Tearing Paper Books

[Guest guest]

,

I have a 7-1/2 year old daughter who has gone through horrible periods of time

with this. Last school year from Feb through June I did not think we were going

to make it through it. Any and everything with paper would be torn both at

school, home and public. I was sick as Ahna destroyed several of my photo

albums with her adoption photo's from China. It was like she had no control of

the tearing. We would divert her away from it but until the tearing was done

she just could not get it out of her system as with pouring liquids out of cups?

We resorted from the pysch's suggesttion as to making this a reward. We created

a ripping bin and she could earn it. It did not seem right, kind of like giving

an alchoholic a drink but it has worked 80% of the time. While on task and or

before the task she was given the choice of earning a reward (i.e. a ripping bin

with colors or paper that were her favorite, pouring cups of water at the sink,

etc) She would sit at the ripping bin for say 5 minutes and be allowed to shread

paper and then be removed. Minutes would be shortened and or she would loose

her interest in it.

She is still ripping but not near what she was doing. With Ahna she seems to

gain a new behaviour and loose and old one.

Good Luck.

Deborah