pica

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has anyone else had to deal with eating disorder. my aspie neice eats paper.

I've only recently discovered that I'm an Aspie, though now we're thinking there are alot in our family. My nephew has not been diagnosed but should probably be evaluated for it. He ate dirt for couple years as a toddler. In fact, we could barely let him loose outside or he'd run and start shoveling it in his mouth by the handful. He'd see us coming after him and would just quickly try to keep shoveling in as much as possible until we got to him. And he had has always eaten hair even as a baby and continues to eat hair even at the age of 5.

I ate paper at one point, I think its quite common particully things like carpet and paint I think since these have gluenton in them, If you want a good book on Gluenton free see Luke jackson's book on the subject puublished by Jesisca kingsley.

Hi auntda - For some autistic children, pica behaviour can be a self-stimulating activity. It's difficult to determine if it's directly related to nutritional deficiencies. There's limited research with pica specifically in autistic children, but it's estimated that around 30% have moderate to severe pica.

Those with pica, tend to crave things like dirt, clay, paint chips, plaster, chalk, cornstarch, laundry starch, baking soda, coffee grounds, cigarette ashes, burnt match heads, cigarette butts, and rust. Glue, hair, buttons, paper, sand, toothpaste, soap, oyster shells, and broken crockery also have been cited in pica cases.

The following was some information I forwarded when a mother was concerned that her child was eating paint(off walls and from painted cots). Goes without saying that treatment should be sought immediately if a child is exposed to heavy metal poisoning should there be lead in the paint or in the soil. Living in or visiting a house(or daycare) that was built before 1950, or that was built before 1978 and is being remodelled, heightens the risk factor for lead poisoning. A visit to your paediatrician may well be in order, as pica can sometimes be associated with mineral deficiencies, including a deficiency or iron and/or zinc. Pica can put your child at risk of other poisonings and parasite infections and can lead to constipation from obstruction.

There's been quite a bit of pica in a number of generations of my family(paper, paint, dirt.)

I used to like to eat dirt as a kid. I loved the taste. I still do, but I'll stick to those itty bitty corn cobs now. I also had a problem with licking everything I could get my mouth on. It wasn't because I wanted to taste them, but because I wanted to feel their texture in my mouth.

i have many students ( aspie and autie) that have pica....makes you have to be very diligent about what's in their environment

Pica is also very common in cats, especially Siamese. It manifests itself in wool-sucking.

I dunno if it counts as pica---I never thought of it that way before---but I eat paper all the time. I chew on Q-tips and before I know it, everything but the cotton tufts are gone. I have eaten sheets of paper, one small ball at a time, without realizing it. I chew on toothpicks, and they, too, disappear. I always need something in my mouth; gum, pens, pencils, paper, toothpicks, Q-tips, candy, etc. I view it more as a stim than anything else. I've always associated pica with eating things like paint or sand or stuff like that.

I eat paper in an absent minded way - for instance, if there's a torn bit on one corner of a page where a staple's been ripped out, I can't help but to tear it off and eat it. It's certainly not a 'craving' (and I get my share of them!!) more just something to do. A stim, I suppose. I've done it since I started school.

If it's not a vast amount they're eating, and the paper itself is clean and not that glossy coloured stuff treated with all sorts of chemicals and dyes, it shouldn't do any real damage, should it?

When I was a toddler, I ate rocks, shoveled them by the handful into myself

I "mostly" stopped by age 2, so I don't think it was Pica. However even at 3 and 4, my mother had to be careful of my going off at parks and licking the wrappers of discarded candies and chocolate bars, chip crumbs, whatever I could get my hands on!

I ate paper, I liked it, my parents for the most part ignored it as "attention seeking behavior" only they would use logic if they thought I was in danger, by advising me that perhaps that paper has a toxic ink on it, you should not eat "that" paper, go get a fresh one!" They would also correct my behavior if we where in public, by letting me know it was not "socially acceptable" to eat paper in a mall, a restaurant, anywhere that strangers would see me.

Overtime, I stopped eating paper, would start again, and then stop. I don't think it was Pica though, I agree, it was stimming, and maybe a little bit of attention seeking!

I also as a teen, would mouth pop bottle liners, wooden matches, straws, all sorts of non food items. Again though, I don't think this was PICA, I think it was stimming.

Does your niece eat anything other then paper? Are these things really harmful? How old is she?

I agree, gum may be a good alternative. I used to chew a lot of gum, even when it got hard and nasty, it really helped with the stimming. If she is eating nasty ink covered paper, then try to suggest to her, "that paper is not healthy, here is a better one". Also, include social skills lessons, it is like picking your nose, you don't do it in public.

One thing as a caution though, is in the future make sure that you keep a real close eye on her with smoking. I think a lot of Aspies with strong oral fixation urges take to the nasty addiction more then their NT counterparts. I started smoking at 15, and it replaced many of my other oral stims. When I quit at 22, I went through 6 impossible months and then 3 difficult years resisting it. Yes, it is chemically addictive, but to the Aspie, it is also a high priority interest and repetitive movement, doubly difficult to break!

I remember finding online support groups, most people who quit did not suffer like me, after a month or so, if they where not smoking, they got their lives back! Not me. *sigh*. I met a few other people like me online, but what better venue for an undiagnosed Aspie to try and kick the habbit, exchanging an all incompassing obsession and stim for smoking with online internet, (replacement stim) reading, (replacement stim) and net friends? (non threatening individuals to offer support)

I got it!

Quilling!

Check this out, http://www.creativepapercrafts.com/prod ... lling.aspx

Google Quilling, and also look over the other paper arts on the page above.

With this craft, you can make really complex paper designs, using tiny strip of cut paper! Those who get really good at it, can sell the cards for a lot of $$.

Most people enjoy the quilling, hate the cutting of strips! You can buy strips, but they are hard to come by. If she does not like the quilling, she probably could sell strips on EBAY!

I don't know if this would interest her, but these are FABULOUS books for a young girl, around 12 years of age.

Any paper doll book made by Dover, but especially the girly ones that deal with fashion or brides, or ancient civilazations.

You can also get a wide range of historical period dolls too.





These tend to be very sophisticated, and while "younger" girls like them too, they are made more for the tween.

Check em out here: http://store.doverpublications.com/0486246221.html

You should be able to find them in high end toystores and book stores too!

Hopefully, she won't eat them! They do look yummy!