Help! My son will not stop ruining his clothes by Chewing!!

Post Reply New Topic

My son is on the spectrum and he will not stop chewing on his clothes. I tried to deter him from it, putting a bitterant on it, and scolding him but he will not stop. Gum has not helped either. Will he grow out of this? I can't always keep an eye on him and the second I look away he starts chewing on it!

Hi and welcome . This is a very common issue in sensory seeking children on the spectrum. Chewing helps with anxiety and to calm people down. It can be a form of stimming. It falls under the Sensory Integration bracket, and an Occupational Therapist would be your go to if you have any major concerns.

Reasons that chewing can be helpful for individuals with special needs.

*Chewing can help with anxiety and can help calm down a child with special needs.

*When overstimulated a child with special needs may feel the need to bite or chew to help regain balance.

*Chewing may be due to a condition called Pica.

*A child may be getting new teeth in or may have a cavity.

For a selection of “chew replacements such as chewytubes, pencil toppers ... depending on age ... https://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2013/10/07/10-sensory-chew-toys-for-children-with-autism-other-special-needs/

Why do autistic children like to chew?
https://www.sensorydirect.com/2014/07/autistic-kids-chew/

Tips to assist children who like to chew on clothing etc ... consider adaptive clothing, activity alternatives/replacements ...
https://specialkids.company/blogs/latest-news/top-tips-to-stop-children-with-autism-chewing-on-clothes

My two boys, both chewed on clothing when in school. It was a sign of their heightening anxiety. They did grow out of it, as they matured but it was mostly down to ensuring things were more predicatble than not in their world.

Basically, it’s important to offer a substitute for the clothing that meets the needs of your child’s urge to chew ... the following site offers alternatives to chew on ...
https://www.multi-sensoryworld.co.uk/search?q=chewing

It’s important not to draw attention to the chewing behaviour as this will only reinforce it.
We are highly anxious people and need predictable structure. If you’re doing house renovations or can think of any changes in the home environment that may be causing heightened anxiety in your son, this can lead to an increase in stimulatory behaviour. Not sure of the age or level your child is working/functioning at, but as he matures, his ability to handle stressful situations depends on those around him maintaining calm and responding appropriately. He needs to be “allowed” to stim when he needs to. This will be very important for his mental health.

Important not to scold or shame him. Chewing could well be communication behaviour which means “Mum, I’m stressed ... help me!”.

I had two clothes chewers, one on the spectrum, the other not. Both have anxiety. We tried a few alternative items to try to get away from clothes, but they didn't work for us.

The balance I found with it was hoodies. Cheap or free hoodies. Yeah, the hoodies still got wrecked, but nice shirts no longer did. I got lucky sometimes and an old sibling had one they had outgrown that wasn't too destroyed. Other times I'd just grab some off season on a clearance rack and stock up. Fit was never too important since they are generally worn oversized anyway. Once one gets too tattered, grab a new one. I was mostly concerned about the cost of it all though. Replacing destroyed, seasonally appropriate shirts was getting expensive.

I think both grew out of it by middle school, but it wasn't so problematic by late elementary. They found other ways to decompress, self soothe, so on, as they grew.

Other posters have linked the behavior to anxiety, and I agree with that.

It's a stim, in all likelihood - it's like a messenger, and the underlying message is that they find this means of self-support to be necessary in the presence of emotional or sensory duress.

It may be good to redirect the support, particularly towards anything you can sustain without breaking the bank or their health, then let it ride as much as it must - further removal of the stim must not precede addressing the need for it.

This may take time, the availability of other coping mechanisms, etc. I'd be strongly inclined to investigate meditation, and to address any environmental or social sources of duress, as much as possible.

Needing to chew does not make them a faulty or bad person. Root out any such judgement, and don't accept it from others either. Celebrate them as they are, and support them to develop towards healthy and wholesome (conducive to long term well-being) methods of self support.

In my opinion is a stim which he will most likely grow out of.

When I was young I was a thumb sucker. As I entered kindergarten, I was told this was not appropriate behavior so I ceased and substituted chewing in its place. My mom bought me a Davey Crockett leather jacket with tassels on the sleeves. Over two years I chewed off all the tassels, one at a time and then my mom threw the jacket away. So I switched to a different form, I became a nail bitter.

To end a stim, transition to another stim and then eventually over the years, the urge for stimming will dissolve away. At least that is my experience.

I love Juliette's thorough answer.

Don't increase his anxiety and stress by making this is discipline issue (it backfires). Do try to redirect him to more appropriate chew targets.

The most effective diversions for my son were straws and carrots. The problem was that neither are available during school hours. We tried things like chewy necklaces but they aren't really socially acceptable for boys. Chew-able pencil toppers would be good if they can be found.

My son chewed through a lot of clothing.

And pencils (the amount of lead that child must have eaten has always freaked me out).

The advantage of clothing is that it is always there. Some autistics chew on themselves (hands, etc) for the same reason: always available. I am glad my son choose the clothes.

He did eventually grow out of it. Sometime in middle school, I think.

I used to chew sleeves of shirts till the shirt was ripped and bite myself, had therapeutic value. I grew out of it eventually but then begun chewing the inner of my lip.

Chewing on things was an issue when I was a child, and I still get the urge to chew on certain things. It really only
"stopped" when I got braces, but now that they're off I find myself gnawing on things again...

My parents did things like the hoodie suggestion. I would chew on the collars and sleeves of all my clothing, so they had me wear hoodies and long sleeved shirts they didn't care about. Nothing could stop my chewing as I only like to do so to specific things, so it had to be worked around. Scolding me didn't work and giving me gum didn't work, but giving me an acceptable and appropriate outlet for it did.

The chewing is soothing. Soothe your child and help him find ways to do so. Scolding will increase chewing.

My NT (non ASD) but HSP (highly sensitive, anxiety) son is a chewer. Age 4-5 was the worst. I got him "chewelry" in a LEGO shape which helped spare the clothing. He used it for a few months and stopped chewing his clothing. Now at 6, at the onset of the pandemic the stress went up and he briefly chewed his clothes, then switched to snacking and that was a problem (weight gain from excessive apple eating, who knew?). That was solved with a water bottle on hand at all times. Still at home he has something in his mouth near constantly - mostly his (real) LEGOs, but he'll also grabs my fidget toys and puts those in his mouth. Works for us.

Related, my ASD daughter started biting her nails last year at age 8. We talked about being aware and finding substitutes. She stopped biting her nails suddenly (she doesn't know why - ironically, is she less stressed during the pandemic? few social demands, at home with a supportive attentive mother) but knows she has a teeth grinding issue. Recently she's taken to sucking on a wet towel as an alternative at bedtime.

I trust my children to find solutions. ASD folks are fairly good at responding to requests that are well reasoned and helpful. I definitely do not scold my children since I was subjected to that as a child and it was soul crushing. For HSPs it is a shame creator and self esteem killer. In general ASD folks benefit from understanding and support (comfort, problem solving) rather than "corrections".

BTW - It helps that I buy thrift clothes, so it cost $1 to replace a chewed shirt, so no financial pressure (but I dislike shopping so wanted to avoid the inconvenience).

Likely the feel of the cloth is part of what he likes. Otherwise I would recommend the "superchew" necklaces - but they are a rubbery texture.

You could try some of the following:

1. Neckties, handkerchiefs tied around the neck, etc. - easily replaceable and handy fabric he can chew instead of shirts. This would work best if he is young enough that peers won't tease.

2. Thrift store shirts!! ! Honestly, why buy new clothes for kids who will just ruin it and don't care about fashion? Even NT kids stain everything...and used clothing is often softer, which is great if you have sensory issues. You can also join groups on social media where people are giving away or selling clothing for cheap. Just make sure you collect the clothing in a safe meeting place.

3. If he likes to chew on his sleeves, try making a loose bracelet out of braided shoelaces. Or cheap hoodies like another person said. I used to be a sleeve/hoodie string chewer, and a bracelet like that would have been fantastic.