Oral fixation and ASD

[Anonymous]

DS is almost 3, diagnosed with ASD a few months ago. One of his (many) issues is that he mouths *everything*.

I hate going outside with him because he wants to put grass, leaves, tanbark, etc. in his mouth. I don't think he swallows the stuff; I think he just is using his mouth to explore the texture. Inside, he chews on blocks, books, whatever he can get his hands on. We've tried Chewelry (essentially an old-school phone cord that he can wear as a necklace or bracelet). He'll chew on it a bit, but mostly he just pulls on it to stretch it out. I'm getting so exhausted from always having to monitor what he's doing and putting in his mouth.

Anyone have similar experiences and/or suggestions? TIA.

[Anonymous]

When my 5 year old chewed through electrical wiring I got him a pacifier and a teething ring. He still chews his clothing and mine but at least he isn't putting other odd things in his mouth.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your response. Does your dentist have a problem with the pacifier? Reason I ask is that our pediatrician told us we should wean DS off the paci when he turns 3. I'm dreading it, though, because the paci and his blankie are the only things that will calm him when he's upset, and they also help him sleep. How often do you use the paci?

[Anonymous]

He only uses it when he feels the chewing urges.

[Anonymous]

Is that your regular pediatrician or your developmental pediatrician? The reason I ask is that most pediatricians aren't familiar with the unique challenges our kids may have. What may be true for a regular kid may not be true a SN kid. Of course, you should try and find a more appropriate substitute but our therapists and dev ped have been very clear that we can't kill ourselves in our quest to make things better.

Our DS also mouths things inappropriately (and bites when excited) and we've had some luck giving him a vibrating teething ring frequently through the day to help satisfy that need to mouth. There are also some things that are like a vibrating toothbrush that DS likes a lot. We've also started giving him gum (anything with xorbital to help prevent cavities). Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, PP. It's our regular pediatrician. I need to find a developmental one. I've been putting it off because going to the doctor with DS is a total nightmare. He hates it. But his third birthday is coming up, so he'll need his checkup (and shots, yay).