nose picking | ADHD Information

My daughter does have eczema as well as all year round allergies that make her nose itch at times and does have mild anxiety.  Right now she loves using the saline and picked up a new habit as well as the picking sucking on her fingers.

You know, I read a little blurb in the paper recently that said negative emotions or memories cause people to be itchy.  There was some sort of explanation, but I don't remember what it was.

I've found that telling the child to wash his hands every time you notice him picking cuts down on it a lot.  No matter the cause, it becomes an unconsious habit and asking them to wash hands is not as negative as constantly telling them to stop, but it does draw their attention to the fact that they are doing it.  It also cuts down on the germ factor. 

i think its worse with school issues, like tests and that, plus hes having a hard time with fractions. and he has a real bad time with fine motor delays and writing which affects him too. but i try to tell him that if he stops the teasing will stop too, the school has put in his iep i guess some anti anxiety tips.i guess the teacher has tried to give him kleenex and even talk to him in the hallway when he's been extreme, she says he will at times put it in his mouth. but i will try. thanks.It sounds like an anxiety-related thing if it's due to nerves.  Some kids twirl their hair when they're nervous, others pick at their nails.  Your dc seems to pick his nose.  Does it seem to you like he has any big anxiety issues?  Maybe give him some strategies of things to do when he seems nervous (taking a deep breath, slowly counting to 10, etc.).

but if you maintain a regimen of saline solution in his nose on a regular basis then the dryness will subside

using a humidfyer also helps with this

as well as a little vaseline at times to help...use little and on a q-tip

part of the problem for your son is that he has dryness in his nose (which I know you know this ) and maintaining the best you can at home will help him...

 also you can ask the nurse to allow him to use the saline solution at school in the clinic with a doctor's note...I'm an educator and I've had students do this in the past...my own son has very dry nostrils and I have found him to pick his nose as well...I follow the above regimen and he usually does pretty well

you can also ask the teacher to work with him by using a private signal with him when she sees him doing this...one that only her and he know about...this can help him start to manage himself

if it helps to know...sadly most kids pick there nose...kids in third grade can really be icky with one another...there just at a difficult age

4myson39506.8128587963

saline nose spray

 

 first what would that do? and i don't think hat would work since he mainly does it at school. Josh has started doing this since he started school this year, 3rd grade. All the kids make fun of him, it seems when he gets nervous it really starts. I've let him read articles of how you get germs that way and such yet it does'nt stop. Any suggestions?

[QUOTE=bettybee215]Wow. My son aften says that he's nervous. He's often itchy as well...but I always thought it was eczema (he's been treated for eczema in the past). I'm wondering if it's anxiety now. The thing with my son is that he often likes to repeat what he hears other people say. For example, I keep a flashlight in the car. He pointed it at my sister and asked her "Excuse me Mam, have you been drinking tonight?" I almost peed on myself from laughing so hard . He go it from one of those "drunk driving is against the law" commercials. I always wondered if maybe he heard me say nervous, and he's just been using it ever since. I think i really need to start taking seriously alot of what he says...[/QUOTE]

 

OMG that is tooooooooooooo funny! Sounds like he has a great sense of humor!! LOL...

I went crazy with the *itching* thing. We had just started Vyvanse about  1 month earlier. so i thought it was that...He has never had tics, so I thought maybe it was that. I tried lotions, humidifier, creams..  Then I started to notice a pattern. He *itched* more when he didnt want to do something(anxiety/stress ). We took him to a pool party for a friend at school. As I was leaving, I notice he was *itching!*. That whole pool party was a disater! There were too many kids there..only 2 from his class and he wouldnt even TAKE off his clothes ( his bathing suit was underneath) or go near the pool. I felt so bad. I left him there for 3 hours!! But the mom was so nice and said he sat at the edge in a chair and talked to the kids!! SHEESH..sometimes......my heart just breaks for Ryan.I know it was because he was nervous/anxious..So basically i have figured out..esp since he TOLD ME that the itching is his anxiety. I am not sure what to do. I dont want to add another med if possible.

If anyone has any tips to help lessen anxiety I can teach him..please share!

Wow. My son (will be 8 in May) used to pick his nose alot too....Its was so gross cause he would get all into it...i never thought anything of it. I just thought it was a bad habit. He doesnt do it that often anymore. Everytime I catch him I tell him to stop and use tissue. My husband also bought him some saline nose spray (which my son loves to use..he said it makes his nose feel good). Maybe that's what has helped. I never knew that it was a dry nose issue....i just figured he felt that he had boogies..

Sounds like anxiety to me also. I just found out that my son, *itches* when he is nervous. I posted on here awhile ago about his itching thinking it was dry skin, allegries etc but I have since come to realize its anxiety. I will discuss this with his physchiatrist when we go next time. He is learning to play the recorder in music..all 4th graders have to learn. Anything new or unusual to Ryan causes anxiety esp if he has to do it in front of alot of people. So the other day in music he told me he *wasted* minutes and his friend Mark was mad and yelled at him. I asked him how he wasted it and he said * i was suppose to play the *G* note and i was *itchy*. I asked WHY are you itchy and he said * i get nervous*. So now i know and am trying to come up with ways to help him when he gets like this...

I know the teacher says when she puts her hand on his back and rubs him, he calms down. The music teacher is not so kind as his regular teacher.

 

 

[QUOTE=joshsmom]i think its worse with school issues, like tests and that, plus hes having a hard time with fractions. and he has a real bad time with fine motor delays and writing which affects him too. but i try to tell him that if he stops the teasing will stop too, the school has put in his iep i guess some anti anxiety tips.[/QUOTE]

Hopefully teaching him some things to do to lessen his anxiety will replace the need to pick his nose.

Wow. My son aften says that he's nervous. He's often itchy as well...but I always thought it was eczema (he's been treated for eczema in the past). I'm wondering if it's anxiety now. The thing with my son is that he often likes to repeat what he hears other people say. For example, I keep a flashlight in the car. He pointed it at my sister and asked her "Excuse me Mam, have you been drinking tonight?" I almost peed on myself from laughing so hard . He go it from one of those "drunk driving is against the law" commercials. I always wondered if maybe he heard me say nervous, and he's just been using it ever since. I think i really need to start taking seriously alot of what he says...Put a bandaid on the finger that he uses to pick his nose.  That will remind him.  It will help only if her wants to stop picking his nose.  He might not even know that he is doing it. Does your son have allergies?  My daughter has the same habit and it stems from all year round allergies and when it is at its worst she picks more.  The saline was suggested to us by the allergist and does help a bit also every time you see him pick have him demonstrate to you using a tissue that he knows how and make him wash his hands.  That was a suggestion by our psychologist and the teacher re-enforces it as well.  Good luck it is not an easy battle I have been struggling with it myself for over a year.