Help w/my son’s chewing? | ADHD Information
my 5 yr old just started that he has adhd and chews on his shirt his whole sleeve is wet am kind of new at this stuff so if any one can let me in on some advice that would be greatis your son medicated?
Did he just start out of the blue?
My son is adhd and was diagnosed with sensory integration when he was 2. he always had sensory issues, still does, but you outgrow them and then new ones can arrive.
Anything else besides the chewing? I wonder if he has anxiety and the chewing is soothing him.
My son did this until the shirts with holes below his chin had to be tossed. He stopped a while ago. One summer he did all summer long, then it stopped. I would ask him, have you been chewing on his shirts whenever I noticed it. I don't know, but that could have helped him to stop by bringing it to his attention, not sure, but he did stop.
I think you guys may be self-soothing.
We recently started Tenex (1/4 mg am & pm) and my 6 yr old ds has stopped chewing his shirt sleeves (this has been in the last week). It's made him a bit calmer at school. But as you would suspect, it does ZIP for his focus.
Looking back I can remember chewing on the collars or the tails of my shirts, chewing my fingernails or chewing on the ends of my hair. Unfortunately with no diagnosis my parents just thought it was a bad habit, all of which I eventually outgrew - puberty.
My oldest son (ADD/inattentive) also had the nail chewing and shirt chewing. We actually have one of the cutest pictures of him in a ski jacket of a plastic-coated neoprene that he chewed up. Oh yea, he used to chew on pencils too. All things he outgrew.
My youngest son (ADHD) never had the anxiety issues that his older brother had.
Not sure if you were asking if my son is medicated, but he is. He takes 5 mg of Methylin twice a day. The chewing is not new, when he was 2 years old, he started taking off the tires on his toys and trucks, just to chew them. Talk about a choking hazard .
He always chewed on toys too, but once we started Kindergarten this year, it made me more aware because his teacher told me he is chewing pencils, scissors, shirts, even his pinkies. That's when I realized, okay, that's not so normal.
My son chewed his fingernails, his closthes I even have the cutest picture of his child hood with a big chunk chewed out of the life-jacket he was wearing we still laugh about it! I also used to chew my nails and chew on my hair. My son and I both outgrew it around puberty. Yes, there may be something good to look forward to during puberty
I'm afraid if you keep saying something he will get frustrated and start doing it deliberately. You might just gently remove whatever he has in his moth and walk on by without mentioning it. Try not to make a big deal out of it. I remember watching a teacher do that with students all the time she wouldn't break her stride and wouldn't have to stop talking while doing it and it didn't bring uncessary attention to the child.
For my son, I think it helped reduce anziety, although he is very ADHD. He chews his fingernails to the quick and chewed holed in many shirts. I made him chew necklaces out of fish tank tubing and shoelaces. He chewed through the necklaces that the OT gave him at school, so these were better. He has outgrown a lot of that and just chews his nails, but now he picks at sores and does other anxiety-reducing behaviors. I think they need these outlets, whether it's gum, or rubber bands, or chew necklaces. My son now takes meds for anxiety and we are hoping this will help him stop these behaviors. [QUOTE=BETHANN]My son chewed on his shirt, till he made teeth marks and holes. He was diagnosed with sensory by Early Intervention.
Tell your son to stop, mine didn't even know he was doing when he was. It was relaxing to him i also think.
He no longer does this. The sensory stuff is always changing, going away and new things arriving.
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My son is 7 and chews on his shirt, actually used to daily now just seems to be when he is overstimulated or concentrating on something, now developing some tics with his eyes and throat......What is the sensory thing? My son is adhd and takes concerta 27mg and has for two years.
google Sensory integration. It is where people have trouble with the 5 senses - smell, touch, etc.
My son was diagnosed when he was 2 in Early Intervention. There is a topic with people posting about it here on these boards, at the bottom.
there is a lot about it, I don't know where to begin. Any specific questions?
He may have tics from the medication. Have you told you doctor? Some kids develope them, others don't or may be mild. Sometimes the tics go away or could get worse.
CAll the doctor ASAP about the tics, that is NOT sensory related. The doctor should know. YOu may want a different medication, or to stop, etc.
When my son was in first grade, he went through a phase where he chewed on his shirts around the collar and chest area while he was in school. Little holes started appearing in all his shirts and I actually thought we had moths and was prepared to go buy mothballs until I talked to his teachers.
I actually ripped off strips of some of his old t-shirts and braided them together and made a little "bracelet" for him to chew on. As I remember, he used it a little bit and then just stopped with the chewing. He's 15 now and doing great!
My 5 year old has always loved to chew on things. It has been worse lately, and his school is becoming concerned too. He likes to chew pencils, his shirt, toys, even occasionally his bedding at night.
His teacher recommend getting a rubber tip for the end of his pencil. She asked the OT at his school (who doesn't know my son) and she didn't think it was a good idea . I haven't received an answer as to why. His teacher offered him fruit snacks on his desk for when he felt like chewing, but he refused them.
Today he was sent the office for awhile to do some work because he was chewing on his scissors, then his pinkie.
Any advice?
This is a sensory seeking issue. They actually have chew toys for kids that do this...I however do not know much about it, but hopefully someone who knows more about this will come along and help. I also want to say that sending him to the office seems a bit harsh for chewing on scissors. This isn't a behavior problem and I don't think it should be treated as such.Oh, it wasn't entirely as punishment. He was taking way too long to finish an assignment. He was sent to the hallway with a parent helper so he could focus, it was then he began the chewing on his hand and scissors. They said it was for safety reasons, and so the asst. principal could call me. She wanted to know if he had his meds today, because they have never seen him chew anything but a pencil and his shirt. They also know he is trying new meds. I think they were more concerned. cali123439429.927962963In addition, you could try supplementing your son with zinc. Give it at night, before bed as it can be sedating and make kids a little nauseous. Also, calcium intake can interfere with zinc absorption so make sure you are not giving it with milk or other vitamins.My son also chewed on everything but seems to be growing out of some of it, He is 9 and it is limited to his shirts and toys right now. Drives me nuts! Oh well Good LuckI have the same same problem with my son. He is 9 now. He is always chewing on his shirt. He has sensory issues. His OT suggested that he be allowed to chew on granola or some chewy fruit snacks. He has soft teeth, so has crowns in his mouth and it is not good for him to chew on sticky foods like caramels and such. I have seen rubber pen toppers that are made for this. I haven't tried them with him. I believe at school it is mostly his shirt collar that he chews on. At home he likes to chew on paper towels, wadded up paper, straws, Capri Sun juice containers. He doesn't seem to chew gum very often or I would have suggested he be allowed to do that at school.Maybe your son just needs some sensory input. Have you seen an OT for evaluation. If this is the case, maybe you can find another way for him to get sensory input. My OT suggested we put a bungee cord across the bottom of his desk, so that he can push on this with his feet. They have special chair cushions that your child can sit on that wiggle a bit that give them sensory input also.
I also notice that when my sons medication is wearing off or if he hasn't taken it yet, that his chewing is much worse.
the "chew tubes" are an OT tool for sensory things. They do work and do help. Three are lots of things you can use, Mom, sugarless gum does WONDERS 
, but I doubt school will let him chew gum. Does it happen a t certain times during the day? Maybe he can have chewy snacks prior to this time of day, or something crunchy like granola.
You say his med routine is new or changed. Correlate to the increase chewing?
It probably wouldn't hurt to ask if he could chew gum I class- I know schools tend to be really anal about this rule, but if they're concerned for his safety then they might be willing to give it a try. Chewing can really help some people focus too, so that may play into why he's doing it.My son chewed on his shirt, till he made teeth marks and holes. He was diagnosed with sensory by Early Intervention.
Tell your son to stop, mine didn't even know he was doing when he was. It was relaxing to him i also think.
He no longer does this. The sensory stuff is always changing, going away and new things arriving.
Um, I feel almost silly for mentioning this, but I will anyway.
My son just had a dental check-up, and the dentist mentioned DS's gums were swolen in the back due to him getting his molars in. As far back in the back as you can get into their mouths, look in there and see if you see swelling or an actual tooth popping on up.
I realize that our children have many more 'opportunities' to have 'issues' (such as the sensory thought), but some times we need to look for the more 'obvious' as well. Sorry for all the ' ' in my statement here, I don't know what MY deal is!! ha ha
Good luck and I hope you can get the poor guy some relief, either way.
I am not sure if the chewing is related to the meds. He has always been a chewer, but it seems like he is doing it more frequently.
His teacher and the school's OT recommended gum (he doesn't like gum though). They were actually going to allow him gum at school. Next, they decided a hemp necklace. Yes, it will be soggy, but they say it's better than his shirt or a pencil. They also recommended dog toys! Hmm, those have a gross rubber smell, so I can't imagine the taste
!
I think Santa will bring him a hemp necklace for Christmas!
you can buy a chew toy similar to a dog toy, that is made for children. Any OT supply place. Look on-line, there's a million of them. They sell all kinds of things. A friend of mine used to buy those chew tubes for her son, they are inexpensive.Dog toys! Thanks for the laugh! Maybe some rawhide?
Have you read the book
Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies - The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders by Dr. Kenneth Bock?
This book is about how these disorders are related in a lot of instances in that they are caused by the same factors..... vitamin deficiencies being one of them. I have two children, one of them is three and a half years old with a dx of PDD-NOS (on the autism spectrum) and we have been doing biomedical interventions with him through a DAN! (defeat autism now) doctor for about six months now. He has made astonishing improvements, the issues affecting him are vitamin deficiencies, yeast and bacterial overgrowth affecting his gut, brain inflammation caused by oxidative stress and heavy metal toxicity (the worst is mercury and lead). We have already started chelating the metals out of him, are considering HBOT for the inflammation while treating it with prescription meds, give him m-B12 injections every 3 days to increase his methylation process, have him on courses of antibiotics and antifungals along with probiotics for the yeast and bacteria, and in addition to the multivitamins he has been on basically since infancy, we must give him additional supplements because his body is unable to absorb most of the nutrients he gets from food and a multi. Did you know that only 30-40% of the vitamins and minerals in a multi-vitamin that you buy over the counter at your local pharmacy or grocery store is absorbed by the system?
My oldest child is 15. He was dx'd ADHD/ODD when he was 6. Then came a dx of visual processing disorder when he was 9. At 11 depression kicked in. We started therapy and sought professional help. He did not respond to meds and in fact got worse. Next came a horrible reaction to Adderall upon which his p-doc decided he was bipolar. Bipolar meds did absolutely nothing for him, so after a year, he was put back on antidepressants and continued to decline. Three hospitalizations and three years later, two years of missed school, I can't even count how many prescriptions and psychological evaluations, psychiatrists, second, third and fourth opinions; tears, nervous breakdowns (by me), 911 calls, suicide threats, homicide threats, calls from collection agencies and yes...even a trip to the Amen Clinic for brain scans after we cashed in his college fund (which was totally worth it) we found out that my fifteen year old ADHD'er has a very severe case of oxidative stress (gasp..... just like my three year old). We immediately took him to see his little brothers DAN! dr. for testing, only to find out that our ADHD'er also has mercury and lead poisoning (and no, he is not autistic.... he has been evaluated for autism several times...we were desperate to figure out what was wrong lol) which is causing his oxidative stress, has vitamin and mineral deficiencies (even though he has a good diet and takes a multi and EFA's in addition to magnesium and vitamin D daily...BTW, he doesn't chew his shirt but he does chew his nails and his cuticles to the point that they get infected). We have started m-B12 shots with him, but are waiting on his yeast/bacterial results before we can move ahead with anything else. At this point we are trying to figure out a way we can afford HBOT therapy for him at 0 an hour minimum to heal some of the damage caused by inflammation in his brain.
Anyway, the point is that, even though you think your children are nutritionally sound because they take a multi, that may not necessarily be true. Kids with issues like ours sometimes need a little bit of an extra boost to have their vitamin and mineral needs met. I am waiting on a shipment of mini minerals for my oldest now (I was actually expecting it today, so I'm really hoping it will be here tomorrow) and I'd be willing to bet that we won't have any more issues with infected fingernails and cuticles.
To anyone who may be interested in healing the root cause of their childrens ADHD (or finding out if there may be some deeper causes of their kids ADHD like what is going on with my teenager) I highly recommend Dr. Bocks book. It is very easy to read and very informative.
http://www.4ahealing.com/adhdcauses.html
Before you have your kids chewing on chew tubes and toys...or worse, dog toys, you COULD, just maybe, try zinc supplementation....it certainly couldn't hurt anything and would be a whole lot easier:
http://dailystrength.org/discussions/Sensory_Integration_Dis order/advice/25053
http://www.gluten-free-diet.org/2006/11/30/calcium-supplemen ts-and-enzymes/
http://www.danasview.net/handlick.htm
http://www.autismweb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8992&high light=zinc
Zinc
Required for numerous enzymatic and hormone activity, immune function, wound healing, proper vitamin A metabolism, bone formation. Can help with adolescent acne. Calcium can hinder absorption of zinc. Can cause nausea if taken on empty stomach. The body needs a proper zinc/copper ratio. Most autistic kids are low zinc and high copper, altho some are the other way around. Zinc can help pica [eating inedible objects], chewing on shirts, licking hands, mouthing objects, and other oral behaviors.
Merck Info:
http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section1/chapter4/4e. jsp
Zinc is also very, very helpful for increasing the appetite which can be very problematic for ADHD children taking stimulant medications. A very good brand of zinc is Miniminerals which can be purchased here:
http://www.worldhealthmall.com/product_p/z.htm
This is a liquid zinc that is colorless and tasteless and is very easily absorbed. Because it is so easily absorbed the typical dose for a child is usually only about a teaspoon which can be given in a small glass of water right before bed.
You can also purchase liquid zinc at www.kirkmanlabs.com and they also have a zinc cream. Then of course you can also purchase Zinc tablets at your local hfs or pharmacy. If you do want to try zinc, you should give your child the recommended dosage for their age unless advised differently by your doctor.
I don't want to sound redundant, but just wanted to put this suggestion out there one more time.
I apprecitate the zinc suggestion, but since he already takes a vitamin, that is something I will have to look into further.
I did order him a couple of "human chew toys". They are called chewy tubes, they kind of look like a hammer. I wasn't about to send my boy to school with a rubber PVC cheeseburger! Here is the link..thanks for the suggestions!
http://www.sensorycomfort.com/HomeSchoolWk.htm#Chewy%20Tubes
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