11-Year-Old Designs Hoodie To Assist Those Who Have Autism With Self-Soothing

Because he had been bullied, 11-year-old Malachi Rucker decided to do something about it.

The south suburban Chicago boy designed a hoodie for individuals who have autism and a sensory processing disorder. The hoodie is made to self-soothe without others noticing.

“Some of our sensory adaptations are, as you can see the fleece lining inside our hoodies. We have strings inside our hoodies that you can play with, ” Malachi reported.

The brand has now been trademarked, and a patent for the hoodie is coming soon.

When Malachi was 3, he was diagnosed with autism. Because various environments, fabrics, and textures result in emotional responses, the middle school student was bullied.

That was until last year when he came up with a brilliant idea. To assist others from being bullied, Malachi created Divergent Clothing line and the hoodie.

“The older I got, the more I resented being made fun of for carrying around my fidgets and only wearing sweatpants because kids didn’t know what SPD was and why I had certain behaviors. I wanted to create a way to feel good in my clothes and be able to soothe myself in public without people knowing, ” he stated.

SPD is seen in children as it is a neurological disorder that has an affect on how the brain processes information from the senses.

Thus, Rucker wanted to turn his disorder from something that was embarrassing to helping inform others.

Customers can design tagless, Pima cotton hoodies with chenille or logo patch choices, discreet fleece strings, and textured printed designs. Each hoodie also has a “support your sensory seeker,” choice that non-sensory-seeking parents, siblings, or friends can buy to match the attire.

The clothing can be bought at DivergentClothingCo.com.

Credit:https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-11-year-old-creates-hoodie-help-autism-patients-self-soothe.amp