Compression clothing helps children with autism

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By Kara Houser, Staff Writer
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September 28, 2009 — Who knew one shirt could make such a difference?

Al Mark, a member of the Post Falls Second Ward in the Coeur d'Alene Stake, was talking to his sister one day about her frustrations with raising a severely autistic son, while she herself deals with the energy-draining effects of Multiple Sclerosis.

Her son struggles with hypertactility, a sensory disorder that amplifies reaction to contact with the external world, resulting in symptoms of anxiousness and fear. One of the main challenges faced by those with the condition involves the effects of most clothing - the texture of which can be severely irritating and often painful.

After the phone conversation ended, Al decided to send his nephew a "compression" shirt. Compression gear is a form of clothing designed for athletes. It is usually made from a lycra/nylon blend which is smooth and stretchy and worn tight against the skin. It is proven to help athletes perform better, recover quicker, and helps prevent injury. Mark works for American Wave International, a company that manufactures this type of clothing.

His nephew refused to take the shirt off for weeks, even to be washed. The family asked for more shirts, and began to share the idea with other mothers struggling with similar frustrations. Mark had a one-piece suit made that his nephew could wear under regular clothing, allowing him to be calm enough to sit through a two-hour wedding, something that was almost impossible before.

Al Mark's nephew in one of the compression garments helps him deal with his hypertactility - one of the common conditions experience by people who are affected by autism. Contributed photo.

"It's like a second skin," explains Mark. "On an autistic kid, it acts like a hug."

After hearing from his sister that there were a number of people interested in this idea, Mark began to do more research and send samples of clothing to be tested by various families. He has two other nephews that have autism in a less severe form, so he emerged with a number of families who were more than happy to test out the clothes.

In his research, Mark found that four out of every 10 autistic children have trouble processing sensory stimuli. He talked to a number of doctors and nurses who all said it was a great idea. He also discovered that his solution was not new. Other parents had come up with the same solution.

"Most of them were mothers sewing one or two shirts in their basement," Mark said.

Knowing the difficulty of sewing this type of cloth to be strong enough to withstand day-in and day-out wear, and still be affordable, Mark came up with a solution. He figured it would be more beneficial and profitable if he could work with American Wave to manufacture the same clothes in large quantities to keep the price low, and then build a company to market the clothes directly to the autistic community.

He bounced the idea off a friend and the company DYAD was formed. Clothing items range from regular shirts with a looser fit, to one-piece suits made to wear under regular clothing or as a swimming suit, to a vest made from a heavier neoprene which offers more compression. They have also designed a number of other non-clothing items made from the same type of material, such as pillows, socks, stretch bands, and a swing that hangs from the ceiling which they call a "cocoon." This idea came from Mark watching his nephew roll himself up tightly inside the drapes hanging from his bedroom window.

Although DYAD has not been officially launched, it is close to completion. Currently, Mark and a business partner are working on the final design for the company Web site and completing details with American Wave. They are always open to new sources of funding, as well as endorsements from members of the medical community.

The main effort now, however, is to get the word out and build a strong customer base. The more orders they can get, the lower the prices will stay. Mark says that they plan to use revenue generated by the company to build a "special needs" camp in the area, a dream that Mark and his wife Gretchen have had for many years.

"I wish people understood what these parents go through," Mark said. "This kind of camp will let them take a break."

Mark goes on to share how he and his wife were asked to start a special needs youth group in Utah Valley back in 1999, and what they learned from the experience.

"We have a lot to learn from these kids," he said. "They are not retarded. When any of us are around special needs kids, I want to help people take a step forward rather than a step back, because they end up bettering our lives more than we help them."

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