Clothes for Therapy?
December 12, 2007 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Clothes maketh a difference?—– A mother notes that specially designed garments called Theratogs have (according to a December 7th ABC7News.com report) helped her 2 1/2 year old autistic daughter, Emily, to concentrate and focus better. Beverly Cusick, a physical therapist, invented TheraTogs, which were originally designed for children with “complex neuromotor disorders.” The clothes are made of a “patented, hand-washable composite fabric consisting of nylon and spandex with a foam backing”; this particular set is for children with sensory integration/sensory processing disorder, as well as autism.
According to Cusick,
“[Theratogs] act like little muscle supports and little postural assists. The child gets to live in the changes I know I can get in therapy, but that I have never been able to make stick. You really need practice………”
“If you turn your shoulder this way and you want to raise your arm, you’ll raise your arm, you’ll just use all the wrong muscles. So kids with movement disorders do that, purpose prevails over the way they use their bodies. They’ll recruit whatever they got to get to where they’re going. So with TheraTogs, we can say, ‘okay go, but do it with a better body.’”
I’m not so sure my son would keep something like Theratogs on. He is not overly picky, or concerned, about his clothes—-unlike a friend’s son who refuses to wear anything with buttons—though I tend to avoid any clothes that might cause an itch, like a wool sweater. Charlie’s clothing preferences are more about colors (which is how he ended up going out the door with the same black Puma t-shirt and jeans that he wore yesterday—-he took them out of the dryer).
All I can say is, thank goodness for polarfleece and things that are machine washable.
There’s no way my son would let me put that thing on him. He’ll only wear cotton t-shirts, jeans (or shorts) and zip-up jackets when it’s cold. Forget about any different kind of garment. He won’t even wear a sweatshirt. One time I tried to slip a life jacket on him at the swimming pool, and he refused because all those straps freaked him out.
We’ve tried some compression vests on Nik both in private therapy and while he was in school. He responded very favorably to them and was able to stay better organized/regulated for a longer period of time. These look interesting b/c they are lighter and more breathable than what we’ve tried in the past (which made Nik very sweaty!). I just sent the link to our OT. Thanks!
Charlie wore a vest for awhile with no very apparent results—-but he has long wrapped himself up in his fleece blankets like a burrito (he goes to sleep like that). It was a great thing, I have to say, when he figured how to (as it were) give himself sensory input.
Interesting gear.
.
(Modern stretch and compression fabrics certainly offer more comfortable options than some of the leather, plaster and plastic braces in the past.)
Eleanor, being a total comfort type of girl and based on past experience, would probably blow a gasket if she had to wear something that felt squeezie or restrictive for too long, so theratogs are probably not on the Christmas List. Her choices run to comfortable polos and sweats, esp. if they have florals.
We also love polarfleece, esp. for hats–much nicer than the old scratchy stocking caps, warm when wet, and…washable
A fleece jacket with a huge hood has also been a plus for Charlie (past two years he had a fleece hat but there was a lot of anxiety when the hat was not to be found……).
Sign me up on the fleece list too, and add velour as well (best. pants. ever=my 5 year old velour pants that i can wear inside out and no one notices). The theratogs, ehhh…they look like a wetsuit.
And like everyone else they refuse to acknowledge that autistics grow up…I looked at the size chart. Their “autism” product only goes up to 110 pounds.
I think the important thing to note is that there is absolutely no evidence listed for the benefits of usage of this products for individuals with autism. Additionally, in the minimal research listed on the site, the conclusion of one study states that more research, a larger sample size, and change to an A-B-A research design are needed. The other two studies are listed without details, and the third does not specifically state that the intervention was with the specific product being sold.
The evidence in favor of these things is poor, if not non-existent altogether. The more sad thing though, is that the company selling these things is going to get parents to spend big bucks (the prices I saw appeared to be between $300-800) for these things based on anecdotal, poor, and non-existent evidence. This is just one more thing that unsuspecting parents trying to do anything to help their children will have to sort through in their searches.
I’m not saying that these things shouldn’t be researched, and that there is no chance of them being useful, but that the research should be done before selling them to the public. Otherwise, using anecdotes only anecdotes that go after the emotions makes this, whether it is a good product or not, just as bad as any scam.
I unfortunately typed out a longer response, but it didn’t go through.
In short, the research on these things is poor, inconclusive, and for many areas, non-existent. Autism is one of the areas in which no research is listed.
The sad part about this is that parents will see the emotional anecdote, and spend several hundred dollars (the prices I found were $300-$800) for these things. This is just one more thing that parents will have to sort through as they look for possible ways to help their children.
I am not saying that research to prove the effectiveness of this product should not be conducted, just the opposite actually. However, the research needs to be done before selling these to the public, who will shell out the money because the company goes for an emotional appeal, and additionally, the “expert” appeal. Whether this is a good product or not, I do not know, but these practices make the company selling it no better than any other company selling a scam to unsuspecting, desperate parents.
Research or not, parents and kids need all the clothing options they can get.
Fleece is available everywhere it seems now, fortunately, and at any price!
My daughter seems happiest in clothes that twirl. She would not wear this even though she craves deep pressure.
Linda, I’m not sure if you missed my point, or you just don’t care. The point is, parents and children do not need to fall prey to companies who are well aware of these advertising techniques. Companies know that going after peoples’ emotions, and making it appear that the product is endorsed by experts will get some people to buy it. What parents do not need is to be suckered in to spending money on a scam or a placebo, and they do not need one more thing to sort through in their efforts to find something that will help their children. First establish the proof, then let the world know what a great thing you have. Trying to do it the other way often leads to embarrassment and/or loss of credibility (and I know I can think of an example of this, as I’m sure others can as well, but I don’t think this is the time nor the place to open that can of worms).
Jen,
I take your point. We and our children are a population that is currently targeted for all kinds of products with many claims of therapeutic purpose.Thank you for pointing out the limitations of the research.
I think my son would try them simply because of the super hero look about them. It wouldn’t last more than a few minutes, though.
Every day, without exception, he wears sweat pants, an oversized long sleeve t-shirt, and a short sleeve t-shirt on top of it. His color choices are often unusual, but surprisingly coordinated in their own way. This is much preferable to last summer, when all he ever wanted to wear were Superman pajamas.
Jen, I don’t know about the research end of this particular product but I do know that our experience with other, similar, things has been that parents cannot simply order these items; they need to go through a licensed therapist or physician. Obviously, one could circumvent the (ntent of) the system very easily. I can’t say I would be interested in willy-nilly purchasing something so expensive without first trying it out to see how my son responds. I guess we are fortunate that our therapists are responsible and won’t just recommend something until we’ve tried it multiple times and actually documented the response and results. (And I tend to be skeptical of many so-called treatments.) Huh, I guess we are conducting our own clinical research here? In any case, I don’t think this is for everyone but I do know that Nik responds exceedingly well to the deep pressure. That may have more to do with his concurrent cerebral palsy as much as the autism.