Chewing non-food items

I remember when I was young having lavendar water put onto things to stop me chewing and sucking them.  It tasted awful but still didn't stop me.

I still chew bits of cloth, string, pen tops,,spoons, bits of phone or electric cable (not attached I may add!)my hair (which is now long enough to chew again because of lockdowns), my fingernails, and will play my recorder without realising what I am doing.

I am now on my pensíon so nothing has worked yet!  My only suggestion would be to keep anything that might be dangerous if swallowed, such as small items out of reach, and obviously anything that might be poisonous such as plants as well as tablets. 

A diversionary tactic might be to give your daughter bits of raw carrot or raw cabbage stalk for example which due to their fibrous nature might keep her occupied for some time and provide some nutrition at the same time.

immediate things parents can do

1) Keep a list of the items your child eats or mouths. Share this list
with your child’s doctors, teachers or other caregivers.

2) Keep track of how often your child displays pica behavior in a
notebook.

3) Keep a list of the places and situations where your child puts
things in his/her mouth.

4) Keep non-food items your child frequently attempts to eat out
of his or her sight. Move items to a safe location such as the
basement.

5) Put locks on cabinets, closets or doors that contain possible
pica objects.

6) Vacuum or sweep floors daily to reduce items on the floor that
your child might eat.

7) Enrich your child’s environment. During down times, provide
access to things your child likes to do that do not include pica
items.

8) Teach danger awareness skills. Have your child practice
identifying things that are non-edible or dangerous.

things u can do with professional training

1) Blocking: Blocking is when an adult puts his or her hand on top of the child’s hands to “block”
them from putting an item in his or her mouth. This can reduce pica for many children. How and
when you block is important, though. This is why parents should get help if this is needed. Other
things to think about include:

2) Skill-building: Teaching your child how to identify food from non-food items can lessen pica.
This is usually done using rewards and pictures (called discrimination training). To do this:
• Have your child sit at a table with a plate on a colored placemat.
• Put a few non-food items on the table.
• Put a favorite food on your child’s plate.
• Reward your child for eating from the plate and not putting the non-food items in his/her
mouth.

3) Snack scheduling: Make a snack available on a set schedule (every 30 minutes or hour).
Tell your child that he/she can have a snack but don’t try to make him/her eat it. More frequent
snacks might provide your child with other options besides non-food items.

4) Reward schedule: Give a reward such as a toy for not eating non-food items for a period of
time.

5) Teach different behaviors such as picking up pica items and throwing them away or
returning them to their place. Break the skill down into steps and help your child practice each
step.

6) Attend to health issues related to pica:

• Talk to your child’s doctor or nurse about having his/her iron and zinc status tested. Low levels
of these nutrients can contribute to pica. 
• Provide vitamins or supplements if advised by your child’s doctor or nurse.
• Talk to your child’s doctor or nurse about testing for lead. Children with pica should have their
lead levels tested regularly.
• See a nutritionist if your child is on a special diet or is very picky.
• Make sure your child sees a dentist regularly.
• Make sure your regular dentist, doctors and nurses know your child has pica.
• If your child has new health problems, make sure the doctors and nurses caring for him or her
know about the pica.

Hi Jenny, 

My son is 5 years old and he has been diagnosed with ASD when he was 3 years old. He is in P1 now and I have been attending a seminar for parents who have children with ASD. The Additional Support for Learning Team has recommended few things. Of course every individual is different and your daughter might not like any of those but maybe you would like to consider trying some of them? 

Items for mouth sensory support:

Specialist Chewies (wrist, chewlery necklace)

Chewy food

Snacks with a variety of textures, tastes or temperatures

Water bottle with ice or flavouring

Blowing (instrument, balloons)

Hope this helps.

Thank you,

Fotoula

Hi Jenny,

We have a page here on the NAS site about food related issues, including pica (eating or chewing non-edible items) with some advice and stretegies which might be helpful to you, and can be found here - https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/behaviour/eating/all-audiences

If you'd like to speak to someone directly, you could also try one of our helplines, which you can find here - https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/contact-us

Hope this is of some help,

Ross - mod