I understand and feel the pain of all parents who have the sensory clothing issue kids. My daughter has the same issue. Started when she was in kindergarten, she had issues with socks, then underwears, pants, school uniform, dress, t-shirt in primary school. From not understanding to acknowledging, now I have to be a detective to figure out the comfortable clothing material, dress designs for her to avoid all the teary and stressful mornings. I feel like a jackpot whenever I got the right clothing for her. So far it is impossible to buy the right pants that is comfortable for her, I learnt to sew pants for her. While it is not perfect, at least it gets her daily activities going. It is a tough journey for both kids and parents.
Dana Whitburn
Posted on 20 Jan, 2025
I’m 57 and unfortunately it has not gotten any better for me. I’ve just learned to adapt by removing tags, buying clothes without tags, buying only 100% cotton clothing, wearing only V neck shirts/dresses, adjusting my socks appropriately and wearing Crocs when I can. It’s a struggle, but it doesn’t need to define you. Let the SPD children pick what they are most comfortable with wearing; it will save a lot of wasted energy.
Eve Hawkes
Posted on 3 Dec, 2024
Children with clothing sensitivities may also be part of a cohort of children who fall into the highly gifted range known as the "overexcitables". These children, as described by Dabrowski (1979), typically represent expanded awareness and a heightened capacity to respond to stimuli of various types. Dabrowski postulated five overexcitabilities: psychomotor, sensual, imaginational, intellectual and emotional. These children often report things like irritation from the tags on clothing, uneven pressure of clothing over the body, ensuring that the placement of sock seams on toes are in right place etc. They can also display adverse reactions to food textures.
Jonathan Wilson
Posted on 31 Oct, 2024
My daughter has all the issues with clothes she try’s them on I buy them thinking woohoo got summat she will wear them bang it’s like it’s burning her skin she now goes barefoot about and and won’t let me wash her favaorite pj bottoms and jumper incase there not dry in time she only wears certain clothes about and won’t wear dresses it’s drying me up the wall but what gets me most is her family they don’t know what me and her are going through with this and just give snide comments like “ urghh you’re wearing that again “ or urgghhh girls should wear dresses not sports clothes “ and that’s getting to her
Cheryl Wilmoth Taylor
Posted on 1 Sep, 2024
I'll 6 year old granddaughter is the same way we didn't notice it until she started school last year she will have a meltdown over socks she refuses to wear blue jeans it's just so many things we're having problems with shoes the one thing I can say haven't had problem with underwear so far she had her way she only wear a moo moo or panties and a t-shirt
Jacqui
Posted on 7 Jan, 2024
Our 5yr old daughter is sooo hard to get out the door. She refuses to wear shoes because they bug her so much. We have tried sandals, shoes, slippers...anything but no, she can't bare it. It is a fight to dress her for church especially because she needs shoes and something in her hair. It is driving us crazy!!! We have 4 other kids and so its chaotic enough trying to get out the door as it is. I feel so bad for her but what do we do? With her it's not only footwear and hair accessories but also clothing. Undies are either too big or too small. More than textures it seems to be needing to be the PERFECT balance of not baggy or loose but also not tight. The line is so fine!!! We feel like we have tried everything. Distractions, talking to her about it etc she doesn't even want hugs when she's so upset, she just hops in bed and puts covers over her head. Breaks my heart because the other day she was crying and saying sorry at the same time and then she said, I wish I wasn't the different one in the family!!! She has ADHD and so does my husband (her dad) and at least 2 of the other kids so she is not alone but they don't have the sensory issues. Please help us with tips, tricks or just ANYTHING!!!!!
Juan Sanchez
Posted on 14 Dec, 2023
My 10 years old son is diagnosed with the sensory processing disorder and he continuously want to increase the size of his clothes. My wife and I are having discussions regarding this topic. She keeps allowing bigger and bigger sizes, while I think we should draw a line and don't allow bigger sizes. At the moment he is wearing two times his proper size. When is enough about keep increasing the cloth sizes?
christina standfield
Posted on 20 Nov, 2022
My son is 4. we are struggling. everyday i try to dress him for the day and everyday he refuses to put clothes on. It doesnt matter what the material is. He's ok with T-shirts but underwear or shorts is a battle. putting on socks and shoes as well. I've given up on underwear. he just wears shorts. and my anxiety is out the roof every morning i wake up for fear of our meltdowns and the tears to come. We cant do playdates anymore because if he has to go to the bathroom and he pulls down his pants to pee he wont be able to pull them back up. and we'll be stuck in the bathroom until i walk him out of there naked and take him home. going to school, Grocery shopping , everything is a struggle. he wont go outside to play anymore, I cant take him to the pool. It's affecting his life and my mental health. What can i do to get clothes on him and keep them on. we eventually get clothes on everyday but it takes hours. hours of crying and hitting himself and then when we get the clothes on finally..... he'll freak out and take everything off again.
Alison
Posted on 20 Nov, 2022
Good someone is writing on this topic but sorry this article is such a cliffhanger. The suggestions made in the article are unhelpful as they are obvious and anyone with a child with this condition has tried all of this already. I took my child to the paediatrician who referred us to a special therapist. An occupational therapist. Apparently sensory disorder is very treatable! I was told stories by the school therapist of bad cases that were solved. So bottom line get a referral to a therapist who works with sensory issues. We start the therapy soon and based on the stories I’m quite hopeful as this issue is very frustrating and time consuming for the child AND the parent! So bottom line, talk to your paediatrician and ask for a referral to a therapist.
John Walsh
Posted on 10 Nov, 2022
My 5 year old granddaughter has most of the issues stated above tags wants the same clothes no tight clothing I have to stretch everything we feel so bad for her and help the best we can but she refuses to wear socks and we worry about her feet in the winter time now that she is in school we have tried many kinds can you help us with any suggestions so far nothing has worked. We bought her boots that are good for -30 and she just wears her bare feet in them thanks for above info
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