sensory? something else?

amother

Tue, Jan 17 2012, 2:07 pm

my 3.5 year old is constantly putting things in his mouth. chews on his tzitzis, toys in mouth, chews on his sleeves, etc. he does not bite, and was never a biter. used a pacifier until he was about 2. does not thumb suck, but we now see him with fingers in his mouth sometimes.

no feeding issues, no other issues that stand out to me as sensory (though it's entirely possible I'm missing something!)

what could be the cause of this? what other things should I be thinking about? what can we do about it?

gryp

Tue, Jan 17 2012, 3:03 pm

Sounds sensory. Chewing gum or a plastic spoon can be good replacements for the strings, tzitzis, sleeves, and toys. Or you can get him a chewy toy, if you'd like.

Chewing is very organizing for the brain. People concentrate better when they chew. Or it can be proprioceptive, meaning he's trying to feel his jaw working. Or he's seeking more sensory stimulation in his mouth.

Does he like food based on the way it looks rather than the way it tastes? Does he hate different foods on the same plate touching each other? Does he like to spin forever or does he get dizzy very fast? Does he like jumping or standing on his head?

amother

Tue, Jan 17 2012, 3:09 pm

gryp wrote:

thanks for the reply. so basically the way to "deal" with it is to give him appropriate things to chew on? I don't really want him walking around chewing on a spoon all day, and I think he's young for gum but maybe we can try the spoon thing at home and see if it helps.

he does not prefer food based on looks, and doesn't mind foods touching each other. he doesn't spin or get dizzy quickly, but I have noticed that he complains when we're on the highway above 50mph (I guess the one benefit of nyc traffic is that it doesn't happen often!)

checking out the blog in your sig Smile

gryp

Tue, Jan 17 2012, 7:56 pm

If there are more sensory things going on, OT can be helpful. But if it's just chewing, I'd give him a replacement to chew on until he outgrows it.

How is he with transitions? How about sensitivity to hot or cold weather? Does he avoid touching different textures? Does he have the ability to sniff and smell bsamim/ lemon juice/ coffee/ vinegar/ spices?

amother

Tue, Jan 17 2012, 8:04 pm

gryp wrote:

he's not overly sensitive to weather, and textures don't bother him (ie clothes, playing in sandbox, with eating, etc). yes, he can smell different things

gottago

Tue, Jan 17 2012, 8:15 pm

I am one of those people who think Sensory integration is the answer to almost every problem. But in your case, I would think about anxiety and such. Does he chew more or more aggressively when he is worried, or in anew situation?

Vegieburger

Tue, Jan 17 2012, 8:21 pm

My five year old is a big chewer (getting better though). I bought him a chew necklace and chew cuffs on an autism website. The necklace was gross, it would get full of spit and he'd fling it around, but the cuffs were great, especially for a shirt chewer. I could have just bought wrist sweatbands at a sporting goods store though, that's basically what they were. His teachers appreciated it, no more soggy shirtsleeves.

amother

Tue, Jan 17 2012, 8:29 pm

gottago wrote:

we noticed that the chewing started around yomim tovim time, and has gotten progressively worse. he is not happy in his current preschool (he started there this year), and his teachers do not seem to be open to hearing anything from the parents, so that may be it. unfortunately we don't have a different option for him right now Sad

amother

Wed, Jan 18 2012, 10:19 am

gryp wrote:

How about some anxiety coping tips and seeing if he gets less anxious?

There has to be something that can be worked out for him. Have you spoken to the principal?

we'll definitely try on both fronts.
unfortunately, the principal is really not helpful, we are very unhappy with out school choice but don't have a better option at this point. he will not be going back next year.

thank you so much for all the responses, I really appreciate your input!!!