Pencil chewing

My daughter is nearly 8 and up until a few weeks ago sucked her middle and ring finger frequently. After many failed attempts she seems to have successfully stopped. She has always done it but until grade 1 it was mostly at home, as school became more difficult we noticed the finger sucking increasing.




She has now stopped it but chews all her pencils at school, in fact most things go in her mouth. I am constantly replacing her pencils. She says that she doesn't realize she is doing it. She is getting teased quite badly at school and her peers are alienating her from the group. She also struggles academically, particularly with Maths.

She is now refusing to go to school and our once carefree daughter seems anxious, confused and sad. Is this an SPD issue and should I take her to an OT.

Any suggestions for the oral fixation? I don't want to give her an aid to chew as I think this will enhance the teasing are there any discreet alternatives?



Comments for Pencil chewing

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Jan 07, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Chews and eats pencil
by: Anonymous

Child eats his pencils and swallows the contents. We have tried chewery and chewy for top of pencil. he had them gone in two weeks. We are out of ideas . Anyone know what would cause this behavior and what we can do to stop it
Jan 26, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		options for not chewing on pencil
by: Anonymous

You can also try having a crunchy/chewy snack in class and a camelbak water bottle is nice b/c you have to suck to get water out, sucking can be calming as well. I have also found the chewy pencil toppers to be helpful and gum if student can manage and teacher will allow, but it does get old easily. sometimes kids just need a movement break, so you might try having the student stand and work at times.
Nov 30, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		Worried Grandma
by: Anonymous

My 6 year old grandson who has had to deal with his parents terrible angry 2 yr. divorce ever since he was two,has been packed up and gone back and forth with split custody for years now bites his pencil lead down to the nub, is there something wrong with him? Kids make fun of him because he refuses to color within the lines and his Dad and grandma both had a.d.h.d.but have grown out of most of it. The Doctor has him on stratera but it is not working, he has lost too much weight, and is down to 35#, what can the grandparent do to help him or get him help?
May 31, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		Chew Stix
by: Adrienne

I know this is an old post but perhaps for people like me searching for an answer this may help. Chew Stixx are pencil toppers that look like an "eraser extension" there are yellow and come in both smooth and bumpy. This has helped my 8 yr old son. They are fairly discreet. Good Luck!
Sep 14, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		ideas for kid chewing
by: Anonymous

"Chewelry" is a necklace heart designed to be chewed. The kids at school don't tease my daughter about it and it really helps meet the oral needs so other stuff doesn't go into her mouth. I've seen some mom jewelry at natural food stores that is supposed to be safe for babies to chew on. It would be a little more grown up looking. I don't have a name for that though. An OT eval may give you some good ideas for addressing this. Ask your pediatrician for a referral. Also, if she struggles in math have you asked for a special education evaluation?
Aug 15, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		chewing idea
by: Anonymous

http://www.henryot.com/index.asp

Diana Henry is an OT with some great resources. I purchased a chew pencil from her workshop store that has a clear stiff tub stuck on the end of a regular #2 yellow pencil. It has worked well for my students.

http://store.schoolspecialtyonline.net/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?minisite=10206&item=83951

The necklace idea has worked too. Can you talk with your teacher about letting your child chew gum in class? That has worked for my students.
Aug 15, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		pencil chewing
by: Anonymous

I attended a Diana Henry OT workshop and in her toolkit store she sold normal yellow number 2 pencils with clear stiff tubing stuck on the end over the eraser that extended 3-4 inches for students to chew on. I purchased a few for my students. They have worked well. Her site http://www.henryot.com/index.asp has a link to the site School Specialty

http://store.schoolspecialtyonline.net/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?minisite=10206&item=83951

The necklace idea has worked well also. Will your school OT work with the teacher on allowing chewing gum in the classroom for your child?
Aug 14, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		chewing on clothing
by: Anonymous

My son used to chew the top of his tee shirts when he was 6 and 7. I was beside myself trying to get him to stop. His OT therapist told me he's getting sensory input from doing this. They gave him a "necklace" with plastic tubing to chew on. I was mortified, but the other kids didn't even notice but they did notice when the front of his shirt was all scrunched up and sopping wet. Maybe you can make a necklace out of colorful string and decorate it with something she can chew on, but looks like jewelry. My son stopped doing it by the age of 8. I can't tell you how much OT has helped him to handle his sensory issues. Don't hesitate to take her to OT.
It was the best decision I made for him. Good luck!

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