nail Biting?

[froglove]

So Jacob has been a nail biter for awhile now. Thought he might just grow out of it.


Well it is not getting worse. One of his pinky toe he has chewed on so much its bloody at times.


How do I get him to stop? He bites on his toes the most. Is it related to Autism?

[ColCoolPants]

Has he been diagnosed with autism? If so, good luck on trying to get him to stop. Autistic children have nervous habits. My brother's is picking his nose. My mom tried everything to get him to stop, and he still does it to this day (he's 16). She has had some luck in getting him to back off because his nose is so raw on the inside that he has exposed a blood vessel. He sneezes and the blood just starts gushing. Other autistic children will play with themselves, pick at their skin, etc. I would just encourage him to stop. Offer some sort of incentive program like a monopoly dollar for every day that he goes without biting them. The monopoly dollars can be exchanged in twice a month for a toy less than $5.

[froglove]

Yes he has been diagnosed with Autism. I was thinking about trying the nail polish stuff that tastes bad. Anything to at least slow his biting down.

[ColCoolPants]

Does he do it at certain times like while watching tv or something? I mean, I would reward him for not doing it during one whole tv show.

[froglove]

Not that I have noticed. He just does it. Like today we were carving a pumpkin and all of a sudden he started biting his toe nail. just strange.

[Christine]

My son does it too. Or the skin on the bottom of his feet. I don't know how you get them to stop. I wish I knew.

It's called Pica. He has eaten other things, but not lately.

[froglove]

Originally Posted by Christine My son does it too. Or the skin on the bottom of his feet. I don't know how you get them to stop. I wish I knew. It's called Pica. He has eaten other things, but not lately.

I thought about Pica. But he doesnt eat other things. So didnt even consider that. Hmmmm I am going to have to talk to his doctor about this.