Haircuts, Nail Cutting, Teeth Brushing and Bath Time
In our view, care routines are the daily jobs of looking after a body. Some children fight haircuts, nail cutting, brushing teeth or baths. Small studies taught autistic children and teens to accept haircuts and brush their teeth. We could read only the summaries of these studies. The steps on this page are our own practice, not a tested method.
TL;DR
- Some children fight haircuts, nail cutting, toothbrushing or baths. This page gives ideas, and says what the studies we hold cover.
- Our rule is to describe patterns on these pages. We do not put a name on a child. In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics said other conditions "must be considered" when sensory signs are present. In our view, tell your child's doctor what you are seeing.
- Small studies taught autistic children and teens to accept haircuts and brush their teeth. The haircut and toothbrushing studies taught step by step, not with sensory methods. The two haircut studies also used rewards. We could read only the summaries of these studies.
- We hold no study of teaching care routines to children without a developmental diagnosis. That is a gap in what we hold, not a finding either way.
- Our suggestion: break each routine into small steps, and praise each one. These steps are our own practice, not a tested method. If a routine seems to hurt, ask your child's doctor or dentist.
In our view, care routines are the daily jobs of looking after a body. Care routines include haircuts, nails, teeth and baths.
”Care routinesWhat parents may see
Some children fight haircuts, nail cutting, toothbrushing or baths. A child may pull away, cry or refuse to sit. If worry or mood is the thing, talk to someone who works with children's mental health.
This page gives ideas, and says what the studies we hold cover.
Our rule is to describe patterns on these pages. We do not put a name on a child.
In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics said other conditions "must be considered" when sensory signs are present. In our view, tell your child's doctor what you are seeing.
Why we do not guess the reason
In our view, no page can tell you why your child fights a routine.
In our view, watching which step goes wrong helps more than a guess. Is it the sound of the clippers? The water on the face? Sitting still? Write it down, with the date.
If a routine seems to hurt, ask your child's doctor or dentist.
How to make any care routine easier
This part is our suggestion.
Break it into small steps. A haircut can start with just sitting in the chair.
Practice one step when nobody is rushed. Not right before school or bed.
Praise each step. You can add a small reward for each step.
Show what comes next. Use a picture list of the steps, so the end is in sight.
Let your child see and hold the tool first. Clippers, nail clippers or a toothbrush.
Keep tries short. Let them grow a little at a time.
Warn before it starts. Then count down out loud to the end.
Give a choice. Which towel, which song, which chair.
These steps are our own practice, not a tested method.
Ideas for each routine
Haircuts
Visit the barber once just to watch. Let your child hold the clippers while they are off. Turn them on across the room first. Start with a short trim, not a full cut.
These steps are our own practice, not a tested method.
Nail cutting
Let your child hold the nail clippers first. Cut one nail, then stop and praise. Next time, try two. Count each nail out loud.
These steps are our own practice, not a tested method.
Teeth brushing
Let your child brush first, then you finish. Use a short song as a timer. A picture list can show each part of the mouth.
In our view, ask the dentist how they help children who find visits hard.
These steps are our own practice, not a tested method.
Bath time
Let your child test the water with a hand first. Warn before hair washing, and count down to the rinse. Let your child hold a cloth over their eyes. Keep a towel they chose close by.
These steps are our own practice, not a tested method.
What the research we hold says, and where it stops
Nothing in the studies on this page tested a Learning Success program.
We hold care-routine teaching studies only in people with autism or developmental disabilities.
Haircuts
One study taught two autistic teenagers to accept a haircut (Buckley and colleagues, 2020). In Buckley's study, the teens met the clippers in small steps, each one rewarded. In Buckley's study, both teens came to sit through a full haircut. Six months later, both teens in Buckley's study still sat through haircuts. We could read only the summary of Buckley's study.
Another study worked with one autistic boy (Schumacher and Rapp, 2011). In Schumacher's study, the boy got a snack he liked and breaks for sitting. In Schumacher's study, the boy was asked to sit a little longer each time. In Schumacher's study, the boy came to sit while his mother cut his hair. Two months later, the boy in Schumacher's study still sat for haircuts. We could read only the summary of Schumacher's study.
Teeth and the dentist
One study taught eight autistic children to brush their own teeth (Esposito and colleagues, 2024). In Esposito's study, staff and parents used prompts, pictures and video. In Esposito's study, the children got better at brushing alone, and stayed better. We could read only the summary of Esposito's study.
A review looks at many studies at once. One review looked at specific sensory techniques, mostly in autistic children (Bodison and Parham, 2018). In autistic children, Bodison's review rated the evidence for a sense-friendly dental office "moderate". Bodison's dental finding was about changing the office, not the child. We could read only the summary of Bodison's review.
Care routines more widely
One review looked at 52 studies of teaching hygiene and health care routines (Jennings and colleagues, 2022). The people in Jennings's review had intellectual and developmental disabilities. The studies in Jennings's review taught step by step, with rewards. Most of the studies in Jennings's review had good results. We could read only the summary of Jennings's review.
How far this goes
The haircut and toothbrushing studies had one to eight children each. The haircut and toothbrushing studies taught step by step, not with sensory methods. The two haircut studies also used rewards. The single studies on this page cover haircuts and toothbrushing, not nails or baths. All the steps on this page are our own practice, not a tested method.
We hold no study of teaching care routines to children without a developmental diagnosis. That is a gap in what we hold, not a finding either way.
In our view, no step suits every child.
When to ask for help
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Schoolwork well below what school expects.
- A teacher who raises a concern about learning.
- Extreme upset about schoolwork.
- Complete avoidance of school or learning.
- Hopelessness about learning.
- Sadness or worry that lasts.
- Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.
In the classroom
Some children find handwashing at school hard. Describe what you see. Do not name a cause.
In our view, a picture list by the sink is worth a try.
For an email home, keep to what you saw. "At handwashing, he pulls his hands back from the water. I thought you would want to know." Two sentences like these are enough.
Key Takeaways
Our rule is to describe patterns on these pages. We do not put a name on a child. In our view, tell your child's doctor what you are seeing.
The haircut and toothbrushing studies we hold were of autistic children and teenagers. The haircut and toothbrushing studies taught step by step, not with sensory methods.
Break each routine into small steps, and praise each one. These steps are our own practice, not a tested method.
If a routine seems to hurt, ask your child's doctor or dentist.
Pick one care routine this week. Write down the step where it goes wrong. This is a record, not a test.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
An overview of processing skills. Our work on each runs alongside reading, spelling or math instruction, not in place of it.
Common questions from parents
Why does my child scream at haircuts?
In our view, no page can tell you why your child screams at haircuts. Our rule is to describe patterns on these pages. We do not put a name on a child. In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics said other conditions "must be considered" when sensory signs are present. In our view, tell your child's doctor what you are seeing. In our view, short tries in small steps are a good place to start. These steps are our own practice, not a tested method. If worry or mood is the thing, talk to someone who works with children's mental health.
How do I cut my child's nails when they fight it?
In our view, start with one nail, then stop. Let your child hold the nail clippers first. Count each nail out loud, and praise each one. The single studies on this page cover haircuts and toothbrushing, not nail cutting. These steps are our own practice, not a tested method. If a routine seems to hurt, ask your child's doctor or dentist.
How can I make toothbrushing easier?
One study taught eight autistic children to brush their own teeth (Esposito and colleagues, 2024). In Esposito's study, the children got better at brushing alone, and stayed better. We could read only the summary of Esposito's study. In our view, let your child brush first, then you finish. These steps are our own practice, not a tested method. If a routine seems to hurt, ask your child's doctor or dentist.
Do studies of haircuts and toothbrushing apply to every child?
We hold care-routine teaching studies only in people with autism or developmental disabilities. We hold no study of teaching care routines to children without a developmental diagnosis. That is a gap in what we hold, not a finding either way. In our view, the steps on this page are worth a try. In our view, no step suits every child. Start with one small step. Go slowly, and keep what helps. Watch which step goes wrong. These steps are our own practice, not a tested method.