Are you getting ready for the next school year, reader? In my daughter’s schools, teachers are already coming back. Other teachers have only weeks before the year begins. Parents are out school shopping and I realize I ought to have written this post sooner.

COMFORT should be the key word when back to school shopping. Many children have sensory processing issues, even those who have not been and may never be recognized as having a “problem.” A definition of sorts will help here, although definitions vary and sensory issues fall into a gray area filled with hazy examples more than concrete science. But sensory processing challenges are very real and clothing does not get enough attention.

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From Sensory Processing Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment (webmd.com):

“Sensory processing disorder is a condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses. Some people with sensory processing disorder are oversensitive to things in their environment. Common sounds may be painful or overwhelming. The light touch of a shirt may chafe the skin.”

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A tag in the back of a shirt can distract a kid ALL day and, as strange as this may sound, that kid may not say anything for days, months or forever. Some kids will immediately pipe up, “Mom, I hate that white thing! It itches!” But others will simply keep scratching their neck. They will pull the fabric from their shorts or pants away from their skin. They will fiddle with their shirt, maybe pulling it away from their skin. They will do little scooching moves in their desks, shifting their position, one inch in one direction and then another inch to the side. Maybe they will scooch nonstop as the school day goes by. They may often be pulling or pushing waistbands, or simply putting their hands inside those bands to get the band away from their skin. (An act which has definitely gotten a few kids in trouble!) And despite all these subtle and not-so-subtle signs of discomfort, certain children never think to complain. That’s just how clothes work in their minds.

Sensory issues may be far less obvious at home where there are more immediate distractions and less need to stay in one position. Distractions help to distract us from our distractions. Plus students who wear uniforms to school can change out of that uniform, and other children can come home and pull out favorite baseball shirts or other changes of clothing that seem perfectly natural.

A few school shopping suggestions:

Smell the masks! I recently returned a batch to Amazon because the odor was … off. Not enough to make me immediately take off the mask, but enough so that I decided after awhile that I could not identify that faint smell and I was not comfortable using those masks. A child might keep wearing a mask with a faint, unfamiliar smell. I’d take the new box of masks and put one on myself for awhile before I started handing them to my kids.

Watch shoes. Some kids can get attached to shoes that no longer fit. They won’t say anything when their feet start bothering them because they don’t want their favorite shoes replaced. Some kids don’t bother to say anything when their toes are getting pinched because pinched toes don’t much bother them. And feet sometimes grow in leaps and bounds.

You are looking for softness. It helps to shut your eyes and feel the fabric. As the Jedi Masters say: “Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them.”

Take the kids if possible. Have them feel possible future school clothes. Ask them, “Do you like how it feels?” Teaching children to put comfort high on their list for clothing choices will help them for life. While shopping as a family can understandably seem too daunting, shopping together helps with the mystery of sizes. One store’s size six can be another store’s size eight. Seven-year-olds do not run true to size.

That’s the major problem with haunting the end-of-season sales. Yes, that size eight outfit may be a great price and size eight ought to be next year’s size. But some kids just rocket through the size chart. Boys especially can easily go up two or three sizes in one year.

If I had the kids with me, I’d try to get them to sit down in any pants they tried on. Many pairs of pants feel great when upright but are much less comfortable while seated at a desk. Where does the fabric bunch? If trying on multiple pairs of pants, I’d ask, “Which ones are most comfortable?” Kids will resist trying on clothes sometimes. I’d be prepared to say, “I know it’s a pain but I want you to be comfortable all day. I am doing this for you because I love you.”

The internet can be hugely helpful. Just type “sensory friendly” into your Amazon or other clothing search. You might try “soft cotton” and other similar searches, too. Sometimes guessing and maybe returning is much easier than a trip to Target, that’s for sure!

Eduhonesty: Parents whose children have pronounced sensory issues likely don’t need any shopping tips. They are already seeking sensory friendly clothing, even when they have not yet tumbled onto that specific description for what they are seeking. Anecdotally, though, I believe mild sensory processing concerns in children are often overlooked. Even teachers may simply get used to watching the scooching. Because some children will scooch nonstop regardless of what they are wearing — clothed or naked, the average kid is not meant to sit still in any one place for a long period of time.

Here’s a quote for the day: “Once you are comfortable in your own skin, you will become unstoppable.”
― Christine E. Szymanski

I don’t know that Christine is right about that unstoppable part 🙂 but I do know Itching can short circuit thinking. Discomfort is distracting. Discomfort can block learning. Here’s a thought-provoking read that lays out some sensory processing issues and provides a good overview: Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder | Understood – For learning and thinking differences

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And now for something completely different! This blog used to write about many topics that had nothing to do with the evils of excessive standardized testing. I’ll be back to that testing soon because I believe excess testing has become a vicious contributor to the achievement gap. But sometimes we all need a break. Thanks to all my readers! Jocelyn Turner

P.S. Using unscented, hypoallergenic detergent always helped my kids, while fabric softeners and dryer sheets were problematic for us.