Ask an Aspie: Pica
June 13, 2009I have a new Ask an Aspie post! Fayezie asked:
Pica!?! anyone!?! is there a magical answer to pica? my daughter is compulsive about getting anything small and malleable into her mouth…. dirt, paper… yum…. nothing has really posed a harmful risk to her, well I worry about parasites when she’s eating dirt/woodchips/pinestraw/leaves…. but I guess when I look at the big picture it is more of an annoyance to me, mom, cause she goes to my magazine pile and rips them apart to eat, or she picks at wicker baskets around the house…. (that can be a danger because little wooden splinters could pierce her esophagus)….
Pica is still an issue here at my house. Carl has eaten a good percentage of his baseball card collection, any stray rappers he finds around the house, the velcro off of both our watches. He really likes to chew.
Mom started with gum, but he’d swallow it. Then mints but he’d chew them and then swallow them. Neither were more than a 30 second solution. We tried directing his attention to the fact that he was eating things (it seemed to be almost a subconcious act). He’d note the fact and throw whatever was in his mouth out, but a minute later he’d have something new up there.
One solution that has sort of worked is frozen washcloths, which I wrote about here. Dip a washcloth in salt water and freeze it. It then provides a new tactile sensation and a taste. This has been quite effective in reducing his chewing habits at home, though it cannot be used outside of the home (afterall, he’s 25). Plus I imagine with small children it can be easily lost or dirtied.
Anyone else have a possible solution? Something more portable or even more effective? Please leave your opinions in the comment section.
For more information and a possible solution, I encourage you to visit the Sneathen Family site, where Michelle discussed her son Daniel’s use of “rubber chewies“.
What about hard candy? or toffees? I’m guessing its got something to do with the sensation of chewing, feeling something between teeth and gums. Personally I like the feeling of something running through my fingers, like hair or sand or that green goo (booger-looking) toy. I think its about stimulating the senses, its almost a hypnotizing feeling.
@maialideth on twitter
oh, I’m *blushing* to see that my question was answered. Thanks SO MUCH!
yah know, I have tried gum… and at first I thought it would work, but then she’d just swallow it. What is interesting is that the habit comes and goes. The paper obsession waned for several months, and then it came back. The dirt/mulch obsession has really never waned. When I am with her at the park or anywhere else I’ve been trying very hard to praise her very cheerfully as she walks alongside me, trying to kinda use the ABA…. but, unless I am available to intervene, she just can’t help herself…. hmmmm…. and yes, I do believe that it is a need for sensory input… I guess I can just try to replace it, huh? It seems like the question is sometimes to me, where to you draw the line between “extinguishing” a behavior, and just accepting that she needs that input and just replace it with something that IS OKAY to chew on….
I suppose it’s no different than when I am studying chemistry and feel an insatiable need to chew on candies like Mike and Ikes, helps me focus…..
Hmmm…. I just hate to introduce more candy because it seems like candy gets used so much in different situations with her that I would love to try non-food…. yes, towel or washcloth…. the terry cloth fabric is highly tactile….
Hi Cale, regular reader, rarely comment though.
I’ve started following you on Twitter. I’m @epacris71
I had to order “chewelry” for my son. I think I ordered it from Abilitations? if I’m remembering correctly! Lol!
Ohh!!! that’s a really good idea! I like that… a lot.
Sometimes pica can be related to a nutritional deficiency, especially with iron or zinc. May be worth checking out if this hasn’t already been done.