AUTISM PICA SYNDROME HOW TO
AUTISM PICA SYNDROME PROFESSIONAL
AUTISM PICA SYNDROME SERIES

Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the MCHB, HRSA, HHS, or Autism Speaks. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Research Program to the Massachusetts General Hospital. It is supported by cooperative agreement UA3 MC 11054 through the U.S. 'These materials are the product of on-going activities of the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network, a funded program of Autism Speaks.

AUTISM PICA SYNDROME PROFESSIONAL

Treatments that require professional help Why do children with autism and other developmental disabilities have pica?

The Pica Tool Kits for Parents and Professionals help parents and primary care providers understand more about pica, the signs and symptoms, as well as the ways to treat and prevent it. Pica often occurs in people with developmental disabilities such as autism and is considered a psychiatric condition in that context. The behavior is common among those with autism and other developmental disabilities however, the exact prevalence of pica in these populations is unknown and potentially, underreported (Beeker, 2008). Other children hold things in their mouths and move them around only swallowing the item occasionally. Children exhibiting pica eat a variety of non-food items such as clay, mud, paperclips, hair, or paint. For example, a child may eat food from a garbage can or bite off a piece of a toy plastic car and swallow it quickly. If you have questions on this or other parenting questions related to autism you can directly connect and have a conversation with Jennifer Rainey on Autism’Tude.Pica, the repeated eating of non-food items, is the eating disorder most often displayed by children with autism.

Once nutritional deficiencies are either ruled out or addressed, if your child is still engaging in chewing or eating non-edible objects it’s time to consider other potential causes and interventions…more to come on that in Part 2! The disorder has been diagnosed in 27-68 of pregnant women and in up to 50 of very young children. If nutritional deficiencies are identified, they can usually be easily treated through supplementation, but it may also be helpful to consider working with a dietician, particularly if your child eats an especially selective diet.Īn occupational or speech therapist with training in feeding issues can also offer support with helping your child to expand their diet, as restrictive eating often has to do with underlying sensory processing issues.

AUTISM PICA SYNDROME HOW TO

Your child’s doctor may want to consider other testing.) How to address nutritional deficiencies in Pica? (**This is a general guideline and not necessarily all inclusive. worms or larvae in the stool or other clinical symptoms)

Test for parasites if there is reason for concern (i.e.

Iron studies (ferritin, TIBC, serum iron).

I suggest starting by talking to your child’s doctor about ordering blood work to determine if this could be a factor in your child’s chewing habits.Īccording to the Autism Speaks Provider’s Guide to Managing PICA in Children with Autism, basic blood work to check for underlying causes of chewing/mouthing/eating inedible objects should include the following: Deficiencies in certain nutrients, most commonly zinc and/or iron, can lead to chewing/mouthing of non-food objects. So, first up, I want to talk about one possible underlying cause of chewing behaviors: nutritional deficiencies. Pica, the repeated eating of non-food items, is the eating disorder most often.

AUTISM PICA SYNDROME SERIES

I am going to do this in a series of posts instead of all in one so as not to overwhelm with too much information at once! Possible cause of Pica – Nutritional Deficiencies the medical and behavioral treatment of the pica of children with autism.

It is still an on-going challenge for us, but I have learned a number of things over the years that have helped to reduce the chewing/mouthing and to make it more manageable, so I’d like to share those with all of you. Does your child have an insatiable need to chew on and/or eat inedible objects? This is not uncommon among children with autism and I have quite a bit of first hand experience with this with my son.

Autism pica syndrome