What to do when your teenager with SPD hates showering
An aversion to bathing is a pretty common thing in teenagers. It's basically a rite of passage for any parent to have difficulty getting their teenage kiddo to shower. However, for adolescents with disabilities, sensory processing disorder (SPD), or Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), scuffles about bathing can be a bit more difficult and a more complex problem to solve.
Here are some tips about how help out your teenager with sensory processing disorder who hates showering.
Get to the root of the showering aversion problem first
In a lot of these kinds of situations, the problem isn't always what it appears to be. For example, the kiddo might not just have a stubborn aversion to bathing, but maybe instead, a difficulty with processing the sensory requirements of bathing. Try to help your kiddo isolate the aversion to the sensory input that causes them to ultimately not want to shower.
Were you always the primary incentive behind your child bathing? Were you the one who had always given them a bath before they were old enough to bathe themselves? Sometimes it can be easier for parents of kiddos with SPD to do the work for them, instead of allowing their children to learn to take care of themselves. If so, you might have to teach your teen to bathe themselves.
If it's hard to identify the sensory issue, try and do some A/B testing. Do they not like the temperature of the water? Raise/lower it accordingly. Is the sound of the running shower unpleasing to their ears? Try and play soothing music as they shower. Do they fear the size of the shower chamber? Try having them take a bath instead. Is the feeling of a bar of soap strange to them? Try a loofah or any other type of applicator for the soap.
Fixing the issues around showering
- Teach your kid how to bathe themselves.
- Start showing them how to do it with a doll in the sink. Show them which parts of their bodies need soap and why, teach them how to rinse well, and demonstrate how to wash hair.
- If they still don't want to bathe, search for cleanliness alternatives until they're comfortable
- There are a lot of alternatives for kiddos who don't want to bathe themselves. For example, there are a few products like No Rinse Bathing Wipes, No Rinse Body Wash, or even a sponge bath can help.
- If they like the bath better, stick with the bath for now.
- Really, there's no harm in letting your kiddo take a bath instead of a shower, especially if they like it better. As long as they're clean, it doesn't really matter for the time being. Addressing the issue of their adversity to showering can be a slow process and letting them take baths might be a simpler way to ease your teen into showering.
- Introduce them to the shower slowly.
- Uncertainty regarding the shower may be a factor in why they are not wanting to bathe. Getting them acquainted to the ins and outs of the shower in a slow way may be able to help them
- Use incentives
- Sometimes, one of the best ways to get a kiddo to do something is by incentivizing them with small quantities of their favorite treat. For example, "I'll give you licorice if you take a shower." As things progress, it might also be a good idea to take your kiddo to the store and have them choose soaps and showering accessories that they like, so that they have the incentive to use them while showering.
- Make a song out of it!
- Heeeaaad, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes"¦ Giving kids a fun way to remember what to wash can be a fun way to ease them into showering.
Coming clean
If your kiddo still hates showering after you've tried just about everything, try talking to an Occupational Therapist. It gets to be increasingly more important for a kiddo to bathe, especially as they transition into teenagerhood and adulthood, so finding some outside help can be a great idea and resource.
