Question about chewing/sensory issues

[Guest guest]

Hi. My daughter is 6, diagnosed with ASD, among a few other (non-related) disorders. She has a sensory-input issue, and as a result tends to chew on her fingers and toes to excess. We normally deal with her OCD tendencies with redirection, or taking whatever the object is out of sight if we cannot redirect. Obviously, this is difficult(or in the second case, impossible) with the chewing habit. This week, she was tantruming, and dropped something fairly heavy on her big toe. It developed a blood blister, which normally isn't that big of a deal.. But then she proceeded to chew on the nail whenever I turned around(If you tell her to stop, she will say "Oh! Sorry! Sorry!", a trained response when you tell her to stop, but she doesn't learn to not do whatever it is she got talked to about). The nail came off, and there is a rather hard callous-like skin for the nail bed. It doesn't seem to bother her, but I am worried she will continue to chew, and the nail will grow back badly. She won't let me bandage it. I spent the entire afternoon chasing her around, trying to teach her to keep the wrap on her toe, and she spent the entire afternoon running away, and shoving the gauze behind my dresser... Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with this situation? I am usually fairly inventive when it comes to ways to deal with her odd quirks, but this one has me flabbergasted. Any advice on the chewing period would be great, she has given her hands and feet bad callouses, and I can't figure out how to keep her from chewing. But now that the nail has come off due to these chain reaction events.. It's becoming very problematic, and definitely more urgent that I find SOME way to divert her attention elsewhere. I am sure as soon as I find some diversion, she will find another habit that will be equally flustering, but her hands and feet just cant take this... Thanks-Nina

[Guest guest]

It might not help with the chewing, but maybe get her off her fingers and toes to give her something else to chew on that has a texture to it. Elijah's was a silk blankie. The kids at school have a lot of things... like a ball with tentacles ... Charlie loved the bean bag (just had to check it for holes every time I got a hold of it) From: Nina Houston <ninahouston@...>Subject: Question about chewing/sensory issuesAutism and Aspergers Treatment Date: Sunday, July 11, 2010, 9:14 AM

Hi. My daughter is 6, diagnosed with ASD, among a few other (non-related) disorders. She has a sensory-input issue, and as a result tends to chew on her fingers and toes to excess. We normally deal with her OCD tendencies with redirection, or taking whatever the object is out of sight if we cannot redirect. Obviously, this is difficult(or in the second case, impossible) with the chewing habit. This week, she was tantruming, and dropped something fairly heavy on her big toe. It developed a blood blister, which normally isn't that big of a deal.. But then she proceeded to chew on the nail whenever I turned around(If you tell her to stop, she will say "Oh! Sorry! Sorry!", a trained response when you tell her to stop, but she doesn't learn to not do whatever it is she got talked to about). The nail came off, and there is a rather hard callous-like skin for the nail bed. It doesn't seem to bother her, but I am worried she will continue to chew, and

the nail will grow back badly. She won't let me bandage it. I spent the entire afternoon chasing her around, trying to teach her to keep the wrap on her toe, and she spent the entire afternoon running away, and shoving the gauze behind my dresser... Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with this situation? I am usually fairly inventive when it comes to ways to deal with her odd quirks, but this one has me flabbergasted. Any advice on the chewing period would be great, she has given her hands and feet bad callouses, and I can't figure out how to keep her from chewing. But now that the nail has come off due to these chain reaction events.. It's becoming very problematic, and definitely more urgent that I find SOME way to divert her attention elsewhere. I am sure as soon as I find some diversion, she will find another habit that will be equally flustering, but her hands and feet just cant take this... Thanks-Nina

[Guest guest]

How do you think she would do with Gum? I've chewed gum for years and years to

help with my chewing needs. One HALF piece is perfect, one piece is too big.

It's the chewing, not the flavor, so plain gum works. Bubble gum is too chewy,

Trident Plain is perfect. With a young child (especially with developmental

delays and sensory issues) questions include: will she eat the gum; spit it out

as soon as flavor gone; dislike due to specific flavor; then, there is disposal

issue, etc. etc. Does she have a history of ear infections or allergies?

Chewing changes the pressures within the Eustation tubes, it also focuses

attention onto something besides ears. If she is sensory seeker (sounds like it,

at least with chewing), the sound of chewing is another stimulus. As for

chewing her toenails, think of the bend and stretch involved in lower back and

legs... that may also be part of the draw. ... or I may be totally off base.

For someone for whom this behavior/sensation is " normal " , there are no

words/language to talk about it. Because she is so young, this is normal

behavior and pleasant sensory imput for her; what a loving child to try to

comply with a " crazy " (from her perspective) request from you.

Over the years, I learned that any time my child tantrums, I have to step back

and look at what happened before and before and before, etc. It usually starts

with him being asked/demanded of by someone in his world (worse when in brick

and mortar) to do something he is unable to do the way the person wants it

done... for lots of reasons which he cannot verbalize to the person, or to

himself. The tantrum is a natural end-result of " too much " being asked. I look

at behavior as communication and have used this approach to dramatically reduce

numbers of tantrums or overload freezes. Now that I am older with physical pain,

I am cranky and want to tantrum when asked to do things that I cannot do that

someone else can do easily. The reason I do not tantrum is that I KNOW that it

will cause more physical pain to me, plus there is the emotional clean-up to the

poor guy who is in the way of my tantrum. Six year old people don't usually have

that perspective re tantrum, it just is a natural spill-over of " too much " being

asked.

Re the icky toe: would she be OK in warm bath or foot in warm lightly salted

water several times a day (if needed)?

Priscilla in Kansas

>

> Hi. My daughter is 6, diagnosed with ASD, among a few other (non-related)

disorders. She has a sensory-input issue, and as a result tends to chew on her

fingers and toes to excess. We normally deal with her OCD tendencies with

redirection, or taking whatever the object is out of sight if we cannot

redirect. Obviously, this is difficult(or in the second case, impossible) with

the chewing habit. This week, she was tantruming, and dropped something fairly

heavy on her big toe. It developed a blood blister, which normally isn't that

big of a deal.. But then she proceeded to chew on the nail whenever I turned

around(If you tell her to stop, she will say " Oh! Sorry! Sorry! " , a trained

response when you tell her to stop, but she doesn't learn to not do whatever it

is she got talked to about). The nail came off, and there is a rather hard

callous-like skin for the nail bed. It doesn't seem to bother her, but I am

worried she will continue to chew, and the nail will grow back badly. She won't

let me bandage it. I spent the entire afternoon chasing her around, trying to

teach her to keep the wrap on her toe, and she spent the entire afternoon

running away, and shoving the gauze behind my dresser... Does anyone have any

suggestions on how to deal with this situation? I am usually fairly inventive

when it comes to ways to deal with her odd quirks, but this one has me

flabbergasted. Any advice on the chewing period would be great, she has given

her hands and feet bad callouses, and I can't figure out how to keep her from

chewing. But now that the nail has come off due to these chain reaction events..

It's becoming very problematic, and definitely more urgent that I find SOME way

to divert her attention elsewhere. I am sure as soon as I find some diversion,

she will find another habit that will be equally flustering, but her hands and

feet just cant take this...

> Thanks

> -Nina

>