Suggestions for Age-Appropriate Oral Self-Stimulation

[Anonymous]

Given some of the recent discussions on here re: stimming, I hestitate to even ask, but I am seeking an age appropriate replacement for our 9 yr old son w/autism's thumb sucking, which is very clear, typical self-stimulatory behavior - his stimming has always involved a significant oral component. We are of the school that some stimming is necessary & can be done at appropriate times in appropriate settings, but in the process of teaching him not to suck his thumb out in public, for example, we are seeking ideas re: creative substitutes (like gum chewing?). Any ideas based on personal experience or research would be appreciated.

[Anonymous]

My son's OT said that chewing gum, chewy or crunchy snacks or lollipops or ice will help satisfy his oral stimulation. I think there are non-food chewy items that work too.

[Anonymous]

We used carrots in my classroom. A few students also took breaks to eat the thicker hard pretzels. My students were a little younger so they weren't really "mature" enough to handle disposing of gum appropriately (tried it for a while but always seemed to end up on desks, in hair, on books, etc).

[Anonymous]

AFter the stimming discussion, I don't blame you for being leery. I stayed away from the Forum since then because it was just too much. There are alot of oral products out there. Have you tried Googling "Oral Motor Toys"? Our youngs is very much an oral sensory seeker. He used a pacifer for the longest time. You'll have to play around with some in order to find one that's acceptable to him. We've used the vibrating pencils (even the vibrating toothbrushes) and teething toys. He's refused the chewy tubes but like whistles and kazoos. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Your child may reject this because it's technically a teething toy and he's a bit older, but our daughter likes it -- a star that "buzzes" when you bite down on it. It's a teether from the teething wall at Buy Buy Baby. (It doesn't really look like a teether -- just a star-shaped toy). It's part of her oral motor program for speech therapy.

[Anonymous]

Our sone also like the vibrating teethers but will only use them at home (where other kids can't see him). Chewing gum, as much as I hate it, has been very acceptable.

[Anonymous]

my autistic 4 1/2 year old mouthes everything, so we have actually resortet to lolli-pops and gum. I prefer the gum because it lasts longer.

I used to suck my thumb intensely until I was your son's age. But then my parents took me to the dentist to get braces and I had to write a promise-note to never suck my thumb again. It worked for me. I never did it again. But I guess that would only work if your son is high functioning with normal cognitive development.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of chewable things at sites like www.abilitations.com (though the web site is hard to navigate -- you can request a catalog.)

There are also these "chewable jewelry" things that are actually designed for mothers with babies, but because of that they look pretty cool and that may be less stigmatizing for some kids. They're at http://www.chewablejewels.com/.

[Anonymous]

Um, glad I missed the stimming discussion I guess.

For my kiddo, at school we use gum, mints, lemon drops, a partially frozen water bottle with a chewy straw, and chewy erasers on pencils. Sometimes she wears a chewy necklace, but not as much as when she was younger. She also likes the vibrating star, but only at home, and of course a vibrating toothbrush in the am and pm. Sucking cold thick milkshakes or smoothies through a straw is very soothing and organizing and works on car trips, at home, and maybe at lunch at school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
There are a lot of chewable things at sites like www.abilitations.com (though the web site is hard to navigate -- you can request a catalog.)

There are also these "chewable jewelry" things that are actually designed for mothers with babies, but because of that they look pretty cool and that may be less stigmatizing for some kids. They're at http://www.chewablejewels.com/.

This is brilliant! I have a 4.5 month old who is starting to teethe, and a 5 year old niece with autism who has oral stimming issues (she gnaws on her nails). I am getting a few of these.