I have no clue what to make of this. Maybe some of you more experianced mamas can help me out. Croix is 4 yrs old. Hes extremely uptight about how things have to be. He makes me think he is a little OCD by his habits. Recently he has taken up biting his fingernails. It has gotten so bad that he hardly has any fingernails left and is in a lot of pain. I bought this stuff called "thum" and it is working to help him keep his fingers out of his mouth. Anyway, when I sat down with him asked him why is he biting his nails he told me "because there are bugs under my nails". Now he could be pulling my leg, maybe just using his imagination (I really hope) but this has me out of my mind worried. Isn't there some kind of psyclogical problem where people feels like bugs are under their skin? I was thinking of taking him to a therapist be4 to help him with his stress (he worries way too much for a 4 yr old). I don't know what to think or do. I am trying not to worry myself sick about him.
I am not more experianced as a mother, but I am probably more experianced as a crazy person... If you are worried take him to see a councellor. Your son will pick up on your worry which will probably make him MORE worried. The councellor should be able to determine if this is "nothing to worry about" or if it requires more investigation. If it does need more investigation, the councellor will be able to refer you to a child psych. There are mental problems in which people feel like there are bug crawling on them, in them, under their nails. I always feel "internally itchy" when I have a break coming on. You might want to cross post this in the mental health forum... people there are more diverse in their crazy.
well the fingernail biting and a nervous habit/stress. and he may have ocd he may not but if he does have ocd ( where one toy has to be in a certain place or he has to do something or else he will get anxious) try to help him relize that he does not need to do certain things that its ok to keep somewhat of a mess etc. the best way for him to get over his strange habits is to help him not clean up and organize,for example, and to let him feel anxious and help him through the anxiety by talking to him or keeping his mind off of organizing. keep this as consistent as possible and after aweek or two of consistency you should see an approvement. now for the nail biting and dealing with stress and nervousness. biting and chewing is a nervous habit have you noticed that he chews/bites anything else like a pencil or pen, or maybe a stuffed animal maybe even his toothbrush???? what you should do is to give him a piece of sugarless gum to chew on or maybe give him a carrot stick or celery stick when you notice he starts to chew his nails. Ask him what makes him get so upset and stressed and talk about what the both of you can do to make his anxiety go away. as for the bug crawling on his skin i researched it on the internet and basically you need to take your son to the doctors asap. it's nothing bad from what i have heard but it's better to be safe than sorry. for all his habits and anxiety take him to the doctors and if you dont want to give him medication to make his anxietygo away try to find an outlet and help him through his anxiety and stress.
I have a friend who has a 4 year old that had some "weird" issues. If he heard bugs outside he would cover his ears and yell because he said they were" screaming in his ear" He also would freak out if his socks were uneven. Throw tantrums if one sock was lower than the other. or other clothes issues.He hates anything on his skin that is stiff. But he is mesmerized by the T.V. they had him evaluated and it turns out her has a sensory intergration problem. Sensations and noises are magnified to him. He can't stand to be around a group of people making noises. He is in a kind of therapy to help him learn to tolerate different levels of auditory and tactile sensation.
Did someone tell him about scrubbing fingernails & germs that can grow under them? Kids get germs & bugs confused ALL the time. My son was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, and one of the biggest telltale signs they used was his various OCD-like tendencies. It's not too young to check in with a specialist... I only wish I'd have put everything together sooner myself! (I thought I just had a highly structured child, until we actually started having problems) love, mom
well he is very particular about everything. Toys have to be cleaned up most of the time (though he doesn't always do it, more like 90 percent of the time he cleans). They go in the toy box a certain way and if he happens to find a box he will take it and seperate his toys even further. Like small cars in a seperate box, stuffed animals and dolls always on top of the toy box. If Noah doesn't help him clean right he goes behind him and corrects everything his self. Toys even have to be played in a certain matter. He fights with Noah constantly about this, I try to tell him Noah is allowed to make up his own games too but that usually makes him cry ( I never really realized this may be why before). He just started school this year and I think this may be why he is biting his fingers. As for the doing something else suggestion he has a stress ball to bounce, squeeze, ect if he feels the urge but he won't use it. The only thing that worked was that "thum" stuff. He hasn't tried it again and is now fine with not sticking his fingers in his mouth(this will be day 3 of using it). I never noticed before I really started looking at it that he has to have a routine go the same way everyday or he is whiny. I always thought maybe hes tired and needs to lay down and rest, have alone time or alone time with me. I'm wondering now if its just because I'm messing up his planned day. He always has to know at bedtime what are we doing tomorrow. He is mad if I don't warn him ahead of time that tomorrow hes waking up to go to school rather than play at home. I'm probably going to schedule an appointment with his ped. today to see what she thinks.
it could be sensory issues or even allergies (both of which are often inter-related and often connected with autism). Instead of a doctor, I'd take him to see an occupational therapist instead.
I was thinking the same thing. Earthy mama, I would take him to get evaluated just to be sure.I have seen a lot of children with Asperger's Syndrome be obsessive with organization, routines, and playing a certain way. Are you from the Philadelhpia area? If so, and you need some good recomendations for good services to evaluate your son, just let me know. I found a list of some of the major characteristics of the Asperger's Syndrome: Abnormal nonverbal communication, such as problems with eye contact, facial expressions, body postures, or gestures Failure to develop peer relationships Being singled out by other children as "weird" or "strange" Lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests or achievements with others (a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people) Markedly impaired expression of pleasure in other people's happiness Inability to return social or emotional feelings Inflexibility about specific routines or rituals Repetitive finger flapping, twisting, or whole body movements Unusually intense preoccupation with narrow areas of interest, such as obsession with train schedules, phone books, or collections of objects Preoccupation with parts of whole objects Repetitive behaviors, including repetitive self-injurious behavior I found the list on http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001549.htm Good luck with everything!
I have similar issues with my daughter (she's 8). We are taking her to a counselor to help with her anxiety issues. She is very gifted, I don't know if your son is, but I would bet that he is . My girl reads at an 8th grade level and has always had problems with organization and sleeping and biting nails and many other things. I am coming to the realization that she is just not like other kids her age and I have to deal with her on her level, if that makes any sense. I have never gotten a diagnosis of Asperger's with her, but that is what I suspect. Anyway, good luck.
