We know that many people on the autism spectrum prefer relatively snug-fitting clothing that covers their arms and legs. The snug clothing may help provide a sense of where the body is in space – sometimes called the sense of proprioception.
If you have a child with autism, try selecting clothes made from cotton. It is a natural fiber and breathable so it is better for their sensitive skin. You can also consider bedding with a soft cotton cover or sheet sets with organic cotton covers.
Furthermore, participants' preferred soft and comfortable textures, like satin; previous research also reporting that autistic individuals enjoy touching soft and smooth textures (Cascio et al., 2012).
A child with autism may be overly sensitive to scratchy seams and tags. They may react to clothes or waistbands that are too tight. They may react to clothes that are too loose and likely to slip off. They may be reacting to itchiness caused by allergies.
Red should never be used in the home as children with ASD perceive the color as florescent. Yellows likewise are very stimulating and are best to avoid. Greens, blues, pinks, soft oranges and neutrals can be very comforting. Keeping the colors muted, these tones can quiet the mind and create calm.
Apart from this issue, however, the fact should be noted that children with ASD were certainly likely to avoid yellow and, conversely, to favor green and brown.
Light pastel pink has often been chosen as the favorite colour for children with autism in some tests conducted. Cool colors such as blue and green also have a soothing effect. It is recommended that primary and bright colours be used only for toys or play objects in their rooms.
Why hoodies? Some Autistic people can experience sensory sensitivities and become overloaded by stimuli, but when wearing their hoodie up, they can block out bright lights and busy environments which helps to calm them and regain their focus.
People with autism may get easily attached to people, leading them to become over-friendly. It can be difficult to understand other people's perceptions of situations, therefore what they feel is appropriate, may be considered as socially unacceptable.
As noted above, the ASD group reported significantly higher thresholds for both warmth and cold detection, consistent with reduced sensitivity to thermal stimuli of both types.
Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights). Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out.
Smells can be so overwhelming that they may display unusual behaviours to avoid that smell. Some autistic people may seek out strong smells. You might hear these people referred to as hyposensitive to smell. They may be drawn to curry powder, herbs, flowers, essential oils and perfumes.
We know that many people on the autism spectrum prefer relatively snug-fitting clothing that covers their arms and legs. The snug clothing may help provide a sense of where the body is in space – sometimes called the sense of proprioception.
This could be items such as different types of fidgets, a soft cloth with a texture they enjoy, a chime that makes a noise they find calming, or a chewable necklace.
While many children with autism feel averse to hugging, some children with autism like to be hugged. Some children can swing the opposite way and want so many hugs that they feel hug deprived when they aren't getting enough.
difficulties with high-level language skills such as verbal reasoning, problem solving, making inferences and predictions. problems with understanding another person's point of view. difficulties initiating social interactions and maintaining an interaction.
For example, autistic children and teenagers might: refuse or ignore requests. behave in socially inappropriate ways, like taking their clothes off in public. behave aggressively. hurt themselves or other children – for example, by head-banging or biting.
The kid-tested, kid-approved sensory-friendly jeans are fashioned from a super-soft, sweatpant-like denim and have no harsh seams, buttons, zippers, or rivets. But they are still real jeans that look totally normal.
You might find that they don't like showers because of the feeling of the water hitting their skin but they are happier having a bath, certain brands of soap and shampoo might aggravate them more than others or using a manual toothbrush rather than an electric one is easier for them.
Masking may involve suppressing certain behaviours we find soothing but that others think are 'weird', such as stimming or intense interests. It can also mean mimicking the behaviour of those around us, such as copying non-verbal behaviours, and developing complex social scripts to get by in social situations.
Gold or rainbow infinity sign for autism
The use of a rainbow spectrum in the infinity symbol was designed to drive awareness of the diversity among neurodivergent individuals.
As a result, a lot of people in the autism community refrain from using blue for awareness/acceptance month, as they don't want to be associated with Autism Speaks, or be perceived as supporting what they stand for.
The Autistic Empire has released a high-resolution, professionally designed, autistic pride flag under the Creative Commons free culture licence permitting any use of this flag, including commercial use, as long as attribution is made to the Autistic Empire (see details below).