chewing on things | ADHD Information
Welcome to ou r board! My 10 year old ADHD son chews on things also. I don't think he realizes that he's doing it. My friend's 14 year old ADHDer still chews things. She even chewed on the antenna of their cordless phone.
Has any one tried using gum when my son started chewing on things around the house I gave him gum to chew on. When I discuseed this with his OT she told me that kids with ADHD have a need to release the pressure they fell so they chew on things. The gum gives them a good release. After a while the habit did go away just like SmallMom's situation.
By the way welcome
Does your son also have other issues, such as sensory stuff, really bad social problems (doesn't "get it") and is kind of an "odd duck?" If so you may want him evaluated by a NeuroPsych for high functioning autism, which mimics ADHD, but is far more extreme, especially with the strangeness and social inappropriateness. My son is on the Spectrum and used to chew everything, especially the neck of his shirts. He'd even put icky stuff in his mouth. He still has a thing about touching everything and taking things apart. When he visits his grown sibs, they put all their knick knacks away. He isn't angry when he does it either. He's very curious about objects, far more so than people.Dylan did the same thing as Smallmom's child - chewing on his shirt and his sleeves. He's done it to the point he's put holes in his clothing.
He still continues to do this - I think it's anxiety related, at least in his case. I haven't tried the gum - will have to do that!
Janna
when my son took ritalin/concerta he chewed his pencils and also picked/ at his finger nails...his thumbs looked terrible...he does not take this med any more and his thumbs have healed and the pencils and erasers look good...http://www.kid-power.org/sid/equipment.html
this is a site that sells sensory stuff for OT....I saw that they actually make something for chewing
I've got to check out the kid-power site ... we've got a chewer here, too.DS (7 yrs old) puts everything in his mouth. It does help to have gum available all the time.
When I became a mom I never imagined I'd be saying things like "don't chew the edge of the table."
When I get frustrated by repeatedly telling him to take whatever out of his mouth, I think it embarrasses him, because he really doesn't know he's doing it, and he thinks of it as a "baby" thing.
It's better if I say "If you need to chew, go get some gum."
Hi everyone - My 4 year old son also chews his shirt all the time to the point that it is soaked & has to be changed several times a day. He was diagnosed in Jan. with ADHD. He also bites his jaw. He is taking Ritalin 5 mg. a day.
Rez2, welcome! I do know my son at about that age chewed a lot on his shirt -- I attributed it to a nervous habit. The habit did disappear on its own, but the anxiety did not. At age 13, he still has extreme anxiety. How long has this been going on with your son? Have you mentioned it to his doctor?
SmallMom38860.239224537My 7 year old son ADHD/mood disorder is constantly taking things apart, breaking things and chewing things. He will chew legos, batteries, nerf stuff, etc. He took a calculator and ripped all the rubber numbers off. He's doesn't seem to be doing it to be destructive or angry, he just does it. Any thoughts? Oh, and he grinds his teeth in his sleep.