Any OTs about? Help needed with autistic 4 yr old - dressing.

[Allthenumbers]

Hello, hoping for some advice.

My daughter has just turned 4, on the pathway for an ASD diagnosis. I’m working with her to teach her to get dressed and undressed. Her motor skills are delayed and her attention can be hard to get so she won’t often look at what she’s doing! She’s verbal but her speech is delayed and she struggles with a conversation.

Anyway she’s doing brilliantly at pants and trousers on and off and putting tops on.

We’re struggling with:

• getting tops off
• putting coat on

I have to teach everything very explicitly and I think she’ll benefit from learning one way that she won’t later have to deviate from. My friend’s boy learned to put his coat on my putting it on the floor and putting arms in and lifting it over his head. I don’t want to do this as it would then be impossible to get her to ever try a different age appropriate method.

For tops I saw an OT video where she used the dominant hand to hold the opposite sleeve and pull the arm through. Then lift the top over the head and out of the other arm. But she finds pulling her arm through really hard and I don’t think this will work for all tops.

Please could you help show me the method that kids find easiest to do? If there are any videos out there that would be amazing. Thanks!

Not an OT, but does her coat have a hood at all? My son (also has asd) learned by putting the hood on his head then slipping his arms in. Then zip/button. In all honestly, he still struggles with some stuff like this and on a bad day or a hurry I end up helping him!

@marshmallowkittycat

Not an OT, but does her coat have a hood at all? My son (also has asd) learned by putting the hood on his head then slipping his arms in. Then zip/button. In all honestly, he still struggles with some stuff like this and on a bad day or a hurry I end up helping him!

yes, my dd always did this. She is now 13 and when in a hurry still sticks her hood on and the slides arms in.

Is on eof the problems that he tops are stretchy/tighter? Does she need to have looser tops to take them off herself?

I know a lot of girls tops are slimmer. I often had to help with getting them off.
Boys tops tend to be looser, so boys long sleeved Ts may be easier to wear.

same issues here.

the coat we solved the same way as Marshmallow, hood on first, them arms in.

getting top off was a bit more of a problem, in the end i bought him tops that were a size bigger, then taught him to get one arm out by putting a hand up inside his top and pushing the top armpit out to free the elbow while pulling the arm in, then bringing it over his head and off.

He is 14 and still sometimes needs my help with that one if he gets in a tangle.

We also solved the coat by using the hood.

I have found that tops that are a little too big are much much easier to deal with. DS has some minor motor issues but he can put it over his head and then put the arms in.
usually back to front but I'm taking the win

Can she pull tops off by pulling from behind her neck, head out first then arms.

Great thanks all. I’ll try the hood on first for the coat.

With the tops she has long sleeved boys loose ones but still struggles. I need to get her some looser short sleeved ones though. I think @MrsHusky method is definitely worth a shot! That’s similar to what we’ve been trying but might be easier with arm under her top rather than on top.

Thanks!