Stories From Main Street: Former TV News Anchor Develops Clothing Line For Autistic Children
Editor's Note: This article was updated on April 19, 2015.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Lauren Thierry decided she had to do something to help her autistic son, Liam, 17, dress himself.
For people with autism, buttons, snaps, zippers and laces can be problematic.
"You'd find a terrific rugby shirt, one of those great preppy shirts that all the kids wear," Thierry told WCBS 880's Sean Adams. "And Liam 50 percent of the time would pull it on over his head, and he'd have the collar in his mouth.
Former TV News Anchor Develops Clothing Line For Autistic Children
"Something that you and I take for granted -- just getting dressed -- is an obstacle course for Liam," added Thierry, who took a break from her career as TV news anchor with CNN to care for Liam.
"I was actually in the documentary business at the time," Thierry told CBS2's Andrea Grymes. "And I had just completed a documentary where I had been in the homes of eight autism families, and I saw my son's challenges reflected in every single home I was in. So I said: 'This is not just me. This is not just my kid.' In fact, there are 4.3 million people out there with autism, and there are 21.3 million people over the age of 3 who need help getting dressed every day."
Thierry teamed up with a designer and developed a special clothing line. Independence Day Clothing can be worn inside and out, backward and frontward.
"It fits," Thierry said. "There's no way you can screw it up because the neck line is designed just so that no matter how you put it on, front or back, it still looks like it fits perfectly. It's really, really soft. A lot of these people have sensory issues."
Since many autistic children are prone to wander, there's also a built-in safety feature -- a hidden GPS compartment in the hem of the pants.
Thierry said the clothes have made a huge difference in her son's life.
"I wake him up in the morning by saying: 'Good morning, Liam. It's time to get dressed.' He gets up, gets dressed, comes down to breakfast all by himself now," she said.
