This is called pica, and can pose a challenge as some children require constant supervision to reduce the risk of ingesting a harmful object. Autism may affect the sense of taste, and a child with autism may become quite restricted in their diet, or they may enjoy putting unusual, non-food, objects in their mouth. Autism may also affect how someone perceives their body position in relation to gravity, and they may particularly enjoy being in the upside-down position. Autism can affect how an individual perceives sensations through their bodies which can result in issues such as over-sensitivity to certain clothing or textures. The sense of hearing is often heightened in autism resulting in sensitivity to loud sounds or difficulty tolerating certain sounds. The five senses are sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. "Many of these individuals were functioning on about the cognitive level of a young child, so it's not too surprising that they exhibit similar behaviors.A child with autism may be affected by sensory experiences due to heightened sensitivity to some sensory experiences, and under-responsive to others. "One way very young children explore their world is by putting things in their mouths," he says. Call says his team found that for the children in the study, pica was an "automatically maintained" behavior, not attention seeking or manipulative, and did not stop after proper nutrition supplementation was provided. Pica behavior in other populations has been linked to nutritional deficiencies, such as low iron levels. "We thought stickers were similar enough to bandages, and the final test was that we sent him home on the bus with stickers all over his clothes, and he still had them when he got home." "As you can imagine, his parents had to be super-vigilant," he says. The researchers did not have follow-up data for some of the study participants who came from outside the United States.Ĭall describes treating one individual, who had been hospitalized on several occasions for eating objects such as a chlorine tablet from a swimming pool, buttons off his shirt or bandages on his body. Six months of follow-up services were provided whenever possible. The research team's standard practice was to train parents or caregivers in how to maintain the treatment and follow up at home. Less than 90 percent reduction was achieved in only one case. The number of sessions required to achieve these results sometimes took weeks. One hundred percent reduction was reached in three cases. The average reduction in pica from baseline to final treatment, in this clinical setting, was 96 percent. The treatment's effectiveness was tested by bringing the children to rooms baited with items that would be tempting for them to consume. "It can take weeks to figure out the right combination."
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