Their are a range of behaviours that fall under the autism umbrella. I thought it would be a good idea to address some of these issues and behaviours individually so as to give people a better understanding and acceptance of people who suffer from autism, especially children.
In this post I thought I would discuss pica. Until my children started this behaviour I was completely unaware of its existence. I had noticed Master 10 was constantly chewing on things, so I payed closer attention and discovered he was actually eating paper, labels, cardboard etc.
I of course told him to stop and explained the danger of such behaviour, however the problem continued, that is when i approached his doctors and they explained what Pica was and with some further evaluation we discovered why he was doing it.
Pica is the word used to discribe the eating of non food items. It is pronounced PY- lab. These items can vary depending on may things but they usually include
• Paper
• plaster
• paint chips
• dirt/ clay/ pebbles
• chalk
• soap
• cardboard/ labels
• plastic
• sand
• glue
• buttons/ clothes
• hair
Once I had discovered what it was, my next question was why? Why did my child constantly and despite continued warning keep on eating items that clearly were not food. Their are a couple of reasons children with autism suffer from pica. The first is the inability to tell he difference between food and non food items.
Clearly this did not apply to Master 10, he was well aware that what he was eating was not food and yet he was unable to stop doing it. Unfortunately for some children the ability to distinguish food from non food items is very difficult. This cause sometimes improves with age, but not always.
Next on the list was iron or zinc deficiency. The lack of these minerals in their diet causes them to seeek them out elsewhere, such as dirt or paint chips etc. We did a blood test to rule these out however our doctors were almost certain that his pica was caused by something very common in autistic children and so obvious that I should have guessed straight away.
He was simply sensory seeking. As I have mentioned in many past posts, children with autism often sensory seek and they do so in many different ways. This is just another one I can add to my list. It also explains why he continued to repeat the behaviour despite warnings. He simply can not help himself.
The sensation of chewing paper for some reason has a calming effect for him. So the question then became how do I stop him. Pica can have some very serious health issues associated with it. Depending on what they are eating these can range from constipation/diarrhoea, lead poisoning, tooth and mouth injuries from eating sharp or hard objects and could possibly lead to infection and disease if they are eating dirt and feces.
I’m extreme cases of left untreated it can lead to death. Pica is absolutely not something to be dismissed or ignored. If you think your child may be suffering from Pica you should consult your doctor immediately, if you think they may have ingested something poisonous call emergency services immediately.
As it is a case of sensory seeking for Master 10 there is no easy way to stop his pica. It is a case of trying to figure out why he is craving that particular sensory feedback and what we have to do to manage the situation. This has meant closer supervision, at all times, he can be rather sneaky now that he knows we know.
We have also implemented diversion therapy to help combat his pica. Keeping him as busy as possible. If we see him eating paper we immediately remove it and get him working on an activity or game, anything to break the connection. Obviously punishment is not an option here, he is unable to stop and sometimes unaware of what he is doing until he is interrupted.
Lego (our go to diversion)
We have also notified his teachers and special education staff so that they can also assist in limiting the behaviour when he is outside of my care and report all incidents of pica related behaviour back to me so I can continue to try and pinpoint his need for this behaviour.
Pica does not just occur in children with autism, it can also affect people with other intellectual disabilities, people with epilepsy and sometimes pregnant women (usually from a lack of iron or zinc in their diets).
It can improve with age in some cases, however in children with autism it can also be a life long problem. Getting them to realise what they are doing and why is key in managing pica. It is also important to keep it in mind if they ever become unwell as it may be the underlying cause.
For us the only way to manage his pica is supervision. For others it may include keeping soaps and poisonous items well out of reach or locked away. Be cautious and check your children’s clothes for missing buttons or holes where they may have eaten through their clothing. Master 7 constantly chews the collar on his shirts, lucky for us he doesn’t actually eat the cloth.
As with any behaviour, management is the key to success. You may be unable to stop them from repeating it but through diversions and vigilance you can stop it from becoming a serious health issue.
As always, thanks for reading and please feel free to share any advice or ask any questions!
Hi @mumofmany, my daughter has iron deficiencies and she has been on iron medications since birth. Initially on liquid because she cannot swallow. Then moved to tablets. She even had to take B12 jabs to help improve her haemoglobin level. Her level can be as low as 6, a single digit which is dangerous. Initially worried that she has leukaemia but test shows that she is lack of iron. Blood transfusion for her is common as she has to be admitted every other week when she was younger. The only thing i noticed is her finger nails got bitten so badly with her chewing that it recess inwards. Now she has dead Skin on both her thumbs and index fingers. The other fingers are ok. She bit her nails whenver she is nervous or anxious. Never heard of Pica. Maybe she had that when she was young but got better as she gets older. i am learning so much from your post. Thanks for sharing.
@jackpot
Oh your poor little bubba. Sounds like she has been through a lot. Hope she is doing well now. I’m not sure about chewing fingers being related to pica, but I’m not an expert, I would definitely ask ker doctors. It sounds as though her iron issues are under management already so that should stop her from craving non food items that contain iron.
Thanks for your support.
Yes she is much better since coming to AU. She learns to eat lots of vegetables, fruits and i try to give her beetroot every day. Initially she has problem swallowing veg and don't like fruits But her iron, folic, Vit B, B12 and multi Vit are on going daily to maintain her improvement in iron. I ordered her B12 online which she can place under her tongue to dissolve so no more jab for her.
Thank God for looking after her as despite going through 10+ operations she is still a cheerful, bubbly, lovable darling girl.
A true little fighter!
My son had Pica as a toddler, we did all the tests and he had an iron deficiency, for us an iron supplement did the trick. I never knew there was a sensory side to it too! Wow but you really need to get the mom of the year award, always inspried by your posts!
I had no idea either. It’s amazing the things I’m learning along the way. I’m glad your sons pica was just a deficiency, makes it much easier to treat. Thanks for your support.
I never knew or heard anything about pica before, and how it affects the health and wellbeing of its sufferers. Autism patents and children should be given supervision and care they deserve and proper medication should be given to them at the appropriate time in other to control Autism. We should always pray for them and show them maximum love and care @mumofmany
Unfortunately there is not set medication available to control autism. It is a neurological disorder and it is different in every individual. Luckily their is medication for pica if it is caused by an iron or zinc deficiency, if it is not than there is no cure and diversion and supervision if they are children are the only measures to take. Thanks for your comment.
@mumofmany thanks for sharing this with us. Honestly I have never heard of such a thing before and even when I saw children exhibiting such attitudes, I thought it was a normal thing.
I really appreciate this post because I have now learnt one or two things and I will be paying close attention to children who exhibits such attitudes.
Thank you.
That is my aim here on steemit. To help others and myself learn as much as possible.
Pica... this is common in Children and in rare cases in adults. Myself do chew some non food items and this has been an habit . I chew mostly rubber band, rubber pen cover, nails which is a bad habit I’m willing to stop as an adult. Someone recommended chewing gum instead of this things but those are just readily available. Good thing you paid attention to master 10, I need to pay more attention to myself and not get carried away with things to the point of chewing non food items
Yes some adults do suffer from pica, if you are just chewing on things it’s not so and although I would pay attention to your teeth as they can be damaged by this activity. It’s when you actually eat the non food items that you can start to have serious consequences.
Thanks for you comment.
You’re most welcome my dear friend
Hello @mumofmany, I see this as something natural. We know there are problems with kids and adults.
It is true to say that prevention is better than cure. We need to avoid any kind of mis-hap but even if it does I guess we can handle it in a better way so that the children they don't get scared. You are doing a great parenting of these kids, may God bless you and all of them.
Preventing them from the behaviour is very difficult but absolutely better than having to deal with a serious health problem that can be caused by pica. Thanks for your support.
Yes you are absolutely right that was very disheartening. I hope he gets better. I always support you Ma'am. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for sharing this!! I knew that my little Man was prone to chewing on things and it is sensory, but did not know it was a defined activity with a medical definition! The one thing i would have to add is being careful with batteries from toys etc. If they are chewed and swallowed unwitnessed it is life threatening!
Absolutely, those pesky little things are deadly. Master 10 went through a phase of licking batteries. Thank goodness he never ate any of them but it totally freaked me out.
If you think your little man has pica I would definitely recommend seeing your GP. They will assess and if he does give you some fantastic pointers on how to handle it. Also having it on his medical record is important for if he ever becomes unwell.
Autism is not a curse. But most people in India believe in prejudice. And they see these children more than the eyes of negligence. And parents think of mistakes as a mistake. But do not wait to think of how real it really is. It is possible for an autism child to recover 80%. If they can be treated properly. And their love goes deeper. Because it works even more than proper medical science. Where the exact cause of autism is not known. You will be happy to know that currently the Government of Bangladesh is working for the autistic children to be mentally, healthier, and to make them the property of the country and they can be as effective as possible.
@mumofmany Thank you for sharing this post
That is great to hear that your government is trying to make a difference for the better. It is absolutely true that a child with autism who is loved and nurtured by their parents will absolutely do better than someone who is not.
It is a shame that their hasn’t been more education and acceptance of people with disabilities in so many countries. Hopefully the changes coming will make a difference.
Thanks for commenting.
yes we need to aware people about it. and must have to change our society.
I actually really learn a lot from these educative posts. Thank you
So lucky mum gives proper supervision to observe the Pica related behaviour early enough. It could truely expose them to a lot of harmful substances.
Purnishment is not an option here. It is best to make them realise the consequences of whatever they are doing. This applies in every other sphere of child training too. Without a reason, they my not really understand why you’re correcting them.
Thank you for sharing this post.
Thanks for commenting.
Unfortunately sometimes even when they are made aware of the consequences they can still not stop the behaviour. It is a compulsive behaviour. This is why it is so important to supervise them at all times no matter how difficult.
Exactly, with constant supervision the risk of harmful substances can be contained.
Thank you
Prevention is better than treatment »This is still the best advice to avoid injury
Diseases or disabilities as much as possible or to mitigate the risk of disabilities, in particular
People with autism. And because the causes of autism disorder are still unknown and not yet confirmed
Whether it is related to genetics or environmental conditions, the means of prevention are here
Used to avoid complications and developments of this disorder. The difficulties resulting from autism
Many unsatisfactory behaviors occur and these behaviors are not the result of being a person
The person with autism is stubborn, but is due to his lack of understanding of his environment.
Unfortunately trying to prevent a compulsive behaviour is almost impossible. They simply can not help themselves even when you have explained the risks involved. It is even more difficult when they are a small child and do not understand your explanation.
Supervision and diversion is the only way to treat pica, hopefully with age they will grow out of the behaviour but that is not always the case.
Thanks for commenting.
Few years back, i had a little cousin who loved to put things in his mouth, we always kept close watch on him so he would not harm himself by ingesting something wrong, and since i was a teacher at his school it was easier to monitor, he eventually outgrew it. its interesting how just few years later im getting to find out its a disorder called Pica.
You are absolutely right about this. I applaud all your effort. Management really is key. Thanks for sharing this
All children learn and discover by putting things in their mouths, especially at a young age. Children with pica actually eat non food items and continue to do so well past the age where it would be considered normal baby behaviour. So not all children have pica. It usually only occurs in those children who also have ASD, brain injuries affecting development and epilepsy.
Thanks for your comment.
Just recently, I have been watching The Good Doctor. The main character is an Autistic Surgeon. I am so amazed how well he has managed autism. I salute you @mumofmany for sharing this. Not many of us are aware of this behaviour. With your guidance and support, I believe your Master 10 will get through this.
I love that show, I think it really showcases how far someone with autism can go with the acceptance and guidance required.
Thanks for your support.
I, too, have a spectrum child and my goodness how they are all so different ... yet the same, too. Never heard of pica in these kids, though. Very insightful and informative post.
As with many things on the spectrum it’s just another behaviour that some have and some don’t. I have four children on the spectrum and they all have very different behaviours.
Thanks for reading.