To dress a child who doesn’t have ASD in M+S easy dress/autism clothes?

[NotASDJustLovelyAndClumsy]

As title says really.

DD is 7, and is dyslexic, has DCD, hypermobility and eczema.

She struggles with buttons, she hasn’t got the dexterity in her fingers to do them. She also doesn’t like labels or seems as they irritate her skin and cause it to break out in eczema. So for school where she gets less help with dressing she wears the M+S Easy Dress/Autism trousers or skirt and polo shirts (the ones with Velcro), then an oversized logoed school jumper.

To her she looks just like her friends with a few adjustments that no-one else can see. My DD loves it, the quality is brilliant and I’ve never had any trouble getting hold of it as I order it online although a few times I’ve had to wait for the size I’ve needed as they don’t have it in stock (but I always buy awhile before I need the next size so never an issue)

My friend whose son has ASD says I’m making a mockery of the clothing, it’s not for DD as she doesn’t have ASD and I should leave the clothes for those who need it. She says M+S should ask for proof of diagnosis before selling the items.

AIBU to use it? And if I am where can I get similar uniform that she can wear that isn’t specifically aimed at those with ASD?

Yanbu
Your DD benefits from it and has her issues with clothing,
Your friend needs to shut up and stop spouting such rubbish.

Your friend isn't in charge. Buy what you want.

Well the less people who buy it, the quicker the prices jump up or they stop doing the range.

Yanbu to use it, supply and demand, if lots of people buy it, they will make more and most likely widen the range on offer.

Your friend is ridiculous.
Also sounds like your DD really feels the benefit of those clothes so it’s absolutely worth it for her. Not that you should have to justify it anyway.

Also the more people that buy the clothes, the more of this type of clothing will be available. Thus increasing accessibility of clothing in general??
Your friend is horrible.

Your friend sounds quite confrontational!

YANBU if it is making her life easier then buy it.

M&S will be delighted that other children with clothing issues (which are not limited to those with ASD!) are wearing their clothes!!! They'll actively encourage it.

It also benefits the children wearing them, that it becomes more common place (less unusual) to wear these easy to put on clothes. They may extend the ranges if they sell well.

But your daughter shares conditions with many autistic people. Not all autistic people struggle with clothes or dexterity and not all non autistic people have no issues.
Your friend is being very rigid in her thinking.

Yanbu at all. My 8 year-old ds uses them, and used the vests with the poppers from m and s when he was aged 4 and wearing nappies. My ds doesn't have asd either. He has learning difficulties and hypermobility.

My son has ASD. Your friend is a twit.

The more demand, the more supply so it benefits her in the long run.

The reason it’s designed for children with autism is because of the sensory processing differences, as well as motor skill needs. These needs aren’t exclusive to autism, carry on buying them. I wish they’d had them when my ds was little (and bigger too!)

Wtf? How weird 😳

Your friend is being a sick. The easy dressing range isn't specifically for children with autism, it mentions hip dysplasia and tube feeding among other things on the website. The clothes are aimed at any child who will benefit from using them.

Of course YABU - your friend is being weird. Your DD has valid reasons for this clothing being useful to her. It's not like there's a fininte amount of this clothing and your DD wearing it will stop it being available to a child with ASD - if M&S see that demand is increasing they'll increase the supply.

I'd say the same thing about autism friendly cinema screenings - they're for anyone with aditional needs who would benefit from them. So a child with an intense fear of the dark, someone with tourrettes, someone with a visual impairment which means it's easier to see when the lights are on, etc. Again, these people wouldn't be taking the space away from an autistic child as if there's demand for it, the cinema would put on more screenings like this.

I say all this as an autistic adult.

Your friend is nuts. The clothing is not specifically labelled for children with autism; it is 'adaptive' or 'easy dressing' and is intended for any child who needs it. My son wears orthotics and their zip-up trainers are an absolute godsend. Please continue to buy the range and show M&S that there is a market for it.

It’s for children who need clothes which make it easier to dress: hypermobility can make the fiddly movements difficult (my thumbs bend back to about a 45 degree angle under any pressure) and dyslexia requires support with organisation. Therefore surely your DD should be able to access clothes which help her get dressed more easily?

Dick, not sick.

Sorry, that should say YANBU!

If it were given away for free, your friend would have a point. But what you’re doing is creating a bigger market for it, helping to encourage them to make more! Honestly it sounds like she’s one of these “autism mums” where her identity is more important than her child’s…

Your friend is a total weirdo,

I’d distance myself generally tbh, she sounds like a loon.

Your friend is being ridiculous!
DS has a skin condition and when younger (even now tbh) he needed clothing that wasn't irritating/rigid.
Agree with all others about demand for the clothing/normalising etc

As far as I can see in my very brief look at the clothing they don’t say they are made exclusively for people with autism. If your dd struggles with dressing, which could become an issue/ be embarrassing at school, it seems really sensible to buy these for her. It makes everyone’s life (including the teacher) a bit easier.

OP. Your "friend" sounds like a twat.

Her kid isn't the only one with a disability - these clothes sound perfect for your daughter. To be honest I'm sure we'd all like clothes that are more comfortable to wear and easier to put on!

Tell her to fuck off.

The more you buy, the larger a production run M&S will order - which benefits all of us As for the stock issue, they seem to re-stock on most items in October of each year, which isn't ideal for those of us needing school uniform for September - but I've learnt to buy ahead for a couple of sizes