Are My Sons Issues Cause for Concern?

It sounds very normal for a kid who has sensory issues. One of my DDs (age 10) is exactly like this. Since preschool and still today, she is very picky and a little weird about socks, shoes, cuts all tags out of clothes, etc. New clothes and shoes take awhile to get used to and are often rejected for old comfortable favorites. It's also about control. Clothing choice is something I decided I could give up control over. This also means I don't go running around the house looking for her misplaced items. She is in charge of finding and choosing. I chose to let go of her clothes having to be perfectly clean. In the end, it's most important that she goes to school comfortable and happy and ready to learn. BTW, her peers often are the ones to chime in now if she wears something over again too often, and she listens to that feedback more than my nagging.

Unfortunately, It sounds pretty normal to me. My kids have issues and I remember having issues with how things felt when I was younger. My solution, find the things he is comfortable with and just go with them. When there are new things, like shoes, remind him that if he likes them at the store and you buy them, he is going to have to wear them. Socks, constant problem with my son, we have tried 3 or 4 different kinds before he found some that he likes. We try to always have those clean for him, but sometimes he just has to deal with wearing the other ones.

Please ask your ped for a referral to an OT who specializes in sensory integration disorder. This sounds like textbook SI. An OT can really help him with this. I promise! Do it now while you have time in the summer to get him to the OT, and work with him at home. She will give you a home program to do in order to help him.

Dawn

It is an extreme and may be a phase or indication something is bothering him at school. My daughter can be like this and it did seem worse last year and the year before (she is now almost 10). Check out the "Highly Sensitive Child" by Elaine Aron.
http://www.hsperson.com/pages/child.htm

It can be very frustrating for both of you! All the best. Take care, T.

Sounds like he may have some sensory issues. My son was alot like that when he was younger, now he is getting a little better. It's the texture and feel on the clothes, especially the ones that have contact with the skin. GOOD LUCK!

Hard to say.
I have a 9 year old. He hates jeans, and long sleeved "fancy" shirts (button downs), and certain shoes, etc. He prefers to wear a zipped hoodie to school in the mornings and sometimes leaves it on. It's going to be 80- here today! Whatevs!
He's all about comfort but the "cool" thing is starting to take place as well (his hair, his "brands," his shower gels, etc.).
You know your son best.
We don't and can only go by what you've written.

I will tell you this much, if it IS a SI issue--don't wait--the sooner the better for some OT, etc. Sometimes you have to wait for an eval and an OT schedule, etc.
It would be awesome if you could get it going NOW so he can attend weekly (IF it is an SI issue) since the school year restricts his availability.

If your mommy-gut thinks there is an problem, talk to your pediatrician right away.
Good luck!

Poor guy. I don't know if it is normal or not but I was like that as a kid and my one son was like that, too. OK, we are both sort of still like that but less so as we get older.

When I was younger, I couldn't stand to wear anything tight, itchy, scratchy, and everything was magnified, like if one shoe buckle was more snug than the other. My mother's response was "you have to suffer to be beautiful" so she didn't indulge me but I can still feel the discomfort of those tight ponytails and stiff petticoats.

My son is picky about his clothes so I let him choose what to wear and if he wants to wear the same pants 3 days in a row and I can't smell him coming, he can do that. He has to be comfortable. When he finds a pair of pants he likes, I go back to the store and buy several more just like it, in different colors if possible, if not, he gets to wear the same color like a uniform. He doesn't care. Neither do I.

Since your son is mellow about other things, I'd let him have some control over his clothing. Perhaps he can try on and set out his school clothes the night before to make sure everything is clean and fits. Wash more often. Replace his shoe laces with a different length so they loop just right without having to triple knot them. Get some shoe inserts and pads, or different socks to see if that keeps his foot from slipping around inside.

If you find some type of therapy that helps your son deal with his clothing issues, that's great. If not, he may just be a sensitive, kinesthetic type of person, and will have to accept it and adapt as possible. But for now, the less he has to think about his clothing discomfort, the more he can concentrate on his school work so I'd start with some practical adjustments to his clothing and see how that works.

Sounds like he is really having an off day that's all. We made my daughter wear a pair of jeans one day and they have a decal/threading she said bothered her leg so much so that she shrieked about it. We still made her wear them and after that she didn't say anything about it again. My middle son changes his clothes constantly when we get home....I think it's asserting themselves and at that age they are still stuck on what's their favorite go to....Keep an eye on it and make sure you are including him in the process of picking out his clothes and also when shopping. I love to remind my kids if they give me a hard time about clothes...I can easily say well...You picked it out and you will wear it.

I am an adult with SPD.. sensory processing disorder...

Please do not force this.. 2 of my sons have this...( SPD)

When they want something ( clothing item ) off of them i get it off immediately.
I know what the children feel, it is unbearable for me to wear sleeves, UNBEARABLE, oh and a turtleneck forget it..bulky coats, not a chance...socks drive me nuts.. i mean it can make you feel like you want to crawl out of your skin...the feeling of discomfort consumes you..it's all you can think of until the item is removed..it can be smells, sounds, fabric...

please don't force it, instead buy them what they like, after all would you want someone forcing you to wear something you hated? much less drive you literally up a wall.

read up on sensory processing diorder, learn about it, and adapt, help your child adapt. i mean i feel the fool myself going around in tank tops etc in winter but you do what you gotta do...

also, no matter if it's the middle of summer, i have to have a heavy comforter on me.. it think i like the feeling of heaviness?@?!@?!?

I can only say for years my grandson had major issues with anything he put on his body. All tags had to be removed...no decals on his shirts that he could feel against his chest. Nothing could be too tight. Socks were pulled all the way up...then pushed back down as far as they would go. Couldn't stand hats...especially knit ones....jacket couldn't be big and bulky. After all that time of dealing with what he was gonna wear everyday....we just thought he was being defiant. Finally we discovered Under Armor clothes...real soft...that's what he liked. I guess arond 3rd grade it all kinda wore off. And a couple of years later I googled his symptons ....and sure enough...there is an answer for everything. It is somekind of sensory disorder. They even sell special clothes and socks for kids like this. Oh yea, forgot to mention...he had big issures with his shoes too. He's 10 now and it's all gone. But he still loves
soft clothes and blankets...but it doesn't have to be soft anymore...thank goodness! He could be a spokesperson for the Under Armor brand clothes.

I agree it could be sensory issues, here is a link to a website that has a checklist for each type. Maybe he has other clues, but you just never thought that much about them... or maybe he doesn't and it is just his age.
Like my son has(and has always had) texture issues with food and I didn't realize that was sensory related until I noticed the issues with his clothes.

I actually don't think giving in is going to be the answer especially if it is not sensory as it could end up(worse case) allowing OCD type behaviors, however as a mom we all know you have to choose your battles carefully. Maybe you can take the laces out of the old shoes, but insist he wear the pants... ? just a thought.
Good Luck

http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-proces...

Are these new issues, or has he always had them? If they are new, I'd say it's probably a phase and I wouldn't worry about it. If it's still around in six months, I'd talk to his doctor.

If he has always been this way, then I would bring it up with his doctor and see what he suggests. does he have any other sensory issues?

My 9 year old will go through a funk here and there with how things feel. She is kinds picky about certain types of socks, or certain materials for shirts and even how different things fit her! knowing this, I can buy her the types of things in know she is comfortable in and likes, good luck!

Has he always been this way or just recently?
ie: he is 8. From about that age and 9 years old and on... they physiologically are changing and will become Tweens soon. Their hormones changes too etc. 9-12 years old is the Tween ages.
Preteens.
Its like Toddlerhood all over again, except they are older now and really don't know how they feel or what they want sometimes and they do get pickier. And they can be moodier.

My daughter is 9. From last year and this year, I have seen her classmates get a bit... fussy. Boys and girls alike.

Try just having a conversation with your son. Just chatting. Maybe he knows he's like this or not. So just talk to him.
And maybe he has to be more involved in shopping for his clothes. HE should be trying things on and choosing what to try on or wear... before Mommy comes home with it
Or coming up with a plan so he knows the night before what he is going to where. So he does not make everyone stressed about it. It probably irks him too.

Or he is sensory sensitive.
But if he was, then he would have been this way for most of his life.
Not just now.

My 8.5 yr old son will do this too. He will not wear jeans. He will only wear one pair of shoes at a time. He will only wear his favorite jacket. Sometimes he will wear his cleats for soccer and baseball and other times he refuses. I often wonder if he has a sensory issue. He does not qualify if you go by the lists though. . Years ago, he only wanted to wear green clothes- who knows. I try to buy him what he likes. I am not sure if he has sensory issues or transition issues. (I have bought him same style/size pants but different color- he had an issue with how they felt- but later just starting wearing them). I worry about it but am not sure if the OT would consider it an issue as he is not consistent.It seems to change with his moods.

Our 8 yo son goes through these things, too. We thought it might be a sensory issue, but sometimes it's totally related to appearance, and other times it's related to his mood (and then sometimes it is a sensory issue). Socks are often a problem, but the biggest issue involving our son is his hair - totally appearance related. Sometimes he will behave like a teenage girl because his hair doesn't look just right.

It may be a sensory issue, and then there are resources that can help, but it sounds normal to me.

if this si an ongoing thing... see a mental health professional.. maybe over th summer this will all fade away .. kids do wierd things.. but if they keep it up it is time for a counselor.