Sensory solutions for an 8 year old with a pacifier?

Question

My partner's has twin 8 year old brothers and we think onf of them may have Aspergers. My partner is SPED certified and II work in an autism classroom.

Charlie is 8 and still uses his "plug" every night. Some of this has to do with parenting and his being allowed to for this long. He is aware that he will need braces in the future, and he is aware that it is embarrassing if anyone but his family knows that he still uses his plub. But he cant kick it. It calms him down when he is stressed or bored. I want to find an alternative, more socially appropriate, and less damaging to his teeth solution. I got a ChewEase from work and I am going to see what he thinks of that, but I am looking for other ideas. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

What about the pacifier does he find soothing? Is it the chewing or sucking sensation or just having something in his mouth? Maybe some of both? If it is chewing, try chewing sugar free gum before bedtime. Obviously he can not fall asleep chewing gum, but it may help him to calm down and he can spit it out before he goes to sleep. If it's the sucking, try a piece of hard candy. There are all kinds of great oral sensory products out there, but the problem is most of them don't appear to be something a typical 8 year old would use. If he doesn't mind at home with family, some of these might help him. www.flaghouse.com, www.beyondplay.com and www.abiliations.com are some web sites that I have ordered products from for my students. There is a special pencil with an eraser that is made to be chewed or sucked on- some are flavored, to help with sensory problems during class, but I'm not sure if that would be helpful for your situation. Try not to make too big of a deal about it. If he is too self conscious, he may get more stressed and need to use it more.  Good luck to you both.