For starters, what is an IEP? An IEP, also known as an Individualized Education Plan, is designed to provide students with the tools they need to succeed academically and socially in school. An IEP includes therapies, tools, and supports that a child may need to make them successful.
Did you know that sensory supports are a key part of an IEP? When we talk about supporting autistic and neurodivergent students in school, sensory needs are often the missing piece. Yet for many children, the ability to focus, stay calm, and participate in class depends on how regulated their body feels. That’s why sensory supports aren’t just helpful, they’re essential.
Sensory friendly clothing can be a key sensory support for students. From increasing their comfort and ability to tolerate other sensory inputs, to providing sensory tools they need to further regulate discreetly right in the garments. In this blog, we’ll explore why every IEP should consider sensory regulation supports and how adaptive clothing can play a meaningful role in a child’s success at school.
What Is Sensory Regulation and Why It Matters in Schools
What is sensory regulation? Sensory regulation is the ability to manage and respond to the sensory input we experience from the world around us, like sounds, textures, lights, and movement, in a way that helps us feel calm, focused, and comfortable.
Sensory dysregulation impacts a student’s ability to focus, their behavior (including leading to aggressive or self harming behaviors), their ability to communicate or participate in class, and inclusion opportunities.
Common triggers for sensory dysregulation in schools include:
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Loud noises (for example, in class, in the hall, and in the cafeteria)
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Bright lights (and flickering fluorescents)
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Changes in routine and schedule (without warning or time to prepare)
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Tags in clothing and itchy seams and fabric
The Case for Including Sensory Supports in IEPs
IEPs are meant to provide individualized support that helps students thrive academically AND emotionally and behaviorally. For many autistic and neurodivergent students, sensory challenges are a core part of their experience, affecting everything from focus to behavior to social interaction. Yet sensory supports are often treated as optional rather than essential.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) allows for accommodations and related services that address sensory needs, especially when they impact a student’s ability to access the curriculum or participate in school activities. Occupational therapists and teachers on a student’s IEP team commonly recommend sensory strategies like fidgets, weighted lap pads, and sensory breaks. These are great! Another tool that should be in this conversation is sensory clothing.
When a student is distracted by a painful tag digging into their neck, overwhelmed by the feeling of stiff uniforms, and unable to access regulation tools for other sensory input, that student is not able to learn or tolerate being in class. Their inability to participate in learning is a sign of their sensory needs not being met.
By proactively including sensory-friendly clothing as a support in the IEP, schools can help students stay comfortable and focused before challenges arise. It’s a simple, preventative approach that can reduce behaviors, improve engagement, and promote inclusion.
Clothing as a Sensory Tool: An Overlooked Support
Sensory friendly clothing that is free of sensory irritants is a great regulation tool. Even better, is sensory clothing that goes beyond just sensory friendly to integrate sensory tools into the designs for regulation against other sensory input.
Sensory features like built-in adjustable compression, integrated fights, hoods that help block sound, and eye masks that can pull down for a full sensory break on the go. All of these sensory tools support calm and focus anywhere a neurodivergent student goes.
Sensory clothing allows for discrete, convenient, and comfortable regulation.
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A hoodie that blocks sound ensures the child always has a way to reduce overwhelming noise because unlike noise-canceling headphones it will always be on them and won’t get broken.
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A shirt with adjustable compression means that no one will know they are getting the sensory input they need. Unlike a vest that is hard to locate when it’s needed most and draws unwanted attention.
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By having integrated hidden fidgets, a child always has what they need to focus and stay calm without them becoming a distraction for other students, having them taken away, or them getting lost like traditional fidgets.
Real-World Examples
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“Sam stays calmer during transitions with the compression this shirt has built in.”
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“Kayley uses her sound reducing hoodie with a built-in eye mask to reduce overwhelm during assemblies. It has been great to see her be able to be included with her peers!”
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“The fidget pocket on my son’s joggers have helped him focus during circle time and his teachers are thrilled.”
How to Advocate for Sensory Clothing in an IEP
Here are some steps to take if you want to get sensory clothing added to your child’s IEP as a sensory accommodation:
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Get documentation for the need. This can be from their doctor, teachers, occupational therapists, and your own documentation of behavior.
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Ensure you frame the clothing as a sensory support and not a replacement for any therapy or services.
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Request specific language to ensure there is no confusion on when and where the child can have these supports. You can also include specific instructions on how to use the clothing and where adult support may be needed. For example, they may need help with the tightening of the compression.
Here are some tips for educators and therapists for including clothing in sensory toolkits:
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Observe clothing-related triggers: If a student frequently adjusts their clothes, refuses certain outfits, or seems uncomfortable, it may be sensory-related.
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Recommend clothing as a proactive support: Just like noise-canceling headphones or wiggle seats, sensory-friendly clothing can help regulate before dysregulation begins.
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Collaborate with families: Ask caregivers what types of clothing their child prefers or avoids. Their insights are key.
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Include in sensory diet plans: For students who benefit from deep pressure or tactile input, items like compression shirts or tagless tops can be part of the daily strategy.
Conclusion
Every child deserves to feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. For many neurodivergent students, that starts with meeting their sensory needs. Including sensory regulation supports in an IEP isn’t a bonus, it’s a vital part of helping students access their education. Sensory-friendly clothing is a simple, everyday tool that can make a big difference in a child’s ability to stay calm, focused, and included. By recognizing clothing as a valid sensory support, we can create more comfortable classrooms and more confident learners.