Pencil biting, erasure biting, breaking c | ADHD Information
My son ADHD and Sensory Integration Disorder was given a special neclace and bracelet he can wear at school. It is made out of this kind of matrial tha looks like an old fasioned telephone cord only not quite as big in diameter. It is very stretchy. He can chew on these without disturbing his classmates and without destroying his fingernails, collars, cuffs and pencils. They are great but I don't know what it is called. It might possibly be found on the internet. I'll take a look and add a link if I find anything similar.www.integrationscatelog.com has the necklace and bracelets Gettingagrip speaks of-You might have to order a catelog-lots of great ideas!
We went through the same problems, also the collar of shirts, fingernails, and lips. One solution for us was to use gum or chewy foods during home work time. It helped at home, but most teachers understandable wont go for it at school.. For school we used a system of rewards... He loves to draw so we purchased an artist set of charcoal pencils that may be used as long as we do not see any signs of chewing. If we make it a week with no holes in our shirts we can earn a new shirt as a reward. He can choose the shirt of any type and we set a goal depending on the type/cost of the new item. Also I had him make a beaded bracelet. Simple wood beads on an elastic band. It acts as a fidget toy with out him having to have a toy. It has worked wonders... he has several friends that asked for one because of looks alone. It gave him the pleasure of knowing he did something good and it is a visual reminder every time he sees his friends with theirs. Too often I see the negative results of the adhd cause teasing and such from his peers, a chance to boost his self esteem was great. Now that he is older I have him take care of his own fingernails, (this was a major problem). He takes more pride in his fingers knowing that he spends time trimming and filing them. He has learned to appreciate the work he did. I hope some of this helps. All kids are different... I am now re-learning everything with my 9 year old who is add and completely opposite. Oh the joy !!!
God, I thought my son was the only one who bit his pencils, and broke them, if I had a dollar for every pencil that I have bought.........I talked to the teacher about it and she said it's not just him but majority of the boys, like who can break the mose pencils, etc....... She said this age group 1st graders are fascinated with the pencil sharpener and they constantly get up during class after deliberately breaking pencils to sharpen them to "nubs"....I felt a little better after that. We told my son that if he continued to "waste" the pencils that he would have to buy them from his piggy bank, we had him buy one pack, .00, and said he couldn't have money to go to the "treat stand at recess" because he had to spend money on pencils, it seemed to work he comes home and says" look mama, my pencils are still together"...."can I have money tomorrow for the stand"....it seems to be working?!?!.......................................for now
My son is ADHD, mildly inattentive, but moderatley hyperactive....he has trouble in the class because he fidgets, leans back in his chair....but it concerns me more that he chews on his pencil, bites his eraser, breaks his pencils and his crayons. His teacher says that it is not done out of anger, but because his hands need something to do.
Has anybody out there experienced this? Any suggestions or ideas? warren38469.8966203704
When I took my son for a speech evaluation he sat and chewed on his hand and arm the whole time. His pencils also have no erasers. He use to chew on pieces of paper, but he hasn't done that for some time. Chewing can be done for comfort also.
My son does that, but he is on thea autism spectrum. At first we thought he had ADHD. He STILL does it and he's 11.Oh Yes! Sounds very familiar!! Check into Sensory Integration or Sensory processing. Many ADHD kids have sensory issues as well. There are many easy modifications you can incorporate into your sons world to give him the sensory input he is seeking throught the activities you mention. Carol Kranowitz the Out-of-sync- Child and The Out-of-Sync-child has fun are great books to start with some concrete ideas. Also, Building Bridges by Paula Aquilla, OT has great ideas as well. If possible have your son screened by an Occupational Therapist(the school should do this) but make sure it is one who knows about sensory Processing. My sons both use a disc-o-sit on their chair to get that bit of movement without tipping back in their seats. We also incorporate figdet toys because when they are fidgeting -they are learning at the same time! This can be difficult for teachers to understand. If your son is breaking crayons and pencils when he is using them it is most likely because he can't regulate the amount of pressure he needs to put on the writing implement. Mechanical pencils can be useful to train the child how much pressure is the right pressure. just a few ideas I hope help there is plenty more info. out there! Good-luck and please let us know how things go!!