Another ASD kid in our lives, possibly

[HarperRose]

A friend of my dad's is filing for custody of his niece's 10 yr old granddaughter tomorrow. His niece (S) had custody of the girl (J) because J's mother had been sexually abusing her. S died in her sleep this week. J has been staying w/ my dad's friend.

J has an ASD (dad's friend says borderline autistic, but who knows what that means). She is 10 yrs old, the same as my oldest who has Asperger's.

I really hope this little girl can become a permanent part of our lives. She would do SO WELL w/ my dad's friend. He LOVES this little girl as if she were his own and he has the kind of temperament to do his very best for her.

Tomorrow, my mom & I are going to the funeral home and then we may be going to the mall to pick her out some new clothes. (She doesn't have much and no dress clothes.)

I want to help J. I want to help my dad's friend understand her. I want to know what's comfortable for her to wear. I want to help my dad's friend follow her cues on what she's ok with. I want him to know that if she needs to wear yoga pants everyday for the rest of her life, then that's ok. Who needs dresses, anyway?

[Linda on the move]

For dressy clothes, my DD with PDD-NOW likes skirts with soft elastic waist bands and polyester tunic tops. She also likes some sandles.

I'd plan on her needing to try a lot of things on. If she isn't going with you, you might buy extra in case a lot of it needs to go back.

[HarperRose]

I'm hoping he'll let me go with them for her clothes shopping.

[Linda on the move]

My DD can find the mall overwhelming. I'd stay on the lookout for signs of sensory overload. Depending on what stores you've got close to you, a freestanding store may be better than a mall. My DD doesn't do escalators, and about an hour of clothes shopping is all she can take. It isn't exactly fun for her, so we end by getting a cookie or a startbucks or something so it ends on a positive note.

GOOD LUCK!