FOSTER parents Meta and John Auden opened their east Belfast home to many children over the years before one special little toddler melted their hearts so much that 14 years ago they adopted her.
While her mum would spoil little Kirsty with lovely clothes, trying them on often resulted in tears and tantrums and many of them remained unworn. Meta later realised that Kirsty, who has autism, had a sensitivity to certain materials and labels.
"Caring for a child with autism is a continuous learning process. Any parent lucky enough to care for a child with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) will tell you that you will need to adjust your parenting style and become aware of your child’s alternative needs and dislikes," Meta says.
"Learning to understand my daughter's sensory issues helped us communicate better. I began to piece together what she liked to do, the clothes she liked to wear and the things in her life that caused her stress and agitation. Washing labels, itchy materials and seams are just a few of the things that caused her sensory discomfort."
After meeting lots of other parents in the same position, Meta, who previously worked as a project manager with a community association for the elderly, decided to develop a range of clothing attuned to the sensory needs of those with ASD.
Spectra Sensory Clothing began as an idea last September and with invaluable assistance from Invest NI and guidance from Women in Business, Meta created five prototypes. Now, from this July, autism-friendly school shirts, trousers and T-shirts will be available to order in time for the new school year.
The company's autism friendly T-shirts, available for ages 7-18, have seams on the outside and a neckline which mean it can be worn 'right' way around or inside out – whichever feels more comfortable. This means there is no need to worry your child putting their T-shirt on 'the wrong way'.
The autism friendly school shirt, available for for 12-18-year-olds is made of 100 per cent soft cotton, with no labels and a soft collar and it can be put on over the head. It also address the problem of those fiddly buttons because the shirt has larger buttonholes and only three buttons – the others being imitation buttons.
"For post primary boys, the school trousers have elastic waists and feel much softer on the inside," adds Meta.
Spectra Sensory Clothing also stock autism friendly socks which are totally seamless, with no cuff and heel. They are currently imported from the United States, but Meta is hopeful of starting production of them in Belfast, thus reducing the cost to parents.
This week she has launched a crowdfunding campaign to enable her to further expand the range to include primary-school polo shirts and to buy bulk orders of clothing, again with a view to reducing retail cost.
And again based on her first-hand experience with her daughter, Meta is hopeful of producing some Christmas-themed clothing.
"Christmas time would cause Kirsty stress as all the other children would be wearing heavy wool jumpers with reindeers and Santa; for her the nature of these clothes would cause her so much sensory stress that she would not be able to take part and this led her to feel even more isolated from her peers."
Kirsty, now 16, is currently completing her GCSE and her mum doesn't rule out her being involved in the family business.
"I would love to be in a position to employ some people with autism in the future for packaging and distribution, as I know what they need in terms of routine, sensory and noise sensitivities," says Meta, who is currently looking for retail premises.
:: For further information visit spectrasensoryclothing.com or facebook.com/pg/spectrasensoryclothing. School uniforms will be available to order online from mid-July or can be pre-ordered by email, specifying what colour they need. Spectra Sensory Clothing will be holding a roadshow at Belfast's Kennedy Centre on Saturday July 8.
