How to Help a Special Needs Teen Dress Fashionably
If you are walking down the street and you see a person wearing mismatched, poorly fitting clothes, chances are you look away. Imagine how you would feel if you had to dress this way and suffer the same reaction. This is what a special needs child, especially a teen, will go through if he cannot judge his "look" by himself. Make life easier for the special needs teen in your life. Help her to dress fashionably.
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Instructions
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Pick out the Right Clothes For Your Special Needs Teen
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Find out what is currently fashionable among teenagers. Ask some teens in your family, at your child's school or from church. Look at the young people you see in public.
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Watch a couple of television shows that are popular in teen circles. Notice how the youth on these shows dress.
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Look at the clothing ads on television, the internet or in the Sunday newspaper to see where these styles are available and how much they cost. Bargain-hunt just as you do with your own shopping.
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Plan a shopping trip. Take along a teen sibling or friend who dresses fashionably and let them help you. Special needs teens are still teens and may object to the clothes adults pick out on principle.
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Ask the child what he likes even if his communication skills are poor. Choose several styles of shirts, pants and other clothes and let him pick the one he likes best.
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Use your ingenuity. A teen with tactile sensitivity, proprioception (inability to sense body position) or other problems may not be able to wear standard clothing. Work with the clothes they can wear. Try dying, appliqués, needlework, re-cutting a neckline or other adjustments.
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Tips & Warnings
Dealing with a child whose security depends on ritual (no circular buttons, only red on Thursday) may make proper dress more difficult, but not impossible. Plan clothing for a week in advance. Laying out the right clothes the night before will help avoid hassles.
There is no need to buy an expensive wardrobe or to go to extremes to dress fashionably. Skip the designer jeans and pink Mohawk and go for a more moderate look.
If appropriate, introduce girls to a little make-up. Start with lip gloss, and then add blush and eyebrow pencil or brush. Keep it pretty and natural, not garish.
Your teen may need as much care as a youngster, but his or her body is almost grown-up. Don't dress her or him like a child.
Even if you think you know what clothes are in style, do some research. Fashions change quickly.
