Remember What your Teachers Told you:

Want to know how you can get one of these?

Soft is looking for people to be a part of our market research, email us at info@softclothing.net for more information. Please use the subject heading: "clothing tester"

Another Hang Tag Idea

Autism Literature: Part I

By Katelyn McTague, Soft Blog Contributor

There's been an increasing amount of literature about autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and related disabilities published in recent years, due to the increasing diagnoses of a range of developmental disabilities. This is great because it gets stories out there and helps people understand a lot more about what it is like to have and live with these disabilities. However, it has also led to authors just stamping the word autism or Asperger's onto a book to sell copies.

During my time at college I looked at a number of these recent works along with some older works. One book that I read and loved is Not Even Wrong by Paul Collins. In his memoir, Collins discusses both his son's autism, and the ancient history of autism, starting back in the seventeenth century. He tracks Autism through various appearances during the past three hundred years and connects the disorder to common problems and everyday understandable sights. Collins presents autism, which can be unfathomable at times, in such a way that makes it relatable. He gives the reader a sense that Autism is a greater part of our everyday world than it seems to be at first, even when you live with it in your own house.

Collins beings his discussion with the story of Peter the Wild Boy. Peter lived in the 1700s and was found when he was roughly twelve, living in the wild in present day Germany. He was naked, ran on all fours, could not speak, and wasn't mindful of others by any account. In November of 1725 Peter was introduced to the former, "elector of Hanover – a pale little nobleman whom none of his subjects could make any sense of either" (Collins 15). The elector of Hanover had received another official position ten years before, and had become King George I of England. The following year Peter was taken to London and brought to see the court at St. James' Palace. Despite multiple efforts to socialize and civilize Peter, he remained much as he had been when he was found in the forests of Germany. Collins explains that with, "enough prompting, Peter could be made to repeat letters, his name and some monosyllabic words. Curiously, he did not use this language the way one might expect-that is, to express his needs or wants. Words had to be pried out of him, and he ignored further attempts to continue into actual conversation. He was a genuinely friendly and imitative boy with remarkably good hearing; he simply did not want to talk" (Collins 29).

Collins goes on to trace autism through the next 300 years, giving examples of communities for people with disabilities in the 19^th century, describing the discoveries of Dr. Kanner and Dr. Asperger, the negative involvement of Bruno Bettleheim, and even how prison inmates are working to train dogs to help children with Autism. Collins intertwines the history with his own narrative about his Autistic son Morgan, and family's path. This book was educational and informative, and at the same time, written with a sensitivity that is appreciated when you have a loved one with a disability.

Soft Social Network

Check out our new video, and www.softsensoryworld.com

Soft Welcomes New Contributor: Katelyn McTague

We are very pleased to announce that we have a new contributor to our blog! Katelyn comes from a very interesting and relevant background, and we look forward to her regular blog posts. Here is a little more about Katelyn:

Hi my name is Katelyn McTague and I'm really excited to be a part of this blog and to be involved with Soft. I live in NYC and recently graduated from college. I have an autistic brother who is seventeen years old. The concerns of children with special needs have always been important to me and my family. I have seen how awareness has increased since my brother was born in 1990, and the progress that has been made in the field. I spent time at college researching autism through literature, and I am glad to be able to stay informed and involved and continue my research. I'm eager to be able to help others stay informed and enthusiastic as well!

Wondering how you can help?

Are you a parent or an individual with sensory sensitivity? Fill out a survey, or sign up to be one of our product testers. Help us continue to develop our product to meet your needs.

Are you an educator, support group leader, do you run an organization? Would you like to tell more people about Soft? Contact us for a full media kit with brochures, postcards, fabric swatches and more!

Are you a blogger, journalist, or product reviewer, researcher? Would you like to interview us, review our products, or talk to some of our future customers and supporters? Would you like us to write an article on Sensory Processing Disorder, Autism, or other related topics for your publication? Get in touch! Or check out our media kit.

Are you a non-profit organization? Do you fund Autism awareness, research, and more? Are you an organization which supports families of children with disabilities? Does your organization fund programs which support inclusive education? Get in touch to learn more about partnering with Soft and receiving a portion of our profits.

Are you a retailer who might be interested in carrying our unique and chic line in your store? We will be taking pre-orders in Spring 2009. Please contact us for more information and line sheets

Soft Tote for Obama

Soft will donate our profits from this stylish tote to the Obama campaign! Support the only candidate with an actual plan for Americans with Autism. Click here to purchase one!

Making a Soft T-shirt

BARACK OBAMA: SUPPORTING AMERICANS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

I read Obama's entire plan for Americans with Autism. I think everyone should. It's the only one that has been presented. I think that is important to know. Just saying the word "Autism" as much as you can is not enough. With no plan, no promise, nothing will happen. No matter whose child has special needs.

For the full plan, click here.

Halloween Costumes for Special Needs Children

From Examiner.com:

October 17, 8:51 AM

by Angele Sionna, Early Childhood Parenting Examiner

Some special needs children can benefit from extra special costumes this Halloween.

Enter Fun and Function, a Philadelphia-based company specializing in toys and other items for young children with special needs. Among their special products - Magical Apparel costumes for Halloween or any day.

They’re specially designed for children three to eight with interior pockets into which hidden weights can be inserted to give an added therapeutic benefit for children with sensory processing disorder, autism and other physical and behavioral challenges.

Aviva Weiss is a pediatric occupational therapist and founder of Fun and Function. I talked to her about the idea behind these special costumes.

Examiner: Why did you invent these costumes?

Aviva: I began designing weighted vests several years ago when I learned that my daughter was experiencing sensory processing difficulties, a condition marked by hypersensitivity to certain sensory stimuli and by motor coordination challenges.

Weighted vests have been shown to help children with SPDs autism and other special needs by providing a secure, soothing hug. When I was unable to find one at any price that neither intimidated my daughter nor projected the stigma of special needs, I decided to try my hand at designing some myself. The first vests were stylish but more basic in appearance. Our Magical Apparel™ line is more of an attempt at combining the therapeutic function of a weighted vest with the equally important benefits of motor skill development, dressing skills and imaginative play, while keeping the message to children simple: Use these costumes to play together and have fun.

Examiner: How do they work exactly?

Aviva: The vests include three rescue worker (fireman, policeman, EMT) designs and one fantasy (fairy princess) design, with two separate options (ballerina, ball gown) for skirts that can be attached to the princess vest. Each versatile outfit is constructed of a heavy?duty cotton/poly blend with elastic panels for one?size?fits?all convenience. Incorporated laces, snaps, buttons, zippers and hook-and?loop closures help children develop their fine motor skills. For children who need extra sensory input, the vests feature special pockets into which optional weights can be safely inserted to provide a soothing "hug."

Examiner: How do they help?

Aviva: The weights in vests provide deep pressure which allows the child to self-calm, relax and regulate so that other sensory stimuli can be processed and responded to appropriately.

Examiner: Why are they important?

Aviva: We refer to the Magical Apparel line as a 3-in-1 benefit for children. They provide a fun, creative opportunity to practice dressing. They inspire children to engage in pretend play and exercise their social skills and creativity. And they provide a soothing touch of weighted apparel for children with sensory difficulties and other physical or behavioral challenges.

Examiner: How many kids across the US could benefit from these extra special costumes?

Aviva: All children age 3 to 8 can benefit from these costumes, because without the weights they're like many other costumes that help them develop important skills like dressing, fastening and imagining.

In removing the stigma of special needs they help both the special needs child and his/her classmates or playmates avoid the distraction of the typical sight, sound and feel of therapeutic products, allowing them to focus on having fun together and promoting an environment of acceptance and confidence.

As for the specific benefit to special needs children, Safe Kids USA estimates that nine million, or 13%, of U.S. children under 18 years have a special health care need. In addition, research by the SPD Foundation indicates that 1 in every 20 children experiences symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder that are significant enough to affect their ability to participate fully in everyday life.

Additionally, 1 in every 150 children are diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and the vast majority of autistic children experience sensory processing disorder. Wearing a weighted vest such as those in our Magical Apparel line can provide a therapeutic solution for many of these children, especially those facing developmental challenges such as sensory processing disorder, autism and other behavioral and physical issues.

Source: Examiner.com

Hang Tag

Soft Blog Welcomes New Contributor: Melander Taylor!

Below is a note from our new contributor, Melander Taylor. We are so happy to have you aboard the Soft team!



















Hello All!

My name is Melander Taylor and I have been a special education teacher for about 9 years. I have taught students with a variety of special needs from Asperger’s to Nonverbal Learning Disability to Down Syndrome. I have also taught students with every sensory disorder under the sun. I want to help spread the word about this site. My son, who is 4.5, has terrible sensory sensitivity which relates to food. He also loves different textures of clothing and objects, in particular, soft clothing (lol). How wonderful it was when I saw this opportunity to become involved with Jessica and Soft®. I am currently a doctoral candidate within the field of educational technology and a grad student pursuing my Masters of Library Information Studies, I addition to being a mother, wife and teacher full time. When this opportunity presented itself, I jumped at the opportunity to fuse my passions of special education and technology. I am quite thrilled to be on board and look forward to interfacing with you all!

S.I. Focus Magazine

I just (finally) did something I have been wanting to do for a year now. I subscribed to S.I. Focus Magazine. I have read their sample articles on their site, followed Kathleen's blog, and realized I want to be able to keep an archive of all of the valuable research, insight and resources that they share. Learn more about S.I Focus Magazine and subscribe here.

October is National Sensory Awareness Month

In honor of National Sensory Awareness month, the Soft Blog will be posting resources all month related to Sensory Processing Disorder. Please send tips to info@softclothing.net if you would like to see your article, book, blog, website featured in our series.

I am so pleased that Sensory awareness now has a month!

Sensory World: The Soft Social Network

There is a lot going on these days on the Soft Social Network: "Sensory World." We now have 65 active members, and the forums and blogs are full of stories, ideas, concerns, and resources having to do with all issues related to Sensory Disorders: Autism, Aspergers, SPD, and more. Check it out here.

GFCF Halloween Cookies

From the wonderful Kimmy Krocker:

Soft Seamless Socks

Logo-A-Go-Go part two:

Where the magic happens: The New Soft Office

Logo-A-Go-Go

Haloween Costumes for Children with Special Needs

It's that time of year again! Shouldn't we all be excited? Well, for parents of children with Special Needs, Haloween can be challenging for many reasons--change in routine at school, making sure your kids understand safety issues with trick-or-treating, and of course, finding costumes that are appropriate, fun, and that don't drive your sensory sensitive children nuts. Soft is working on an idea for haloween costumes for kids with sensory sensitivity (for Halloween 2009), and we would love your feedback. What kids of costumes do you wish your kids could wear? Any specific characters (Disney, TV/Cartoon, Celebrity), which materials work and which do not?

email us at info@softclothing.net

Thanks!

Seamless Socks

Interesting article from ADD Consults. We are working hard to develop and create our sock line for children with sensory sensitivity. Articles like this inspire and motivate us:

Some kids ultra-sensitive to socks, shirt seams, tags

How about that? I just found this interesting article, again...on sensory issues.

Early intervention can help with sensory overload

In some homes, a child's sock is simply that: A child's sock.

But in homes like Kelly Chirdo's, it is not.

The little ball of cloth is an instigator of tears, a symbol of lost time and sometimes the cause of a missed school bus or activity.

Kelly's 10-year-old daughter, Macy, simply cannot bear most socks. Or tags in the back of her shirts. Or seams in her clothes.

The socks must be seamless (or turned inside out) and the tags must be cut out, or the clothing won't get worn. Period.

"At first I thought, oh, she is a diva," says Chirdo of Irondequoit, recalling how Macy's early, insistent arrival caused an unplanned home birth. "Then I realized that this wasn't attitude, these things really bother her."

As it turns out, these things — and sometimes many more — bother an awful lot of kids.

"We got talking about this one day and found four people on our staff have the same problem," says Lisa Revell, an Irondequoit office manager whose 12-year-old son, Joe was, as a preschooler, "a horrible nightmare" when it came to sock seams and height, tags, winter boots and most other aspects of dressing.

And it isn't just clothing issues. Some kids have all senses on high alert: Pillows must always feel cool. Foods can't have lumps or other textures. Noises can't be borne, or else they must be heard loudly. Collar points or sleeves grow ragged from chewing or sucking. Hugs can be unbearable or must be given to the point of breathlessness.

On top of it all, the behaviors can be there one day, gone the next, roaring back a day later.

The good news is that the problem has gained enough notice to earn several names and various treatments.

The not-so-good news is that between pricey evaluations, arguing clinicians and conflicting diagnoses, finding the right help requires time and patience from parents run ragged by searching for seamless socks, tagless shirts and linens that magically stay chilled all night long.

Of all the labels for these behaviors — sensory defensiveness, sensory integration, sensory integration dysfunction, tactile sensitivity, tactile sensory defensiveness — only one fails to generate much in an Internet search.

This is because "pervasive hypersensitivity disorder" (PHD) is the creation of Brighton psychologist Matthew Rosen, who believes the problem needs its own name in order to separate it from disorders it resembles but does not mirror.

"These are kids who act kind of like the princess and the pea. They feel things strongly, are very passionate, critical deep thinkers," Rosen explains. "But they often are misdiagnosed. Like attention deficit disorder kids, they are squirmy, they are inattentive, they can be impulsive, they can be distracted. And like oppositional defiant disorder kids, they're gonna be cranky and oppositional."

Some differences, for example, are that a child with PHD may be squirmy simply because of discomfort, inattentive from intense pondering how to fix his situation, or oppositional from plain old feeling bad.

Rosen believes that some children with PHD can have that and nothing else, and with time and understanding can grow out of it, as Macy Chirdo appears to be doing. "It's stayed mostly to clothes," says her mother. "She has a few outfits she'll wear. No belts, nothing at the waist. She's still very perceptive and sensitive and intense. That's it, and that's who she is."

More often, experts find, PHD is a red flag alerting parents and pediatricians to other disorders.

By first grade, Joseph Moore of Webster was exhibiting many behaviors that Rosen lists for PHD, from chewing and sucking on the collars of his shirts and "turtling" (pulling his shirt over his kneecaps and putting his head into the neckhole) to rejecting most shoes and clothes, disrobing wherever possible.

"Oh my Lord, it was a struggle just to do the basics," says his mother, Susan Macaluso, who was also struggling with well-meaning observers who none-too-subtly hinted that poor discipline was to blame.

After trying two medications, talking to Rosen and discovering bipolar disorder in the family history, Macaluso learned that Joseph did not have ADD or ADHD, but a mix of bipolar and PHD. A third medication plus regular therapy caused "remarkable" change, she says. Joseph still prefers loose clothing, "but he's otherwise just a regular kid."

Revell, too, found her son's grade-school hypersensitivity was just a piece of a larger puzzle initially thought to be OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, but was actually ADHD. Talk therapy, medications and time have gotten rid of most of the problem.

"We learned to pick our battles and let the rest go," she says. "He's a super-sensitive kid. So, OK."

The road to learning exactly what's wrong and how to fix it is long even for parents familiar with childhood disabilities.

Even though Karen Boltwood works for Board of Cooperative Educational Services as a para-educator for autistic children, she's struggled for 11 years to understand her son Benjamin's tantrums, unsoothable anxiety and acute fear responses when confronted with clothing tags, shoes, foods, swingsets and other elements of childhood.

"At this point, it's better, it's mostly down to social issues," says Boltwood, of Webster. "But we're at the point where it's like, 'We don't care what you call it, we just want to fix it.'"

Pediatricians and therapists say this requires understanding some basics.

For one, says Rosen, "Bad parenting does not cause this. This is how some kids are wired."

Ruth Goldberg, also a Brighton therapist, agrees: "These kids aren't here to make your life miserable. They're genuinely unhappy. Their behavior is communication with you — you can learn from it."

Another basic: Because this is easily mistaken for other disorders, a full evaluation is necessary. Start with your pediatrician, Goldberg advises, and ask around for a good occupational therapist. "They're the real experts in this."

Then prepare to take notes. There are several kinds of sensory issues a child can have, says Angela Sallerson, an occupational therapist for 36 years who focuses on pediatric patients, "and there's no blood test, no way to pick it apart easily."

The key, she says, is acting quickly on unusual behaviors and getting the right diagnosis.

"Early intervention is it with kids. Labels and letters can be frightening, but they're not the death sentence they used to feel like. You need a behavioral plan for the child and the parent. And if you treat it, it does get better."

Original article at http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060816/LIVING/608160337/1032

Soft Seamless Socks

Soft® is in the process of developing our seamless sock collection for children with sensory sensitivity and tactile defensiveness (often a symptom of Autism, ADHD, Aspergers, and Sensory Processing Disorder). About 97% of those surveyed in our clothing survey highlighted socks as the most difficult part of dressing their sensory sensitive children. Please help us tailor our sock collection to meet your individual needs by answering the following questions (takes 2-5 minutes), and forwarding this survey to your networks.

Click Here to take survey

Thank you!

Love,

Soft