Those here with older kids who suck their thumb -

[rafiki]

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[Jennifer-72]

Does your ds do this when he is in a low state of arousal or does he do it to bring himself down from too much stimulation? You probably already have a very good idea as to when you will find him engaging in thumbsucking, but you may want to keep a detailed log for a week noting times and length of thumbsucking, what sensory activities he did that day and when, his general state of arousal throughout the day. It may give you more info on what difference certain activities have on it or when would be a good time to repeat them throughout the day.

 

Have you tried helping him make the connection between his thumbsucking and his overall arousal level? I would use the ALERT program to say to ds that I could tell his engine was running low and perhaps _______ activity would help him move just right....

[GypsieFamily]

:lurk5:

 

DD9 and DD6 still suck their thumbs. No connection or time of day.

[Trabug]

Dd9 quit last month. Ortho made a signed contract w/her that if in 3 weeks at her next appt she hadn't quit, she would give him her lovey. It was signed by her and every hygienist then she was promised treats if she quit and told about rubbing a jalapeño on her fingers. She cried for a few min. At office, but made me take her to the store on the way home. She did it herself every night for 1 week, and hasn't looked back.

 

It was a little more tough love than I usually go for, but the results were immediate. We had tried everything else you mentioned at 6 & 8 yo, so I was a little desperate. I think it helped that I wasn't the enforcer.

 

Dd is not ASD, but a smidge SID + drama queen. Ds is ASD.

[TravelingChris]

DD 14 still does it occasionally at night. Very occasionally but what can I do? Nothing.

[coffeegal]

My thumb suckers quit around 8-9 yo. I kept talking to them about it, but didn't force the issue, until they were ready to quit. Ds (8) received a candy bar for the first week without sucking his thumb, and then we picked up Halloween Oreos for the family at the 3 week mark. My other 2 thumb suckers quit at the same time. It seemed to help to do it together. :001_smile:

[PeterPan]

Have you looked at the z-vibe? Any place that sells z-vibes will have other types too. The z-vibe has different tips. There's a really snazzy animal kind of vibrating mouthing toy too. Zvibes come with chewy on one end and a spot to insert a pencil as well. Socially acceptable, discreet.

 

My ds has been going through fingers for a couple months now. The SLP says it's sensory and that he's trying to make sense of all the new things he's feeling as he's acquiring new sounds. When he gets really mouthy during the day, I offer him a large (whole) carrot, which he also seems to like. Or I'll feed him several grapes or other chunks of stuff at once to give him lots of sensation. Anything crunchy is good.

[Bootsie]

Does he want to stop? My dd sucked her thumb until she was 12. She didn't care if other kids called her a baby because of it--her response was "But, it is so ME!" Ds was not a thumbsucker; if he got fussy she say to him in exasperation "Why don't you just suck your thumb?"

 

Dh had a beard when she was 11. She didn't like it. He made a deal with her--stop sucking your thumb and I will shave off my beard.

 

That helped, but we would still find her sucking her thumb in her sleep. The orthodontist made an appliance that fit in the top of her mouth with spikes that made sucking her thumb uncomfortable.

[elise1mds]

DS9 still sucks his thumb, though not constantly any more. He does it when he's overtired/overstimulated; it helps him calm down. I try to let that thumbnail grow longer than the rest of his fingernails because he hates when it pokes him in the roof of the mouth. That's the only deterrent I've found so far.

[Tokyomarie]

That helped, but we would still find her sucking her thumb in her sleep. The orthodontist made an appliance that fit in the top of her mouth with spikes that made sucking her thumb uncomfortable.

 

My son's orthodontist did the same when ds he put in ds's palate expander. No go. My guy was just too determined & found a way around it. He also didn't have a problem with Tabasco or anything else spicy- he now LOVES Tabasco.

 

Nothing helped until ds finally stopped on his own at way too late an age to mention in public.

[happycc]

I think a few times in the teens and early adult years...

 

My parents tried every threat possible. I think when I was early teen they had these prongs on my orthodontic braces that poked my thumb and tongue. I think everything made it worse for me.

Hence why I sucked my thumb forever.

 

I have children who are major nursers. They nursed forever. I think they too had an oral need. I didn;t want them to use bottles because I knew they would be hooked and kept them away from pacifiers and didn;t want them to use their thumbs. They weaned earlier than me quitting my thumb and my brothers from their binkies.

Edited October 16, 2011 by happycc

[tenoraddict]

My take on it is that you know what your child needs. Our dentist started in on our 3rd DS when he was about 6.5/7ish. He sucked 2 fingers, and usually only at night or when distraught. After we got his SID diagnosis and started OT, I told her (the dentist) that he was in therapy for his SID and I was not going to fight the sucking battle when I was dealing with so much other stuff with him. I basically told her, in a nice way, to lay off. She mentioned it again recently when he was 8.5. I told her that if she had seen photos of this child in infancy, before he had any teeth, she would've seen that it was obvious that he would need braces (7" overbite!).

 

So are you interested in getting your DS to stop thumb-sucking or getting your dentist to back off?

[kewb]

I was a thumb sucker and the more my parents tried to get me to quit the worse it became. I learned to do it in secret. I finally quit for good around 9 when my parents backed off.

[ChristusG]

I know of two people (now adults) who sucked their thumbs until they were into their mid to late teens. I know a 7 year old who still sucks her thumb now.

 

From what I've heard, it's very common.