“Joey! Where are your pants?” That refrain is heard in my house nearly every day, uttered by my wife, my oldest son, or myself. My younger son, like many children with autism, likes to take off his clothes. We are usually greeted with a laugh and him running away from us. But for us, it’s anything but funny.
It’s common for many children on the spectrum to undress either partially or entirely, and it seems to happen at the most inopportune times. As parents, it’s up to us to help the child understand why they need to keep their clothes on.
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Autism Behavior Interventions
What’s the connection between autism and taking clothes off?
Each child is unique, so it can be difficult to understand why they want to undress. They may not like how the clothes feel on their bodies, or they may be trying to bring your attention to something else entirely.
Some children with autism may just like the movements required to remove clothing or just prefer to have less fabric on their bodies. While undressing behavior can lead to frustrated adults, it may be just what the child wants or needs at that moment.
Potential triggers
While there’s no one definitive cause, there are several potential triggers that can lead to children with autism undressing. These can be as simple as discomfort from sensory input to an emotional regulation technique.
Sensory challenges
Many children with autism may be overly sensitive to sensory experiences. This can make the fabric of clothing feel uncomfortable and make them want to remove their clothes.
Some children may not like how tight clothing feels on their bodies and want loose-fitting clothes. Others may need the snugness from the tighter clothes.
Some clothing may feel scratchy or itchy. Taking clothes off may be the only way they can find relief from these sensory sensitivities.
Emotional regulation
Undressing behavior has also been linked to difficulty regulating emotions. If an autistic child’s routine is thrown off, they may remove their clothes to demonstrate their frustration.
It can be a way for them to regain a sense of control due to the unpredictability of the routine change. During this time, they may not understand appropriate behaviors and how to communicate their frustrations.
Personal preference
Some autistic children may just prefer not to wear clothes. They may have had a negative experience with clothing in the past, or they may just prefer how the air feels on their skin compared to the weight of clothing.
Preventing your autistic child from removing clothes
While it may be difficult to keep clothes on your child at times, there are some tips that will help reduce undressing behaviors.
Identify the problem
The first way to encourage your children to keep their clothes on is to figure out why they are taking them off. Once you know whether it’s a sensory issue, emotional issue, or personal preference, you can work to encourage them to remain dressed.
If your autistic child is verbal, they will be able to tell you they are uncomfortable. For non verbal children, it will be more difficult to tell, but they will still give you signs.
If they need a snugger feel, you can get tight clothing. If they don’t like snugness, you can get looser clothing for their needs.
Involving your child in the clothes-buying process can help them find clothes they will keep on.
Behavioral modification
If the issue isn’t sensory-related, you can try behavioral modification techniques to encourage your children to remain dressed.
These can include:
- books demonstrating why undressing behavior isn’t appropriate,
- drawing attention to neurotypical children who are keeping clothes on, or
- creating a chart with positive reinforcement.
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If your child is involved in applied behavioral analysis therapy, an ABA therapist may be able to develop behavioral modification methods to address the issue further.
Practical solutions
If clothing adjustments and behavioral modification techniques fail, you may have to find some practical, short-term solutions to help your autistic children keep their clothes on.
These can include:
- sensory-friendly clothing,
- a safety pin to hold clothes together,
- replacing clothing snaps with complex fasteners,
- weighted vests that may make it physically impossible to remove their clothes.
These short-term solutions can help until a viable, longer-term solution is discovered.
Provide your child with understanding
Speaking from experience, it’s frustrating when your autistic child rips their clothes off and starts running around. It’s one of many challenging behaviors connected to autism with which parents and caregivers are presented.
While it can be difficult to remain calm, your autistic children need the appropriate support from you as a parent to help guide them. You can help your child understand what specific behaviors are appropriate and which are not. It’s a long journey, but together, you and your child can navigate it.
FAQs
Q: How do you get an autistic child to stop taking clothes off?
A: If an autistic child is constantly taking their clothes off, parents and caregivers can make it harder for them to remove their clothes by addressing discomfort and using positive reinforcement for keeping clothes on.
Q: Why does my autistic child keep taking his clothes off?
A: Autistic children may shed their clothing due to sensory challenges and discomfort. Uncomfortable fabric or tags on clothing may cause them to react strongly and remove their clothes.
Q: What are sensory clothing issues in autism?
A: Autistic children may have certain sensory sensitivities and preferences regarding clothing. Clothing made from certain textures and textiles, as well as tags and seams, may be harder to keep on.
Q: How do you stop an autistic child from taking off a diaper?
A: If autistic children struggle with toilet training, parents can put a diaper on backwards or reinforce it with tape to make it harder for their child to remove.
Resources
J O Oetojo, Year: 2019, Factors Affecting Clothing Design for Autistic Children: A Study of A Sustainable Development Brand Kiddie Pal in Jakarta, WOMELA-GG, EAI, DOI: 10.4108/eai.26-1-2019.2283124
Kyriacou, C., Forrester-Jones, R. & Triantafyllopoulou, P. Clothes, Sensory Experiences and Autism: Is Wearing the Right Fabric Important?. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 1495–1508 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05140-3
Shin, S. H., Smith, B. & Gaines, K., (2015) “Investigation of Therapy Clothing Products for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders,” International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 72(1)
