Parents who have children with autism understand how difficult it can be to get dressed every morning. As a disorder, autism affects the neural development of an individual, and is distinguished by repeated behaviors, and limited social skills. Along with this, one of the signs of autism is experiencing difficulty with fine and gross motor skills. This includes activities such as picking up small objects, rolling over, and actions that use larger muscles, such as the arms and torso. Thus, getting dressed can be a difficult task.
But one woman set out to change that.
Lauren Thierry is a former newscaster and a mother to a 17 year old child with autism. After realizing that Liam greatly struggled with getting himself dressed in the morning, Thierry decided to create a line of clothing that provides help for children with autism by making the process of getting dressed an easier, more streamlined process. Through this, Independence Day clothing was created.
The clothing line is designed to be as simple as possible. There is no front or back to the clothing, and all tops and bottoms are reversible. Additionally, there are no “hidden helpers” involved, such as drawstrings, zippers, or buttons.
After Thierry left her newscasting job, she devoted her time to helping her son Liam and working with special needs. She hopes the clothing line will help parents and children with learning disabilities in school, enabling them to be more independent and get to school on time. In the commercial for Independent Day, Thierry promises, “make getting dressed take 3 minutes instead of 30.”
Independence Day clothing could prove to be extremely beneficial not just to individuals with autism, but will also provide help for children with learning disabilities, including those who fall on the autism spectrum (ASDs). Along with autism, Asperger Syndrome and PDD-NOS fall on the ASD spectrum.
A big part of working with special needs individuals is understanding that each child has different needs. Because of this, their education and intervention needs to be tailored to fit these needs. Independence Day clothing specifically responds to this, working with special needs and finding help for children with autism by seeking solutions that empower the individual and ultimately makes their lives easier.