Guest guest Posted January 2, 2002 Report Share Posted January 2, 2002 > But > just the last couple of days he has been trying to eat inedible > things.... Especially the cardboard videotape cases. Is this part > of the search for a gluten high? He is still refusing to eat any > foods that aren't a part of his regular diet(oatmeal, nutrigrain > bars, crackers). Any thoughts? My son ate everything, including inedible objects, for the first three months after he went gfcf, I believe looking for his gluten high. It was not a fun period, but it was worth it because now he no longer qualifies as autistic! Dana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2003 Report Share Posted June 1, 2003 Sam's Pica went after about 25 rounds of chelation and now only appears briefly with bacterial flare up. I think the Pica is where he got his high Lead levels, that and chewing plastic. He still like to mouth objects sometimes, but after he taps them instead of chewing them > Pica is quite common among folks on the spectrum. IMO it probably has to > do with the mercury interfering with mineral transport and thus the > individual's body being unable to properly use nutrients. I wonder if folks whose kids > had pica have seen it decrease with chelation. One kid with whom I worked > had pica and when we tried gfcf diet he would seek out inedible things which > most likely had gluten, i.e. labels on toys, etc. which had gluten-based > adhesive...trying to maintain that gluten high. He also ate things like slugs :-P > S > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 > Does anyone have a child who might possibly have pica? My son has a tendency to eat very strange things. He will pull his diaper apart so that he can eat the inside of the diaper, he tries to eat my hair, he sticks his head in the fish bowl to drink the water and went through a huge phase of eating his own feces, although we hopefully have that one under control. > > The only information I have found on the internet about pica is that it can be caused by an iron defficiency or by epilepsy. I don't know if either one is true. Also by metal toxicity. I especially associate it with LEAD. You may want to get the book " Turning Lead into Gold " /files/Books_about_autism Very compelling story, involving twin boys with autism, including intense PICA (eating walls, for example). Should make interesting reading. Dana tells me that pica is sometimes or often a mineral deficiency/imbalance. Which can also be caused by heavy metal poisoning. So, you could try minerals as the more shallow immediate way to address it, and then use heavy metal detox as the long term deeper way to address it. > The only thing I think we can do is deal with it behaviorally, try meds for epilepsy, or give him iron supplements, or try all three. > > Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. I have been through the archives and cannot find anything. Please read about how to search the archive, here: /files/HOW_TO_groups Pica has been discussed several times, you probably just need to go back farther. best, Moria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 We are in the same situation....my daughter chews on rocks, eats soil, sand, bark, ice. She chewed on plastic and wooden toys as an infant and toddler, but doesn't care for anything she finds in the house anymore. She drinks water out of bath tubs, sinks, fountains, water puddles in the backyard, etc. She also eats feces on and off. We tried behavior therapy, sensory intergration, intense oral brushing, supplements (also tried Pfeiffer, it only got worse), etc. Only improvement I saw so far - she used to eat ice day and night, until we gave her several doses of ambrotose and primal defence....one day she suddenly stopped asking for ice, but is focusing on digging dirt around fence posts in our backyard and eating it instead. I am praying chelation will help with all these. -Indu. --- In , " moriamerri " <moriam@e...> wrote: > --- In , B <lberr17319@y...> wrote: > > Does anyone have a child who might possibly have pica? My son has a > tendency to eat very strange things. He will pull his diaper apart so > that he can eat the inside of the diaper, he tries to eat my hair, he > sticks his head in the fish bowl to drink the water and went through a > huge phase of eating his own feces, although we hopefully have that > one under control. > > > > The only information I have found on the internet about pica is that > it can be caused by an iron defficiency or by epilepsy. I don't know > if either one is true. > > Also by metal toxicity. I especially associate it with LEAD. > You may want to get the book " Turning Lead into Gold " > Autism- Mercury/files/Books_about_autism > Very compelling story, involving twin boys with autism, > including intense PICA (eating walls, for example). > Should make interesting reading. > > Dana tells me that pica is sometimes or often a mineral > deficiency/imbalance. Which can also be caused by heavy > metal poisoning. > > So, you could try minerals as the more shallow immediate > way to address it, and then use heavy metal detox as the > long term deeper way to address it. > > > > The only thing I think we can do is deal with it behaviorally, try > meds for epilepsy, or give him iron supplements, or try all three. > > > > Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. I have been > through the archives and cannot find anything. > > Please read about how to search the archive, here: > Autism- Mercury/files/HOW_TO_groups > Pica has been discussed several times, you probably just > need to go back farther. > > best, > Moria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 I hope the fence posts are not of wood treated with arsenic for weather-proofing. It's toxic and seeps into the soil. S We are in the same situation....my daughter is focusing on digging dirt around fence posts in our backyard and <BR> eating it instead. I am praying chelation will help with all these.<BR> <BR> -Indu.<BR> =======================================================<BR> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 , I really don't know.....we have white vinyl fencing. Also, we have a swingset (made with arsenic free lumber) and right where she swings, the grass got ripped-off by her shoes and so we have a small patch with no grass. She even digs in that spot. We watch her every minute and don't let her eat this dirt, but if we blink she eats a mouthfull. The biggest pain is rocks, we just can't stop her. She brings rocks in the house too, collects a variety of rocks all over the neighborhood. We try to stay off from chemicals as much as we can, but every other house in the neighborhood uses ChemLawn company for their lawncare and so you have image how many chemicals they have on their rocks. She cannot live without her rocks even for a minute, her school is getting frustrated too. She cries every minute she can't hold onto a rock. This rock eating started with Pfeiffer's compounding and never went away. It's been over an year now. Do you know if there is a way to get these rocks and soil tested? Thank you, -Indu. > > We are in the same situation....my daughter is > focusing on digging dirt around fence posts in our backyard and <BR> > eating it instead. I am praying chelation will help with all these.<BR> > <BR> > -Indu.<BR> > =======================================================<BR> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 For my son it was both a sensory need and mineral thing. Extra zinc, and perhaps magnesium, might help. Zinc helps quell my sons chewing. He would eat his clothes, furniture, tops, paper, whatever. Also, treating his head pain helped greatly. For us this was with a medicine and Peptizyde enzymes. With those the headbanging and chewing dropped considerably. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 > Does anyone have a child who might possibly have pica? For some kids, adding zinc will remove the pica. For one of my sons, he was very oral if he ate a food and/or supplement he did not tolerate, or if he had a yeast issue. http://www.danasview.net/yeast.htm Dana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 My 5 year old son eats these things too, I haven't found anything that will stop him but I have found if I put a bowl of Grape Nuts outside with him, he won't eat dirt, the grape nuts are a very crunchy consistency, seems similar to dirt, but it works for the most part. Barbara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 You might check with a University Extension about soil testing and make sure they understand what you want it tested for. S Do you know if there is a way to get these rocks and soil tested?<BR> Thank you,<BR> -Indu.<BR> =======================================================<BR> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 Hey everyone, Has anyone had success with behavioral interventions addressing Pica? I am currently working with a 2.5 year old girl who is constantly mouthing and ingesting inedible objects. She needs to be under constant supervision. We have been trying to give her appropriate substitutes for mouthing, i.e., a chewy tube, vibration to face and mouth, etc, on a consistent basis but there has been no decrease in the behavior. Rest assured, I have ruled out the possiblility of the behavior having other functions through functional assessment. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Tommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 , I've read several good JABA articles on PICA. Perhaps that might generate some solid ideas for a behavior plan? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 my son, now 9 yrs old, has had pica since beginning of his diag at 2.9 yrs. tried everything (suggested by other well informed parents) to no avail. to this day, he will lick the lotion i put on him (so, i dont do much lotion). just about everything goes into the mouth. some have noticed improvement with addtl zinc. my son's zinc levels are fine and even when i do up the zinc, doesnt help. i have been searching for answers on this one for years! after all these years, i have come to the conclusion that in my particular case, i believe the problem is the metals. currently chelating but just began last yr. im in this for the long haul. good luck to you though. wish i could be of more help. perhaps your child will respond better than mine (tough nut!). vicki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 > > I have a 3 yr old just starting out on biomedical tx. Started Vit C > while waiting for others to get in. Within last 2 weeks, he has been > licking baby powder. I put baby cornstarch on him to prevent moisture > since it's summer and his brothers as well. I put it on him and he > licks remainder off of the floor or on his hand. I read somewhere > this is a vitamin/min deficiency. Any suggestions? For some kids, this means zinc deficiency. For my #3, it meant he was eating a food or supplement not tolerated, or a yeast overgrowth problem. Since this is recent, and he is eating the cornstarch, try removing the cornstarch and see if that helps. It also might be the vitamin C, especially because most commercial vitamin C is made from corn. Dana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 My son ate cardboard, markers, books, his shirts, and paper at that age. He was not GFCF or on enzymes, he also ate mounds of gluten. He got gluten and other things he can't tolerate from those substances. He also had severe yeast which is still part of the chewing thing. I gave him something with cinnamon in it today and he has eaten everything in the house, so it still will happen from something he doesn't tolerate as well. If you get him off opiates and if he has yeast, get that under control, hopefully you will see some improvement. My son chews ice now that I make with filtered water when he needs to chew something, so that at least can't give him more of something he shouldn't have. Is there something safe you can get your son to chew on? Amy > > My son has been on enzymes for about a month now...started with zyme- > prime and then added peptizyde about a week and a half ago. He has > been a real crab the last few days! I assume that the majority of it > is withdrawal. He has never been gfcf since he refuses to eat. But > just the last couple of days he has been trying to eat inedible > things.... Especially the cardboard videotape cases. Is this part > of the search for a gluten high? He is still refusing to eat any > foods that aren't a part of his regular diet(oatmeal, nutrigrain > bars, crackers). Any thoughts? > > Just for background info, my son is 33 months old, developmentally > delayed, non-verbal, has several repetitive behaviors(mostly hand- > flapping and spinning), and self-limits his diet to the items > mentioned above. > > Any comments? TIA! > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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