Hair washing

louise_pettitt

Hi, I have an autistic 11 year old daughter. We have always had issues with hair washing but recently it is becoming impossible to wash her hair properly. She says it hurts when rubbing in the shampoo, we have let her do it herself as she made so much fuss when we did it (we were extremely gentle but she screamed how much it hurt), but she says it hurts when she washes her own hair. Any suggestions on how to move forward with hair washing as it always ends in a meltdown. Or anyone else experience this with their own child? 

Cress

I don't think this will be much help but the only thing that worked with my son was to try and make the whole bathing experience as calm and pleasant as possible.

Try seeing if there is a particular smell of shampoo that she likes...put very small amounts on her hair with no rubbing at all literally just gently stroke some shampoo onto her hair and use as little water as possible to rinse...basically just try to do whatever might make it less stressful for her without worrying about whether or not her hair is as clean or as rinsed as you'd like.

Hopefully some others will be able to give more advice based on their experience....

Tori_Scope

This isn't something I have personal experience of @louise_pettitt, but I hope Cress' comment has given you some ideas.

I also found this Q&A from the Autism Parenting Magazine, which you may find helpful? 

poppy123456

HI,

Some people with Autism experience sensory issues, some more than others, while some may not experience any at all. Having experienced a few sensory issues with my daughter your daughter sounds like she has sensory issues with touch because she's over sensitive. See link. https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/sensory-differences/sensory-differences/all-audiences

I have no experience with this myself because my daughter doesn't suffer with this sensory issue. I can only advise that you let her wash her own hair because it maybe less painful if she does it herself.

Glyphiate

Maybe play her favorite music or let her choose a special toy to hold while you wash her hair. You could also try washing her hair in the bath instead of the shower, as it might feel less overwhelming.

Doris_Scope

Hi @louise_pettitt

As @poppy123456 said, often children with autism can have difficulties with their senses.  It can be extremely difficult if your daughter is hypersensitive to touch. This can often result in pain when touch of any kind happens. Sometimes light touch can cause pain but heavy pressure doesn’t. Also is it the touch or something else that is going on which is overwhelming her and causing her to feel more pain? Such as the smell of the shampoo or the temperature of the water.

Has she seen an occupational therapist at all for a sensory processing assessment? If not, you could speak to your GP to find out how to have her referred.

It might be useful to keep a diary when doing any kind of personal hygiene activity. You could then try to establish what is happening for your daughter.

Here are some hair washing sensory tips you could try. As you try different things, remember to keep the journal to find any triggers.

I hope that this helps.

WhatThe

Hi Louise and Glyphiate 😀 welcome to the Scope forum!

I'm with Glyphiate on this one. Soaking hair in the bath (if you have one) will ensure the scalp is completely wet and ready to take shampoo. It can be uncomfortable when the scalp is still dry - hair gets tugged a bit. Rinsing in the bath is easy again and very relaxing. Final rinse/conditioner using clean water and patting her face dry in between soaks may help.

We don't know your daughter's hair type but who doesn't feel better with clean hair? Perhaps buy her a special hair wrap towel or a new comb/brush as an incentive. A mirror so she can see everything around her also might help.

Albus_Scope

Hey folks, just wanted to say this discussion is from 2021 and the user has not been active since then I'm afraid. But hopefully the information will be useful to someone else with the same issues. 😊

WhatThe

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