If you don’t know, most of our staff is some form of neurodivergent. Between all of us we are every different type, from ADHD to OCD, to Autism spectrum disorder. For whatever reason we are all attracted to Sewing and we find that our youth students here who also are neurospicy also love sewing and fashion.
It’s a conversation we have a lot at the sewing studio and one we actually discussed in a previous podcast so I just wanted to take the time to talk about some of the reasons we have found sewing to be excellent for neurodivergent kids.
Please note! I, Samantha, am writing this blog which means that this article will skew more towards AuDHD as that is my life experience. Maybe in the future I’ll be able to convince the other team members to write on how sewing has helped them.
Fine Motor Skills
This is one that we see more and more common today, not just with neurodivergent kids, some adults struggle with this too!
Fine motor skills are important to helping us perform daily tasks, developing the muscles and control in our hands and wrists means we will be able to button out shirts, cut up veggies for dinner, put in contacts, and drive a car.
But this is something we have to practice and keep practiced in. Not only does it help us perform these daily tasks but it also helps keep our brain elastic, as well as feel confident and capable of taking care of ourselves.
Sewing requires you to pin fabric, maneuver and manipulate material, operate a sewing machine, thread a needle, and cut things with scissors! It is basically a big crash course in improving fine motor skills.
Anecdotally we have seen it time and time again too. Kids who come and sew with us improve their dexterity and fine motor skills drastically. It definitely makes us proud that we are able to impact how kids navigate the world.
Long Term Goal Setting
As someone with ADHD myself, I know how hard it can be to stick to a task that no longer is giving me the beginning project dopamine. But just like with most skills, you can train your brain to be resilient through these impulses.
Patience is something that can be practiced, the more we work on retraining our brains to persevere and regulate our emotions through, the better we will be at it in the future.
Kids nowadays are growing up with a lot more instant gratification than we have ever faced as a society, deliberately training our brains to understand long term goals and how they pay off is more important now than ever before.
Socialization
Yeah, I’m on the spectrum too, and sewing is my special interest. I was horrible at socializing, but being in a space where I can talk about my interests in a safe and productive way improved my social skills.
We find this is true for a lot of our autistic students. Birds of a feather flock together, and it is pretty common to have a classroom full of kids who all like the same things. Lots of our students will stay for a long time just because they have made such great friends at our sewing studio.
I am a prime example that social skills can be greatly improved upon when given the right opportunity to practice and learn them.
Self Expression
Autistic girls are especially attracted to fashion. When we have to try so hard to mask and present to the public, our first line of defense is our outfit!
Being able to craft an outfit to express specific interests can be a really soothing process, and make kids more confident to go out in the world. It is also an excellent conversation starter!
In terms of ADHD, dopamine dressing is a trend for a reason. Sometimes I can be underwhelmed when going out for the day, finding the motivation to do something when my brain says no is brutal! But an easy way for me to ignite my brain is to put together a funky outfit that makes me feel cool and confident.
Sewing Classes
Now, sewing may not be for everyone, but we have certainly noticed a trend here.
If you have tried every other sport or activity in Vancouver with your kid and it seems like nothing is sticking, or you’re looking for something that is a bit more accessible to your kids needs, I would definitely personally suggest giving sewing a try.
Our instructors are very accommodating and we are always doing our best to teach the individual instead of molding a kid to our curriculum. Our classes are self paced and thoughtfully guided to work to everyone’s strengths.
You can visit us in person at our Kitsilano studio or learn more about us and our classes on this page! Our afterschool program is taking registrations now for the Fall term but it isn’t too late to join our summer workshops or camps!
