Spitting

Spitting


 "How do I get my child to stop spitting?"

There are two kinds of spitting.  One where it is deliberate and done at somebody.  The other kind is spitting for fun.  For this week's post we are going to talk about spitting for fun.  This looks like spitting at the floor or table and isn't done purposefully at someone.  A child with autism may do this due to a sensory need.  There are different sensory needs such as tactile, visual, body stimulation, spinning, smelling things and oral.  Often oral is one of the most overlooked sensory input.  Babies will begin to explore their world by putting everything in their mouth but then will outgrow that desire so parents do not think about oral needs as much with an older child.  However, there is a lot of ways to find oral stimulation.  We do this through humming, singing, talking, eating certain foods (such as salty and sweet craze right now with chocolate covered bacon!), chewing gum and drinking.  A child who spits for the fun of it has discovered a new way to meet the oral sensory need.

If a child likes to spit, then one way to help solve this problem is to find another way for the child to get the oral sensory input they are looking for.  A common way thing I have found that serves as a good replacement behavior for spitting is drinking water.  A child I was asked to observe once was spitting at the floor which drove the teacher nuts.  A water bottle with a straw put in it for her to use ended up being an easy answer for this child.  She was happy to suck on the straw which gave her the sensory input she needed and so she stopped spitting.  I have suggested using the water bottle with a straw for several general education students who had an ASD.  I have liked this solution as it is also socially acceptable to have a water bottle instead of a chewy ring hung around the neck.  If a water bottle doesn't work, then try gum, star bursts (or other hard candy) or dried out licorice sticks.

I hope this helps and come back next week for my answer to spitting when it is done at someone! Also feel free to comment below and ask a question.