What do you do w shirt biting?

snees

New Member
My ds is now biting his shirt. It is driving me up the wall. Started behavioral therapy last week and been trying to keep him aware when he does it. Any ideas.
 

keista

New Member
I wish! Son continued all the way to 8th grade. FINALLY stopped. I think he got tiered of his peers asking why his shirt collar was separated from his shirt. I tried redirecting him to all different kinds of chewy things. At home gum helped (no gum allowed in school).
 
T

TeDo

Guest
difficult child 1 did that for a long time. It was due to his anxiety AND as an oral sensory-seeking issue. We finally found other things that he could chew on but we also worked on the anxiety. He hasn't chewed on his shirt in years but we always have gum handy and we had it written into his IEP as well.
 

buddy

New Member
If you can a replacement can help...like the other said...gum (Occupational Therapist (OT)'s will say 3 large pieces of hubba bubba texture, really chewy, gum...there are non sugar varieties)

My son doesn't chew clothes but many things ....so he has one of those curly plastic key holders you put on your wrist....but he got a bigger size from the Occupational Therapist (OT) that goes on his head (yeah, cute) or neck...looks like a necklace and not girlie...he pulls on it and chews it. His favorite of all time (and we have had plenty, I know I should ask the Occupational Therapist (OT) if she made sure there are no toxic chemicals in it but I fear I dont want to know the answer...so little ever works)

If gum works....put it as an accommodation in the IEP, that is what we do and it works well.
 

lovelyboy

Member
If it happens mostly in school.....the Occupational Therapist (OT) gave us some thick tubing, that we cut and put at the back of his pen and pencils....you let a piece stick out past the end of the pencil, so they can chew to hearts delight! You can buy the tubing even at fish shops, but what I didnt like about it, it has latex in it....but it worked. He was also allowed to chew thick gum in school.....at home he also used the gum. You can also order chewelery on the internet, or sensory jewelery.....Another thing you can teach him: Let him put the soft part of his thumb in his mounth , with the soft part showing upwards, like thumb sucking......then press gently but firmly onto his upper part of the inner mouth, the part above the tongue.....This will give him some relaxing deep pressure in his mouth.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
My youngest did this for years. Through grade 5 actually. We provided other things to chew on (not gum because he reacted to the artif sweetener until recently, seems to be outgrowing it or becoming less sensitive to it, and also because I dislike finding chewed gum stuck on things) and I didn't buy new shirts for him. Almost all of his shirts came from thrift stores or yard sales for under $1, often 25-50 cents. I kept a stash of them put aside so that when he wrecked one or had to go somewhere nice there was a new, unchewed shirt for him.

Don't yell at him for this. He cannot help the need to chew. It is a strong need, and if he cannot do that he will find other things to put into his mouth. You RAELLY don't wnat this.

You can go to an Occupational Therapist (OT) supply store and find various chewy things like necklaces, etc.... I like southpawenterprises.com but you can also search for them on amazon, ebay, etc...
 
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