I’ll find something else too, then. I don’t want to harm him
Comment on How do I keep a 9 year old from constantly licking erasers and putting them in his mouth
voracitude@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Sounds like it could be a stim thing - impulsive, you say? Any chance there’s (undiagnosed?) ASD there? The mentions of bitter spray reminded me of when my mother tried that to get me to stop biting my nails. I just stopped using my lips and tongue, and only used my teeth…
Anyway, if it’s a stimulation thing, maybe finding an alternative would be easier than getting him to stop entirely.
howler@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
voracitude@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I’d be curious for a follow-up post of you find a way to help him with this! I was this kid when I was little, and needed help and kindness, but there was no understanding for autistic behaviours back then so what I got instead was bullied. I appreciate that you went looking for help instead of just throwing up your hands.
howler@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
Hi! So I suggested nail chewing deterrent to the boss, checked that the kids have no allergies, bought the deterrent in a pharmacy and coated all the pencils and part of one eraser (they stop working with the polish).
All it took was one lick (and OMG their faces), they didn’t put the pencils/eraser near their mouth again. I hope they remember the lesson next week lol. I coated all pencils so the kid I wrote the post about wouldn’t get targeted.
I watched the kid that has me particularly worried and he didn’t show interest in putting anything else in his mouth, nor did he have a change in attitude. Now that he isn’t licking stuff, he is somewhat more focused in class?? I have to keep watching.
howler@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
I’ll update you!!
TherapyGary@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
1,000,000% this
duckduckgo.com/?q=sensory+chew+necklace&ia=shoppi…
LavaPlanet@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Yeah, this is exactly what I was thinking, too. You redirect the behavior somewhere safe while still fulfilling the essential need.