oral sensory help please cross posted

[Melissa in Australia]

I have one twin who seem to need lots of oral sensory input. He lickes everything. . I just recently took him to Melbourne for a dr appointment at the children's hospital. he was running his hands over toilet seats and licking them, running hands over the top of the sanitary disposal bins and licking them. it is so gross,he does it as a very quick motion. if you are not watching very closely you wouldn't see him lick his hand. We have to go back to the children's hospital for his surgery at the end of this week. I need helpful suggestions on what I can do.

We have been telling him to not lick things for a long time. it doesn't make any difference. we have tried sensory chew  necklaces etc. I don't think he is consciously aware that he licks everything

His licking things is not so bad at home, probably because he has already licked everything here.

 What can I do short of carrying a bleach bottle and cleaning/disinfecting everything in front of him.

[Rosie_0801]

He still has retained primitive reflexes? That'd be one thing to work on.

[geodob]

It seems that he isn't licking the object, but rather his hands/ fingers after touching them?

I knew that their is a bitter nail polish, that is used to stop biting nails. So I just had a look, and their are also some bitter tasting creams. That can be applied to his fingers, which is also used to stop thumb-sucking.  So that you could try one of these. Apparently they are very concentrated, and only need the slightest amount of cream. 

Here's a link to one example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Control-It-Stop-Thumb-Sucking-Nail-Biting-Cream-3-Pack-All-Natural-Kid-Safe-/122737876937

 

[PeterPan]

I visited the SN program at a church where a boy (older, probably 11) was doing this. In his case, it was a way of exploring the environment. He was non-verbal, so I started following his eyes, engaging with him, acknowledging it in a positive way (it was people, not toilets) and putting words to it (how the person thing tasted or smelled, why it was interesting), doing it with him. He actually stopped. There's research behind using VBA and specifically attention to voice (a step they teach) to replace stims. They explain it in chapter 3 of the Greer text on VBA. Maybe a behaviorist could help you. What's his surgery for? I hope it goes well.

Fwiw, the progression was attention to voice then attention to printed word (books) and toys, replacing stereotypy (stims). So engagement is always good, having someone who can be his person to help him wait, but that's something they can try to do, upping his support and then transitioning it to attention to something that is easy to take to the appointments (a book with buttons he can push, a transformer toy that flips back and forth, whatever works for him). 

My ds is verbal and seems (externally) fine, but he really does better when he has a person assigned to him. It seems sorta obvious when you put it that way, but it took us a lot of years to figure out. We were just trying to do the normal thing, going places and taking him along, and it wasn't enough support. So now, anywhere we go, there's a plan for who his support person is. I don't know if that's your ds, but that's something that kinda crept up on us.

[Melissa in Australia]

12 hours ago, PeterPan said:

I visited the SN program at a church where a boy (older, probably 11) was doing this. In his case, it was a way of exploring the environment. He was non-verbal, so I started following his eyes, engaging with him, acknowledging it in a positive way (it was people, not toilets) and putting words to it (how the person thing tasted or smelled, why it was interesting), doing it with him. He actually stopped. There's research behind using VBA and specifically attention to voice (a step they teach) to replace stims. They explain it in chapter 3 of the Greer text on VBA. Maybe a behaviorist could help you. What's his surgery for? I hope it goes well.

Fwiw, the progression was attention to voice then attention to printed word (books) and toys, replacing stereotypy (stims). So engagement is always good, having someone who can be his person to help him wait, but that's something they can try to do, upping his support and then transitioning it to attention to something that is easy to take to the appointments (a book with buttons he can push, a transformer toy that flips back and forth, whatever works for him). 

My ds is verbal and seems (externally) fine, but he really does better when he has a person assigned to him. It seems sorta obvious when you put it that way, but it took us a lot of years to figure out. We were just trying to do the normal thing, going places and taking him along, and it wasn't enough support. So now, anywhere we go, there's a plan for who his support person is. I don't know if that's your ds, but that's something that kinda crept up on us.

I am the support person. 

When we are out at most times I hold his hand to ground/earth  him ( keep him from accelerating behaviour). Obviously while he is going to the toilet I cannot do this. Because of the distance I have to travel to take him to the Children's Hospital ( 400 km) he has to use public toilets. 

 

surgery is Tibialis Anterior Tendon Transfer  He will be in a wheelchair for approx 6 weeks afterwards

[PeterPan]

Oh dear, well I hope the time goes by quickly for him and that the surgery is successful!