Thumb sucking

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I'm new to this forum, and I've looked for something like this for the past 6 months. My son was diagnosed "95% likelihood of AS with ADHD" about 18 months ago by a developmental pediatrician, and my learning curve has been slow. I wanted initially to be ahead of the game and try to be proactive in preventing problems by preparing him for situations he may encounter. I quickly found that I was having to tackle problems as they presented themselves. But that has been tough. I found I knew so little about what he goes through. I guess it has been hard to find support and information I can rely upon because I have to rely upon what I read. We live in a rural community in the U.S West, and distance and cost seem to separate us from therapies and support groups that might help. Our rural school district has few resources. Thank heavens for the internet. I've found information and things to try that have been helpful in understanding him, as well as teaching him to manage himself. He is very, what some would call, high functioning. Until you are around him for a time, you really can't see a difference between him and other boys his age. We don't have many overt struggles.

My current concern and problem is his thumb-sucking/picking. He's 8 and his permanent teeth are coming in crooked. The dentist feels it is becoming necessary to consider a device placed inside the mouth to discourage the thumb sucking. I am leery of spending that much money on something I feel would not really address the problem. Sucking is his self-calming mechanism, it is stimming, not just a habit. It has a use and function in his world. My question,then, is, do I need to work on helping him find a more appropriate calming activity before trying to remove this one, or by trying conventional methods of breaking this habit, will he likely find a better soothing action on his own? We did use a glove fastened onto his wrist to stop the habit in Preschool, but when the stress of the approaching Kindergarten year came, he started up again. I'm afraid the same thing will happen if we invest the money in a dental device. He doesn't suck his thumb at school, but anywhere else (the bus ride home, home, church, the store) doesn't seem to bother him, even though we've discussed how he should not do this around other people everywhere and not just at school. His reply is that at school, kids said things about it, but everywhere else, people seem okay with it. Any ideas?

I sucked my thumb. I have a slight overbite. It causes no problems whatsoever.

I don't know much about thumb-sucking, but I have my doubts about the connection to crooked teeth and its importance. For one thing, my daughter sucked her thumb, and she had an under-bite.

For another, I don't trust the medical community or conventional wisdom. Specialists tend to focus on their specialty as though it's the only thing that matters, and forget that there's a whole person to consider. Stress does a lot of awful things that few of them seem to care about, and will kill you a lot faster than a cosmetic issue like hand flapping or crooked teeth.

Also, this expensive dental device is a gamble, and probably no more likely to "work" than the glove fastened onto his wrist. And both seem dehumanizing.

If he's an intelligent eight-year-old, maybe you can work with him and brainstorm together. Maybe you can figure out together what he likes about thumb-sucking, and is there something else that's almost as good? It could be something as simple as a stick of gum or a more complex attitude adjustment? Whatever it is, it would be better if it comes from within, with mom's support, rather than something forced on him.

I'm 15 and I still suck my thumb sometimes. I never had a dummy/pacifier as a baby, but I don't think its had any real affect on my teeth, although my 2 front are kind of crooked and my little finger can fit in the overbite. I don't care a huge amount though, it isn't noticeable.

The main teeth that would become crooked from thumb-sucking probably already came in, right? If he is going to need braces anyway, I am not sure what the point would be to add yet another device that he may have sensory issues with. I had a thumb sucking issue, until I got bribed out of it at 9. I had an overbite, but I had too little space in my mouth for my teeth per the orthodontist,, so I would have needed to wear braces, regardless.

Ok, I am a cautionary tale. I sucked my thumb until I was 8. That's when the dentist put the little thingy in my mouth, probably like the one they want for your son. (ok so there are two kinds, one with spikes and one with out. DO NOT let them give your son spikes.) I have had braces since then, and I am 15 now. Stop your son from sucking his thumb. He will be glad if he doesn't have to have braces and orthodontia in his mouth for the rest of his life.
You should try to find an alternative first, though, I agree. He won't just stop, so the mouth thing is probably the way to go. I still suck my thumb at night but there is nothing I can do about it since I am asleep. You should try something like carrying a fuzzy in his pocket.

I sucked my thumb until mocked for it at school. I was sad to give it up. Such simple and deep soothing. I had no dental problems from it, but i must have been five or six when I stopped.

First I stopped doing it in public, then only did it at night when I was going to sleep, then stopped completely.

I sucked my thumb till I was 10. I did have to wear a brace on my front teeth for a short time when I was 12, but that wasn't related to the thumb sucking. I seem to remember reading that thumb sucking has little to no effect on how teeth come in. Maybe the teeth would be coming in crooked anyway.

Thanks for this subject. My daughter is 15 and she still sucks her thumb. Has since the day she was born. I never thought of it as stimming, but makes sense since she has ADHD and Aspies. She does not have any problems with her teeth. I notice it alot when she's tired and I guess is trying to relax. She has no other stimming symptoms that she uses and I'm aware of.

Again, thanks for the topic. Puts my mind at ease that she's still a teen and sucks her thumb. We always ridicule her for it, but am going to think twice next time...

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate the diversity of perspectives. Sure, thumb sucking isn't the end of the world, but I sometimes wonder what drives the need to suck. Is it comfort only, and if so, what drives that need for comfort? Can I help relieve the stress? Is it just a sensation that keeps him on an even keel? Is it a mere habit? It is sometimes hard for me to distinguish strictly behavioral things and behaviors driven by sensory processing differences. I needed to see other perspectives. Thanks again.

I sucked my thumb until I was in my late teens. I was warned this might cause problems with my teeth. I am 41 with a little overbite and this is all.
I am thinking this was a method of sensory focus to counter sensory overwhelm. For example, if I was focused on having my thumb in my mouth, I was not focused on what was going on around me as much.
It was also comforting. I quit doing this in public when I was about 6, due to pressure from my parents, teacher, but not my peers...they never seemed to care, which I think is a little funny now. It only made the adults uncomfortable as far as I noticed. Never was I teased for it by peers (lucky me?). My parents tried all sorts of stuff. I recall a tabasco flavored nail paint. I stuck my painted thumb in my mouth and said "Mmmm, good!".
I eventually quit due to an imposed idea...what might a boyfriend or husband think of this behavior? So in a nutshell, "shame" got me to quit.
Sucking my thumb relieved anxiety. I ended up replacing this habit with another, and society doesn't approve of it much either.