constant mouthing

Janine
Janine Community Member Posts: 11 Listener
edited June 2014 in Autism and neurodiversity
Hi I am working with a four year old little girl with lots of sensory issues and learning difficulties. She either has her hands constantly in her mouth biting on them or is chewing on anything she finds around. We have tried a chewelry bracelet with no success. Does anyone have any suggestions please. Thanks

Comments

  • lozangel38
    lozangel38 Community Member Posts: 2 Listener
    edited June 2014
    I work in special needs school we use chewy sticks for the children that attend to chew their hands more often. They are great for sensory and saves their clothes to
  • toast
    toast Community Member Posts: 46 Listener
    edited September 2015
    my daughter is very much like this. We found that she was much better with the chewlery necklace than the bracelet - think because it was closer to her mouth all the time. I've also used dummy clips / mitten holders and those curly plastic wallet chains you can pick up in the pound shops to clip on the P's/ Q's / chewy tubes: http://www.sensorytoywarehouse.com

    Another thing I tried which worked well was to make a baby teether blanket into a bib. She likes both the plastic teether bits and the material - bit of chewy variety!

    I've realised I cannot really stop her mouthing things - that is her way of exploring and understanding objects around her. Developmentally, she is at the same stage of a baby who does this. However, as much as possible I encourage her to use objects appropriately and direct her chewing complusion elsewhere
  • Emma
    Emma Community Member, Scope Member Posts: 85 Connected
    edited September 2015
    Hi Janine - have you had a look at our chewing section? There's some great suggestions there: https://community.scope.org.uk/tips/chewing
  • Emma
    Emma Community Member, Scope Member Posts: 85 Connected
    also some good stuff coming in on our fb page: http://www.facebook.com/netbuddytips
  • Janine
    Janine Community Member Posts: 11 Listener
    Thanks very much for all your suggestions
    Janine
  • Kerry
    Kerry Community Member Posts: 2 Listener
    My son puts everything in his mouth too! Have you tried exercise tubing? I was recommended theratube by an OT, this is expensive, my son much prefers the exercise tubing, you can buy it on ebay, but it does come in 15 metres length! At least you wont run out for a while! I got mine from physiosuppliesltd on ebay. There are also a few good USA sites on ebay that sell toys that dont seem to be available here, I usually type in sensory or autism & find loads of different "chewies".
  • No1Courier
    No1Courier Community Member Posts: 1 Listener
    Hi we use chewigems for our 4 year old autistic son to stop him chewing his hands and clothes. Here is a link to there web site.
    www.chewigem.co.uk
    Hope it helps
  • Johnrude123
    Johnrude123 Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    Hi Jamie,

    We went through a very similar phase with my cousin’s little boy and it was incredibly stressful at first, especially because he would mouth absolutely everything when he was anxious or overstimulated. What helped most for us was giving him safer sensory alternatives rather than constantly telling him “no”, because that seemed to reduce the comfort-seeking behaviour over time.

    Different textures made a huge difference too — some children prefer soft silicone chew items, others like textured sensory toys or fidgets to keep their hands occupied. We also noticed the mouthing got worse during busy or overwhelming situations, so having calming sensory items nearby really helped him regulate.

    I came across this site while looking for ideas and there were actually quite a few useful sensory and chew-safe options on there that might help you as well:https://www.toys4you.co.uk/

    Hopefully you find something that works for your child soon

  • ColonelBlink
    ColonelBlink Community Member Posts: 904 Pioneering

    You realise you are replying on a 14 yo thread?

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 8,563 Online Community Team

    Thanks for sharing your advice @Johnrude123! Sounds like your family worked hard to help your cousin's little boy feel more comfortable and settled. This is a thread from 2012 so the original members are likely to have moved on since then. But I'm sure other members will find your advice helpful if they come across it, so thank you again for taking the time to share your family's experiences ☺️

  • Johnrude123
    Johnrude123 Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    Thanks Rosie, I really appreciate the kind reply

    I know the thread is quite old now, but I still wanted to share what helped someone close to us in case it might help other parents who come across the discussion later on. Sensory play and calming activities genuinely seemed to make a difference over time, especially with communication and engagement.

    I’ve been looking into different sensory resources and ideas recently as well, including some things from Toys4You, and it’s been really interesting learning how differently children respond to various sensory activities and toys.

    Really appreciate the warm welcome to the community

  • WhatThe
    WhatThe Community Member, Scope Member Posts: 5,826 Championing
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1125994#Comment_1125994

    It looks like a plug to me!

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