I've Got a Chewer...

I've been a chewer for over 17years ( on my thumb and finger) it is scared and ugly! As I felt it wasn't an issue becuase I didn't do addictive things ( smoke,drink etc) now I am 30 I've seen 2 Dr's that have told me it was mental, at first I said know till the second one asked me more questions...well they all fit. I have horrible anxiety and never knew! Look into this issue!!

Try having him massage his face and his mouth. Also getting a small plastic brush and brush him.He is seeking out oral stimulation.

My son is a chewer as well. He has also put holes in his shirts. It is a nervous thing. He has even resorted to chewing on his penicils at school and even the metal now that is gross.

The school occupational therapist can direct you to the kind of rubber tubing and chew toys that will be safe for your son. You might talk with your son about when he can chew his tubing/toys privately and appropriately so that he can relieve his stress without being noticed by his peers. That notice by his peers could elevate his stress, causing a cycle. The tubing and toys would be his for his own private use, and help him to feel more in control of his feelings.

It sounds like he has an oral fixation. Is it related to some underlying emotional stress? Or perhaps an undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder? I would recommend getting him to a child psychologist or neuropsychologist for a proper evaluation.

So do I. I also like to chew, when i'm stressed or in deep thought about something. I chew on straws, and i have started to give them to my son as well. I understand the need to chew and realize that it is almost impossible to stop when you have the need. My son does it and doesn't even realize it most times, he has attention issues and it is a coping mechanism for him to help him focus on what needs to be done. I used to get frustrated with the holes chewed in things (clothes, jacket edges, fingers.), but since i have allowed him to use straws, the holes in things have almost stopped.I also notice that if i give him a hard candy to suck on the chewing urge is satisfied as well. It will slow down, it did with me from childhood to adulthood. For both of us it is almost a comfort thing, wean him onto something he's allowed to chew, and it may slow down. Good Luck!

Hello,
Try putting a mild chili powder on his sleeves and if he cries give him some milk to absorb the heat. Good luck!!

Hi-

My first question is: how long has your son been chewing? If it's relatively recent, then it could be a stress-related thing. If it's been an on-going thing, then I agree that it could be a sensory issue. Either way, get your son assessed so he can either learn better ways to cope w/his stress or get OT to learn other ways to feed his oral need that don't ivolve chewing on things. I'd say to go about this pretty quick cuz while kids can be mean at any age, at 10 yrs, he's approacing puberty when kids don't want to be different from anybody & they may start to notice his chewing & tease him. Hope this helps & good luck!

Your son may have sensory integration issues and the chewing is a release. You might wan to have an occupational therapist observe him and make the diagnosis...they are the ones trained to make the diagnosis, an MD is not. Abilitations has a catalog of products including something callled "chewelry" these are safe items that children can wear and chew. It's the only way my son gets through school is to have this to satisfy this need.

Good luck,
P.

I'm not a psychologist or a dentist, but I'd look at the behavior as a symptom, then try to figure out if the cause is emotional or physical discomfort.

I think it would be wise to check with his dentist to see if there's misalignment that's causing him to grind his teeth. It's easy to forget that teething hurts, even for older kids the adult teeth are moving around under the gums, the wisdom teeth are slowly forming roots and if they aren't well-positioned, they may be hurting him. He may be so accustomed to the pain he doesn't actually notice it.

He may also be under some stress he's not telling you about, and the chewing is his way of comforting himself.

Good luck!

J., I am no doctor, but sounds like your son may be nervous about something; SCHOOL, HOME, maybe some friction going on somewhere.

My son used to chew on his shirt, and in no time the whole front shirt was in mouth neatly waded. AT the time I WAS HAVING MARRIAGE PROMBLEMS AND BABYSITTING PROBLEMS. I was a wreck and I did not know he was listening to everything and how could he not. I resolve some issures, but I could have done better.

With all these young doctors do not put him on any prescription. Find out what's bugging him. Spend quality time with him at least two days a week. He is ten, he will be a teenage in a few years: The years will go fast, Your business will be there but your son will leave the nest.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU IN YOUR WORK AND WITH YOUR SON, I hope he will communicate and have a happy relationship with you.

Hi..I also have a son who is 10 who chews on everything. I know that for my son, it has been something he has always done. From what specialists have told me, that is the way he processes stress. Lots of people do it, ie:chew on the end of pencils and pens, fidget with things. I get alot of help from the occupational therapist at his school. There are many alternatives that can be chewed on instead of clothes, things made for just that. Check with supplys for OT's, or alternatives to teaching. They have whole catalogs with those kind of supplys in them!!

Wow, reading all the responses here is really educational. I had no idea that chewing was so common and could be due to stress, etc.

I wanted to bring up another possibility though it involves eating as opposed to chewing. In addition to chewing, does he eat strange things? For instance, does he eat dirt or want to eat uncooked rice, or any other strange thing? If so, he may have pica and you may want to take him to a doctor to check to see if he may have intestinal parasites. This is probably not your son's case since you mentioned chewing instead of eating.

Hope this helps,
J.

Great to meet you...my brother and now my nephews are both chewers. My brother found some luck by wearing a rubber band...actually a couple of them...when he found himself chewing, he would snap the rubber band and it would remind him of the habit. I dont know if this technique will work for a child....but it could be worth a shot.

Good luck!

My ten year old is a chewer as well, although he has never taken to chewing his hands, which some professionals tell me is a shame, actually, since a hand "is always there," lol. ANYWAY, I do notice that the level of chewing does have a relationship to stress, but my son also uses chewing to help him focus. He can't concentrate on homework unless he is chewing, so we've learned to provide carrots or straws for him to chew on while he is working.

My son has been diagnosed as having mild Aspergers and sensory issues. I understand chewing a very common stim for children on the spectrum. I had assumed that the chewing was directly related to these diagnosis', so it's been interesting to read that many people do it without having such issues.

I think the core thing to do is to decide what chewing is OK, and what chewing is not OK. If it calms your son, it isn't really productive to try to stop the habit, but it CAN be channeled. When my son was heavily into sleeve chewing, we started to put him in short sleeves only. When we got worried about the excess pencil chewing, we learned to provide him straws or food to chew on instead. And so on.

did you try a mouth guard, like a sports mouth guard, it will keep his teeth safe if he walks into anything and he can chew it when ever he wants to like a football player

I did a 5 day retreat, focused on personal growth and release of emotional issues.
When I came back, my eldest stopped bitting his nails, (as much), and my youngest quick wringing his neck in a tension reducing manner.
Perhaps you need to lower your own stress.
Also, we exposed my eldest to relaxation techniuqes (sp) and a few hypnotherapy sessions.
Congrates on asking for help.
J.

good luck with monavie, btw. i can't afford that stuff, but it's interesting.

anywho, i knew a chewer in high school. chewed on the cuffs of his sweatshirts. he sat next to me in physics. it would distract me all the time, seeing him pull on his sleeves and munching away.

he was also our class valedictorian.

:D

my cousin chews his knuckles. huge huge callouses. he's now a big shot exec, rolling in the dough.

they both had moderate attention problems. i think the chewing was their way of coping and trying to stay focused. i don't know how annoyed the parents were, but it didn't hurt anyone. is this how your son deals with stress or paying attention?

Have him evaluated by special ed team possibly through your school district. Need an OT present as well. This can be a classic sign of a particular syndrome or something other than stress, anxiety and all the obvious reasons. Call as soon as possible because of his age. There is also many alternative treatments with some kinds of hypnosis, behavior modification techniques. Child Psychologist might be able to help. Do your research. Start with the pediatrician and get a referral. Good luck.

I had a child in my kindergarden last year who chewed on everything. His mom got him tested (not because of the chewing) for allergies and it turned out that the chewing was a side affect of a very specific vitamin deficiency. You might have a full check-up done on your son to see if he is trying to compensate for something.

Hi J.. It sounds like he has sensory issues. I know this sounds wierd, but it can work. Go to a pet store and get aquarium tubing. Boil it for about 5 minutes to soften it some. Let him have at it. He probably doesn't like gum because it doesn't give him enough input. It just irritates him. If that doesn't work, I would contact your school and ask to have a consultation with their occupational therapist. Tell them the reason why and follow it up in writing. The OT should have more ideas for you.

BTW, I have 6 kids with sensory issues two of which are chewers. One has chewed holes in his clothing and the other constantly has her hair or gum in her mouth.

My son is sensory seeking. You may want to get him checked out by your pediatrician so that he can refere your son for testing.