Getting dressed can be a daily struggle for some children – Rachel White, Children’s Occupational Therapist at Now, Next and Then, shares practical tips to make it easier.
When children experience challenges with getting dressed, this may be due to a number of factors including poor balance, difficulties using both hands together and issues with fine motor strength, grip and coordination. This can be compounded by challenges with visual processing, which may lead to clothes being put on inside out or back to front.
The impact of these challenges can be far-reaching for the whole family. Your child may refuse to try, become overwhelmed by the prospect of getting dressed or develop a learned helplessness and wait to be helped each day.
Over time this may affect their self-esteem. Tension can arise from the additional time needed on a busy school or work morning, alongside misunderstandings that may cause friction between parents and siblings and lead to accusations of ‘laziness.’
As Occupational Therapists, we can observe, discuss and assess which elements are the ‘flashpoints’ for your child. We can then problem-solve in a practical way around these.
Here are a few helpful hints that might be a good place to start:
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When developing dressing skills, choose times of the day or week for practice that are not time-limited. Weekend mornings are ideal as your child (and you) may feel fresher and have more patience.
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Work on one element of dressing at a time and build on successes.
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Putting on socks: practice with much larger socks than your child usually wears. Ask your child to sit on the floor with their back against their bed or the wall for support.
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Use the ‘thumbs up, thumbs in’ approach: thumbs up with both hands, then place both thumbs into the top of the socks to grip and pull. Choose socks with coloured toes and heel sections to provide a visual cue for the correct position.
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Seamless socks may also feel more comfortable for children with sensitive feet. The ‘thumbs up, thumbs in’ technique can also be used for putting pants and bottoms on and off.
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Use a mirror to help your child see their top button rather than relying only on touch.
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To help your child put shoes on the correct feet, use a large sticker cut in half and place one half in each shoe so the picture forms correctly when the shoes are side by side.
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Ready-made versions are available on Amazon or you could draw half a smiley face in each shoe with a permanent marker. Visual checklists with photos of your child in the various stages of dressing may also help them stay on track.
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For school days when clothes are the same each day, a simple chart can cue them into the next step. For putting on tops, ask your child to sit on a chair or bed and lay their top on their lap.
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Help them notice where the label is so they know they’ve started with the right orientation. A T-shirt with a design on the front is useful as it should be face down at the start. If you can see the design, turn it over.
Learning dressing skills requires lots of opportunities to practise. It also requires lots of patience from everyone.
There are many ways in which an Occupational Therapist can support this process. Get in touch with us if you’d like further help.
