Special Needs

anyone's LO use chewy sticks?

Hi there, I'm not a regular on this board but had mentioned on a different board that DS had some oral fixations- he greatly dislikes toothbrushing much of the time, chews his fingers/fingernails, even his toenails (ugh), chews the crap out of the straws on his straw cups and pretty much chews on other random stuff he finds around... I looked at the SPD checklists & descriptions and while he really does not meet other criteria, someone on the board suggested trying the chewy stixx from amazon to help him w/ the desire to chew instead of using his fingers & other things...I was really excited about the idea but once they came and I saw him chewing away I started wondering if these sticks can have any ill effects on teeth or jaws, like affecting the teeth/dentition or even leading to TMJ like symptoms if chewed on too much...???


Any advice or info would be great. Thanks!

Re: anyone's LO use chewy sticks?

  • ppantsppants member

    I, like you, have a "chewy" kid that doesn't seem to meet other criteria.  I got him a chewerly necklace for kindergarten (when this chewing really kicked off) and it only lasted a week.  I got him some chewy sticks from amazon and they've worked better and it seems like he used them less and less during the school year.  I showed both the dentist and pedi and both said they were fine.

    Wendy Twins 1/27/06. DS and DD
  • imagemrs_sexy:

    I, like you, have a "chewy" kid that doesn't seem to meet other criteria.  I got him a chewerly necklace for kindergarten (when this chewing really kicked off) and it only lasted a week.  I got him some chewy sticks from amazon and they've worked better and it seems like he used them less and less during the school year.  I showed both the dentist and pedi and both said they were fine.

    Thanks, I'm glad to hear that...he seems to be taking to them (only day 2), when I see him chewing his fingers or something else (like one of his sister's bracelets just stuffed in his mouth) I will tell him to please get his sticks & he will... I guess in the grand scheme of chewing fingers, things he can choke on or eventually stuff like pens/pencils or whatever, these are a better option, I just have TMJ from teeth clenching & it gets super aggravated by chewing gum & other things like that so I immediately thought of that when I saw him chewing the hard rubber.

  • Loading the player...
  • An occupational therapist who specializes in sensory processing disorder would probably be your best bet as far as finding a professional who can help your son redirect his sensory needs. When I was working in special education, prior to having children of my own, I typically reserved chewy sticks and chewelry for a last resort to avoid further stigmatizing children who were already standing out from the crowd. In my experience the children who really chewed on them the most would frequently drool a lot while doing so or produce a lot of saliva coming off of the chew tube and it was pretty off-putting to other children. An example of a more age-appropriate replacement for this behavior that I worked on with many of my students/clients was to work on integrating a larger variety of crunchy foods into their diet (many of these children also had sensory issues surrounding eating) or engage in oral exercises (often times complimented by work from speech therapist) such as blowing bubbles or sucking apple sauce through a straw. Really, though, addressing the chewing (or any other difference for that matter) boiled down to determining the function of "why" it was happening and that was different for every child. In some cases, the causes were more medical in nature--the child had a cavity that was determined after going to the dentist, the child was having painful migraines/headaches, and/or the need to bite down was sometimes a result of frustration. You get the picture... 

    I highly recommend the book "The Out of Sync Child" and its companion: "The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun". Both books have chapters specifically dealing with oral motor needs and some really great activities for addressing the issues in a fun, but productive way. Aside from the work we've done with therapists, I've found both of these books really helpful in both assessing and addressing my daughter's sensory needs. 

    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • imageMummyGruetzie:

    An occupational therapist who specializes in sensory processing disorder would probably be your best bet as far as finding a professional who can help your son redirect his sensory needs. When I was working in special education, prior to having children of my own, I typically reserved chewy sticks and chewelry for a last resort to avoid further stigmatizing children who were already standing out from the crowd. In my experience the children who really chewed on them the most would frequently drool a lot while doing so or produce a lot of saliva coming off of the chew tube and it was pretty off-putting to other children. An example of a more age-appropriate replacement for this behavior that I worked on with many of my students/clients was to work on integrating a larger variety of crunchy foods into their diet (many of these children also had sensory issues surrounding eating) or engage in oral exercises (often times complimented by work from speech therapist) such as blowing bubbles or sucking apple sauce through a straw. Really, though, addressing the chewing (or any other difference for that matter) boiled down to determining the function of "why" it was happening and that was different for every child. In some cases, the causes were more medical in nature--the child had a cavity that was determined after going to the dentist, the child was having painful migraines/headaches, and/or the need to bite down was sometimes a result of frustration. You get the picture... 

    I highly recommend the book "The Out of Sync Child" and its companion: "The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun". Both books have chapters specifically dealing with oral motor needs and some really great activities for addressing the issues in a fun, but productive way. Aside from the work we've done with therapists, I've found both of these books really helpful in both assessing and addressing my daughter's sensory needs. 

    Hmmm thanks. I don't think it is that extreme at this point esp as he doesn't really seem to do it outside of home & his DC has never brought it up as being an issue though I should ask if they notice him doing it.  I have just been handing it to him as a substitute for his fingers if I see him chewing his nails/fingers while watching TV or reading (which are the 2 big times he does it). I guess I'll try more redirecting and maybe offering a snack if it is the right time of day and reserve the sticks for when he really seems fixated on the fingers.

This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"