THOMAS COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — For Selah Turner, the problem wasn't always easy to explain.
"It was just the little things that, like, bothered me the most. And sometimes when I put the itchy clothes on, I wouldn't say anything," Selah said.
Her mom, Tia Turner, remembers a time when she could only see the reaction — not what was causing it.
"We'd have certain mornings starting from, I think, like the age of four, where she would have kind of meltdowns just getting ready for school because of the things that I put on her. And it was hard for me to understand," Tia said.
Those reactions were connected to sensory sensitivities — when everyday sensations can feel overwhelming.
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Dr. Miracle Douglas, a Pediatric Physical Therapist at Miracles and Moree Therapy in South Georgia, says about one-third of the pediatric patients she sees have sensory-related concerns.
"A lot of times with our children, they have a hyper-responsive system. The brain kind of internalizes different signals differently. So what you and I would perceive as a normal touch, to them it could seem like a threat or something painful or something itchy," Douglas said.
For Tia, understanding her daughter's sensitivities meant finding clothes that worked for her. After spending hours and hundreds of dollars searching for options, she decided to create Shore and Seam, a clothing line with sensory-friendly features like flat seams and no tags.
"When I was thinking about what it was that I wanted these children to feel, what it was with safe, you know, I didn't want to look at my daughter anymore and see her squirming or see her look really downcast. So I thought, okay, most of these kiddos who struggle with any sort of sensory sensitivities, they don't feel safe in their own skin," Tia said.
What began as a challenge in her own home is now something Tia hopes can make getting dressed easier for other families, too.
If your child has strong reactions to clothing or other everyday sensations, Douglas recommends reaching out to your pediatrician.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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