I Need Help!!! - Midland,TX

My son has ADHD among other issues, and he does things like chew his shirt collar, make sounds like sucking a lollipop, pick his nose and then put his fingers in his mouth, wipe his hands on his shirt instead of a napkin, poke holes in his shirt with a pencil, etc.
In kindergarten, he would get in trouble for spitting and they made him spit into a trash can for 5 minutes. Now in 2nd grade, he has again gotten in trouble for "spitting" (this time sticking out his tongue and making a pbfht sound). The new school's answer is to send him to the office for days at a time, writing long apology letters for spreading germs. I don't think anything helps except him just moving on to a new behavior after a few days.
The school does provide him with a springy plastic necklace to chew on, and sometimes they can get him to substitute that for the other undesirable behaviors. I've seen the necklaces in OT catalogues.

Do you even know what ODD is? It's not just "not listening". Please don't diagnose your child with a serious psychological disorder. Kids go through these stages of not listening, putting fingers in their mouth etc. Remember they don't know the logic of "if you do that you will get sick"--it doesn't make sense to them. Keep a good strategy going of consistent time outs or whatever method you are using. I hope his teacher understands normal development and is not going around trying to diagnose normal behavior as ODD or ADHD---big problem today!!

Hey M.,
I am a teacher and you just described half the boys in kinder thru 2nd grade. That is why the swine flu spreads so quickly with kids. As a teacher I just say go wash your hands.

As a parent, I have a second grade son who sounds just like your son. I don't know what to do either. But one thing I did the other day was throw away his favorite shirt because he chewed a hole in it. He really cared about that shirt. He cried so hard! I told him if he stopped chewing his clothes I'd buy him another shirt just like it. It has been two months and he stopped chewing his shirts that very day.

I think we just have to figure out what matters to them and follow through. My son chews his nails too. He actually cries that his fingers hurt. It hasn't detered him yet. I don't know maybe I should offer a reward for not chewing. Good Luck!

I just read that your son has ADHD and OCD. My son has Sensory Processing issues and has a mild case of ADHD and he was constantly chewing on things. It's possible he has a stronger need than some kids for oral sensory input. My son chose his shirts, car seat belt, you name it. His Occupational Therapist made me aware of these little chewy things you can buy. Do a google search for "Sensory Processing chew toy" and look around. Here's the first one I found but there are many out there. http://www.nationalautismresources.com/chewelry.html?gcli.... Just continue to remind him of how dangerous putting his hands in his mouth can be (illness). Tell him what he can chew on when he feels a desire to put his hands in his mouth. It will take some time before he'll start sticking with it but it will eventually stick. Just teach him what is unacceptable and give him an option of what is acceptable. ...rather than just asking him to quit with no other option. Another thing the OT's recommend is allowing him to chew gum or really chewy candy. ...like airheads or Now and Laters. Also, have him drink yogurt or thick smoothies through a straw before school. This might help him fulfill his oral sensory needs. It sounds weird, I know. But just try it. Chewing and sucking are very calming and help them feel in control. It provides them with the sensory input they need. You are probably aware of all of this "sensory stuff" but just in case.... Lastly, if it seems to be a problem in school, give your teacher a little stash of these candies and ask her to discretely slip him one when she notices the behavior. My son is 5 and having things in his mouth have disappeared since he started with the OT. He still has his moments but we just let him chew gum when he gets kind of nutty. I also use the thick foods with a straw to help him concentrate at school. Good luck!

Try to make sure that his hands are washed before putting them in his mouth. This lowers the risk of germs going into his mouth.

For some kids, sucking on fingers is a kick-back to the old pacifier/bottle/breast as a soothing mechanism thing. Having just started school, he might be having anxiety issues, and it just makes him feel better. Definately talk to pedi.

I don't know if this would help but I know I hate when I take polish off my nails and I touchmy mouth or something... that stuff tastes nasty lol

N.
http://mylightadmired.blogspot.com

since he has other issues i would ask his pedi about this.