Guest guest Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Hi , Biting on a shirt, balling up the shirt and wadding it into your mouth are common regulatory behaviors and oral motor behaviors. You can address the need directly by giving him something else to suck or chew for self regulation- . hard sugar free candies, chewing gum is great, or even chewie tubes. To lessen the urge, using a battery operated tooth brush or electric tooth brush helps meet that sensory need- morning and night. Brush the tongue, inside of cheeks and pallet as well as teeth. A hefty exercise program also helps calm down the nerves so he can tolerate more. Often that is enough to divert the need. Once that's in place, block the shirt from being accessible. If he chews on a collar- make him wear shirts without collars. If he chews on sleeves...short sleeves. Its a few ideas. Carolyn Murray-Slutsky, MS OTRRehabilitation for Children4041 North 41st StreetHollywood, FL 33021www.STARServices.TV My son has been chewing on his shirt something fierce lately and it is driving me crazy! I used to bite my nails and so I starting using a nail polish that tasted like poo and I broke the habit as a result. Does anyone know of something like that I could use on a shirt? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 My son has been chewing on his shirt something fierce lately and it is driving me crazy! I used to bite my nails and so I starting using a nail polish that tasted like poo and I broke the habit as a result. Does anyone know of something like that I could use on a shirt? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 HI , I don't know how old your son is. Mine is 11 and every 6 months or so this creeps up again. When he was younger we used to buy chewy tubes so he would chew on those instead. I give my son sugarless gum, remind him not to swallow it, and that usually helps to distract him from his shirt. Hope this helps. Jane Chewing on shirt My son has been chewing on his shirt something fierce lately and it is driving me crazy! I used to bite my nails and so I starting using a nail polish that tasted like poo and I broke the habit as a result. Does anyone know of something like that I could use on a shirt? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Hi , My son used to do this till he chewed holes in his shirt, and crumbled his plastic jacket zippers to pieces. We tried lots of techniques like giving him a chewy tube/necklace, turning his shirt around, or using high collared shirts that reach the top so he couldn't pull up the top of the shirt to chew, always tucking in shirt so h wouldn't chew the bottom, no sleeves etc. But what really worked for us in the end was discovering he was deficient in Zinc. Usually zinc deficiency causes Pica chewing. We gave him about 65mg of zinc a day split into 3 doses (he's about 50 pounds), and it went away about 98%. Now he only does it in high stress situations for him very rare - like once or twice a month. HTH, Shiri > > > > > My son has been chewing on his shirt something fierce lately and it is driving me crazy! I used to bite my nails and so I starting using a nail polish that tasted like poo and I broke the habit as a result. Does anyone know of something like that I could use on a shirt? Thanks! > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 My daughter did this for a few years. Chewing gum helped immensely! Jean Eccleston Sent from my Samsung Captivate on AT & T Jane wrote: > >HI , I don't know how old your son is. Mine is 11 and every 6 months or so this creeps up again. When he was younger we used to buy chewy tubes so he would chew on those instead. I give my son sugarless gum, remind him not to swallow it, and that usually helps to distract him from his shirt. >Hope this helps. >Jane > > > > > > > Chewing on shirt > > > > > > > >My son has been chewing on his shirt something fierce lately and it is driving me crazy! I used to bite my nails and so I starting using a nail polish that tasted like poo and I broke the habit as a result. Does anyone know of something like that I could use on a shirt? Thanks! > > > > > > > >My son has been chewing on his shirt something fierce lately and it is driving me crazy! I used to bite my nails and so I starting using a nail polish that tasted like poo and I broke the habit as a result. Does anyone know of something like that I could use on a shirt? Thanks! > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Chewing inanimate objects is an oral motor issue that stems from having Pica. Pica comes from a zinc and iron deficiency AND malabsorption in the GI tract. You can supplement with zinc (with meals) and the best form of iron is liquid or tablets of chlorophyll. Lots of probiotics, eliminate the sugar and lessen the carbs to fight the yeast overgrowth. CLO2 which is a liquid oxygen that kills yeast, fungus, bacteria...cleans up the GI tract will help as well. www.crownwellness.com Whistles, straws (crazy straws), vibrating toothbrush, party favors that blow and make noise all help with oral motor issues. Craniosacral practitioners also do great oral motor work. My son has been chewing on his shirt something fierce lately and it is driving me crazy! I used to bite my nails and so I starting using a nail polish that tasted like poo and I broke the habit as a result. Does anyone know of something like that I could use on a shirt? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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