Sensory Processing Relating to Clothing

We’re talking about something that everyone deals with to some degree, but may have not taken much notice… sensory processing as it relates to clothing! Just like picky eating relates to how we process our environment- the texture, flavor, or color choices in food; children may be picky about the clothes they wear. 

If we’re being honest, most of us choose clothing differently whether it’s based on texture or how it makes you feel, and may be able to think back to their childhood when it was a little more “picky.” But for some kids, it may go to the extreme due to sensory processing difficulties. 

Prevalence 

Sensory processing disorder affects about 8.3% of 8 year olds internationally (Jussila et al., 2020), and 1 in 20 to 1 in 6.25  in the US (Ahn et al., 2004; Ben-Sasson et al., 2009), some experts say as much as 10% of kids. For children with ADHD; it’s as much as 40-60%, so children on the Autism spectrum and those with ADHD may be at higher chance of having difficulty with sensory processing. 

Many children may not get a diagnosis, or have issues with sensory processing that affects their ability to perform daily activities. It may just be a quirk that allows them to function in society without too much difficulty, but clothing can still be something that assists feeling more balanced. Some children prefer tighter clothing, others want clothing to feel very light. With this; parents may find a pattern with their clothing shopping if their sensory processing takes priority over different styles and trends. 

If your child is having trouble with tolerating clothing, and it’s affecting their participation in school or daily activities; We’re happy to help you understand and talk to you about it. Please feel free to email us at smplytherapy@gmail.com

References

Jussila K., Junttila M., Kielinen M., Ebeling H., Joskitt L., Moilanen I., et al. . (2020). Sensory abnormality and quantitative autism traits in children with and without autism spectrum disorder in an epidemiological population. J. Autism Dev. Disord. 50, 180–188. 10.1007/s10803-019-04237-0 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

Ahn R. R., Miller L. J., Milberger S., McIntosh D. N. (2004). Prevalence of parents’ perceptions of sensory processing disorders among kindergarten children. Am. J. Occup. Ther. 58, 287–293. 10.5014/ajot.58.3.287 [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]