T shirts offer a way to build self esteem in kids with special needs.
Our society has a T shirt for everything: every camp, every school and organization, every event . . . even for family reunions. How can parents can caregivers of kids with special needs use T shirts to build vocabulary can encourage talking?
A Sense of Belonging
Too often, kids with special needs feel out of the loop. They may not be invited to as many birthday parties; they probably are not involved in as many teams or other activities. The things they are involved in offer them a sense of belonging to a group. The group may even be the school they attend. A T shirt that announces that connection can boost the self esteem of a child with special needs.
A Sense of Accomplishment
Often T shirts represent something that has been accomplished. The child attended at camp or completed an event such as a run or a walk. The accomplishment might even be becoming a big brother or big sister. Whatever the accomplishment, the world will understand that child’s success.
A Conversation Piece
T shirts with their pictures and saying invite conversation. This can help the child who may be reluctant to carry on social conversations. Not only will the other person be likely to start the conversation, the child with special needs will have natural responses to the topic. For some it may be repeating the wording on the T shirt. For others, it may be a lengthy explanation of just what he or she did.
Some T shirts are simply a solid color. For children with more severe language impairments, asking for a particular T shirt to wear is a great way to encourage talking. For some kids this may be requesting a color: I want to wear the green shirt.
Motivation to Try New Things
Some people say that we never stop working for stickers. It could also be said of our society that we never stop participating if we can just get a T shirt. Will the child try a day camp (with a cool T shirt) as enticement? Is attending school a little easier on test day if it is also school spirit day and everyone will be wearing their school T shirt?
As parents head into the stores to buy back-to-school clothes they may discover a valuable part of the wardrobe is already waiting at home. The trusty T shirt collection offers more than just another shirt choice. It offers a positive way to start the school year.
