hyper sensitive to clothing

Our 7-year old grandson is bothered by the feel of socks, underpants, pants, shirts, even his shoes.  Having done some research on the internet, it may be relevant to also note that he is highly intelligent, emotionally sensitive and a very deep thinker.  

This behavior has been mildly present for years, but has gradually escalated during the past 12 months as  his parents went through serious marital issues that have deeply shaken him.  When his parents separated, 3 months ago, his sensitivity to clothes became unbearable and has been accompanied by crying at night, complaints that he hates how everything is changing, and an obsession with worry about his behavior.  "I said something unkind and now I'm upset" or "I have bad thoughts and they upset me - why won't they go away?"

Due to the problems in their marriage, we had him most of this summer and all was well (almost no sensitivity and no emotional bursts at all at hour home or while camping).  Two days before he went home, all of the behavior I have described above suddenly appeared with a vengence and was worse than it had ever been in the past.    The concern with bad thoughts and his "inappropriate behavior" as he calls it was a new issue and immediately became an obsession - talked about frequently throughout the day, usually bringing him to tears.

From the view of his parents, teachers, and grandparents, he is very kind, thoughtful, a good student, has lots of friends and has extraordinary vocabulary and verbal skills.  He recently told me that sometimes he would put on socks and if he got busy playing, he would forget that they bothered him.

Can you provide some insight on what may be of some help here?  Thank you very much!

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Two things are apparently occurring. The turmoil in his domestic life has him emotionally troubled, and in that regard he should be evaluated by a pediatric mental health professional. He may also display Sensory Integration Disorder, thus accounting for the physical discomfort around certain items of clothing. This can be clarified by an evaluation with an Occupational Therapist.