7 Simple Suggestions for Attiring Your Autistic Adolescent

Since mom’s can’t exactly try on their son’s outfits, it can be difficult to determine what fabrics and fits will be the most suitable. And since autism + fitting rooms = bad news and no one wants to make an extra trip to target without good reason, it might be useful to come armed with a few suggestions which can make clothing shopping easier.

Although everyone has individual tastes and preferences, here are seven products I find extremely comfortable.

Torso

1) Fruit of the Loom muscle tees: I’ve tried just about every brand of undershirt I can afford. Hanes, Merona, store-brand, etc. But none ever fit quite right. The FTL tees however conform to the bodies shape, providing a light compression. They serve as ideal alternatives to scratchy baggy pajama tops.

2) The Underworks compression vests I wrote about here. They provide a more fashionable (aka hidden) alternative to the weighted vest, can be worn all day, and are also to be found at much lower prices than most weighted vests.

3) If a weighted vest is an absolute must, check out some of the cheaper alternatives available in the walmart fitness department. They offer two adjustable options for less than twenty dollars a piece that weigh in at between five and fifteen pounds. And a bit of a favorite fabric thrown on top can almost make them stylish.

Lower Body

4) Urban Pipeline Khakis: Carl would live in sweats, were it an option. But they’re not appropriate for work or school, and getting him to wear any other jeans was an uphill battle. Until we found UP Khakis with fleece. They are lined on the inside with fleece so they feel like sweats, but from the outside they appear to be khakis. Both professional and warm, they can be found at Kohl’s for ten dollars a pair.

5) The speed laces I wrote about here. Never worry about tying shoes again; simply pull the drawstring and the shoes are tied.

Head and Neck

6) Need a little compression  on the neck, but refuse the absolute constriction of the turtle neck? Consider trying a earmuff-headband wrapped around the neck instead. Caution: try to match the color of the headband with the color of the shirt or coordinate with the pants to avoid odd looks. Or carry a wooden stake and say you’re warding off vampires.

7) I’ve always wanted one of those eyebands that block out the light and allow you to sleep almost anywhere. But I never liked the feel of any of the available options. But toying around with my pillow last night, I discovered that the key was to use a light sweater as the pilllow case. The texture is perfect to rest the head on, and the sleeve canbe strewn across the eyes to block out the light.

Anyway, sorry I wasn’t able to devote the time for a Theory post this week, but with holiday discounts at their lowest point, I figured now would be an okay time to run a product reccomendation post. Happy shopping!