Tactile defensiveness,Allodynia,SPD

What do you do when your child refuses to wear clothes?? She has not worn underwear in 3 years. Only wears one outfit to school- over sized thin short sleeve long shirt (looks like a dress) she wears it over knit pants that she keeps pulled below her but. Will not wear tennis shoes or socks. Wears one pair of shoes that rub blisters on her feet. She is getting worse everyday.




Complains of the car and her bed being too tight almost like she is becoming claustrophobic. Wants to leave the house in only a blanket or naked. Hates her booster seat, has taken the pads and side arms off of it. Pulls her seatbelt-stretches it to keep it from touching her. Refuses to wash or comb her hair this past week. Has missed school this week and we had to take her to the ER finally.

New diagnosis is Allodynia since clothing hurts her skin and her scalp and hair hurts. Had labs and MRi and they came back normal. We have tried OT in the past with some small results, now she doesn't want to go because they want to do the brushing technique. she says it hurts. We are desperate to find fast help for her. Any suggestions??



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Oct 11, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		severe tactile defensiveness
by: Anonymous

My daughter is 8 has multiple sensory issues. She was diagnosed at age 5 with SPD. We have tried and been to two OT's, three psychiatrist, a psychotherapist, acupuncture, cranial sacral chiropractic care, a behaviorist. We are at a loss for words and can not seem to find the right help for our daughter.

She is now 8 and in the third grade. After numerous therapies stemming from the sources above she is doing remarkably well in so many areas. Our biggest challenge which is literally running our life is her tactile defensiveness. She has to wear uniforms for school. We were given special permission to where a non-approved uniform skirt due to her SPD. She is now fighting with us daily...and refusing to wear this skort. She has not wore panties in over a year. She can not wear anything "tight" or basically anything that fits her. Everything has to be at least 2-3 sizes to large for her and falling off of her. She is now ripping the shorts built into her skirt....because she feels they are hurting her an too restricting.

Today, I took her to our pediatrician to "Check" to see if she might have a urinary track infection or bladder infection. Her test came back normal. She tactile defensiveness to clothing is unbearable. We literally are going to have to homeschool if we can not get her to wear clothes soon. She wants to walk around in a ripped tshirt and shorts worn so many times they have holes in them. I'm afraid of pulling her out of school. She needs the social aspect of school. We started her on anxiety medicine last year to help with the panic attacks of "going to school" and she is doing so well, so pulling her out of school will be taking a step back. I need help desperately with the tactile defensiveness with my daughter and have yet to find the right solution. I welcome any feedback and suggestions. We have tried everything.....seamless socks, panties, etc.. She literally can not stand the seems, stitches or the "weight" of clothing. This is affecting our entire family and our day to day life. I am truly desperate for answers. Brenda
Mar 04, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		TACTILE DEFENSIVENESS
by: Anonymous

Thanks Shell!Would love to hear more of your journey.
Oct 14, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		homoeopathics for tactile defensiveness
by: Anonymous

Can you please tell me what homoeopathics you used?
Sep 27, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Acceptance
by: Shell

My 12 yr old has multiple sensory processing issues, but wearing clothing hit the top of our list about 4 years ago. As a toddler she took her clothes off at every opportunity. Around 8 the problem became very severe and she would wear only 1 item of clothing - a very large black adult's t-shirt and no shoes. Just prior to that pants of any kind were being worn lower and baggier, until they couldn't be worn at all. We have done an interesting and eccentric clothes journey from that time, with short periods where she could not wear any clothing at all.

At 10 she began to wear thin satin dresses with shoestring straps, with a parka-style jacket for cold days, and flip-flops. About 6 months ago, motivated by her close friend's encouragement, we found 1 long skirt she was prepared to wear. This has now increased to 3 and she will wear many tops and jackets, although she often goes cold rather than wear any substantial layer. She still doesn't have a decent pair of shoes, wears sandals at best. Warm footwear, socks and underwear are completely rejected.

She couldn't bear the brushing technique and OT has had little impact in this area. It took a long time for me to truly accept her difficulty in coping with clothing from many different angles... her health, her safety in the world, her self image, the stares, people's impression that SP was a ruse to avoid engagement,, the isolation we experienced during the times when she couldn't dress, her big sister's wedding that she nearly missed because of her difficulty wearing the dress she herself had chosen but then couldn't bear on the day... I have to say that in our personal journey together acceptance of her feelings and absolute acknowledgement of them has helped both her and I the most... then we worked from there.

Homoeopathics have at times helped shift us forward in bigger than the baby steps our journey forward usually requires. Understanding and accepting friends have sprinkled little miracles here, there and everywhere. We shop at recycled clothing outlets a lot because that way we can afford lots of experimental purchases that don't matter so much if they don't work out. It's not an easy journey, but I no longer fear that we will have to set up camp in a nudist colony, nor that running one may be her only option for employment when she grows up :) In fact she may even find her niche in fashion design in a world that needs to accommodate difference in every way in a big hurry. And I don't think any mother's heart could swell more than mine does when I see her dressed in an ensemble that is her statement of her individuality and that allow her to go out and about in the world.

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