For some kids, gloves can be scary.  The rubbery feel, the unfamiliar smell and taste, the strange look (where did your hands go?!), and the squishy sound they make - these are all possible triggers for a sensory overload.

I have some kids who absolutely won't allow me to go near them with gloves.  So I just have to wash my hands thoroughly before and after therapy.  And that's okay.  But in most cases, you'll probably want to wear gloves as a hygiene measure for both parties.  So what can you do to decrease an aversion to gloves?

•  Use your hand as a puppet and engage the child in a game.

•  Allow the child to become acquainted with the gloves before using them.  Let him/her pick which gloves to use.  Then let him/her feel the material in their hands before putting them on your hands.  Or, they can even wear their own set!

•  Using a pair of scissors, snip off the fingers of the glove and put on a fingerless glove.  I did this with one child of mine who developed a fear of gloves.  Once she saw how silly my hand looked with the fingertips showing through, her fear disappeared.  A lot of anxiety also comes from the unknown, so these fingerless gloves let her see that my fingers were still there, just covered up temporarily.

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*Please be cautious with the finger tips of the gloves once removed, as they are small and may pose a choking hazard.

Debbie

Debra C. Lowsky, MS, CCC-SLP

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