Grandson eats paper | ADHD Information

Thanks for your replies.  I really didn't mean so much to teach him a lesson but while he was putting pieces of the napkin in his mouth and I was telling him not to he was laughing, like it was a joke.  I hadn't seen him do this kind of thing (didn't while on meds) that I think I was shocked and then for him to laugh about it was like he was intentionally doing it to bother me.   The school special ed coordinator and school psyc mentioned the sensory thing before.  Like when he played soccer at the beg this spring - he would carry one and scream, etc.  They said it was too much for him but surprisingly enough, he did better the rest of the season.  He didn't really particpate, just ran with the other boys so it was an improvement.

When he is acting out and his dad goes after him - just to get him - not whip him or anything he carries on so bad in public it's embarrassing.  He says "don't hit me, don't hit me" and I know they don't.  What can you do about that?

I doubt very much that your grandson can be taught a lesson and stop
this habit. He's doing it because he has to - something is forcing him to
do it.

My son has a sensory integration disorder, and he chews things all the
time. The most annoying thing - the necks of his shirts. They look like
the cat shredded them because he literally chews them until the fibers
break down.

A sensory integration disorder is when kids either have their senses
turned up too high - then they can't stand things like labels in clothes
because they just drive them crazy - or too low - like kids who can't hear
you unless you yell at them because they actually can't hear you. With my
son it was assumed he was autistic because of some of his SID behaviors,
just like they thought he had oppositional/defiant disorder because of the
impulsivity caused by his ADHD.

You can look into a "sensory diet" which actually isn't a food thing. I wish
they wouldn't get so cute with these names, and just call them what they
are! They are small therapies that help kids with over or underactive
sensory systems tune into the world better. Things like, small shoulder
massages, scrunching up all their facial muscles and then relaxing, using
background music or sound blocking headphones. There are all kinds of
tricks. Specifically for chewing, the suggestion is to give him appropriate
things to chew, like gum (especially the flavor changing kind), and chewy
things like gummy bears, (especially the sour kind).

It's the same as anything else - try everything and keep doing whatever
works best. Good luck!

Good luck!He might be afraid.

I recommend a book called The Explosive Child. It describes a program for
angry kids, but I do it with my son in all situations. It helps him think
instead of just reacting. But for it to work you have to trust your child. It's a
lot harder than you think to give up control, and it seems completely
counterintuitive, but it works.My grandson is 6.  He was on medication from the time he was 2-1/2 and my daughter took him off meds about 6 weeks ago.  He was diagnosed at 2-1/2 with ADHD and PDD-Nos.  Was on different meds with the last one being Abilify.  Side affects were just scarey and he was doing well in kindergarten.  Now that he's off he's still pretty good but has trouble keeping his hands to himself.  Today while I was with him and his mom he put a napkin in his mouth, tore off a piece and ate it.  His mom said he's back to doing that again and hadn't while he was on meds.  What causes that - I just don't understand.  We so don't want to have him on the meds again because it took away his spirit and he seemed so zombielike at times.  Our fear is it would make "drugs" too acceptable to him when he got to be a teenager and around kids actually taking drugs, etc.   He can be so mean to his cat and picks at his 4 year old sister.  Thoughts?  Is he lacking in something which makes him want to eat paper, etc?Hello! My son was diagnosed at about the same age as your grandson, so I'll answer as best I can. 1) From what I understand, for adhd kids who are appropriately medicated, stimulants are not considered to be "gateway" drugs. That is to say, they don't make them more likely to use other drugs in the future. The thinking is, from what I gather, that if their symptoms are controlled with prescribed meds, they will be less likely to try things like drinking and hard drugs to self-medicate. 2) The paper eating sounds like a kind of typical adhd chewing behavior. I've heard of kids chewing holes in the cuffs of their shirts, the necks of shirts, grinding pencils down to nothing. It could be a nervous habit or stress reliever. He might just like the sensation of the paper between his teeth. I'd certainly call his ped about it and ask what they think. Maybe offer gum...a lot. 3) Let me just say that the stimulants are not meant to cause children to become zombies. In fact, that is a sign of over-medication. The medication should allow the child to show who he is without the adhd symptoms. Are you sure that it's ADHD? 2 and a half is so young. Maybe he should be retested for a more accurate diagnosis.  He sees a pediatrican at least twice a year - would you think he'd see or diagnose something else?  He was the one who did all the testing.   It's so hard on my daughter because their house is like a "crazy" house.  I dont mean mental, just contact commotion.  Her husband doesn't help much with it all.  Kind of leaves it up to her.  He works in retail some days for 15 hour shifts.  Little sister is very hyper also but doesn't have  the agression issues that he does.  He didn't speak much until about 3-1/2 with the help of speech at our county preschool.  The gum may be something to try.  It's terrible but I thought maybe we should just let him eat the napkin, get sick, barf and maybe it would be a lesson but that sounds so awful too.  I can't imagine having that desire...