Does anyone have a child that squirrels?

[Randomlady]

What I mean by that is he will store food, spit, vomit, and other things inside of megablocs, shoes, boxes etc. I don't know why he is doing it or what the thought behind it is whether it's sensory, boredom or what. He has been doing it for a few weeks now and we just aren't sure how to handle it. He's nonverbal and only 10 months old mentally so it's very hard to explain to him that we don't do that. Have you had to deal with this before?

[WarriorMum]

How old is he?

When I look to change a behaviour I ask myself a few questions:

Will it harm him?

Will it harm others?

What will the impact be long term for him? Or others?

What can I change it too as he is filling a need/purpose with his actions?

And..have you had him checked out by the Gp to see f there is an underlying medical cause..for instance..my son went through a head banging stage. I was demented trying to find the whys and where fores..then it dawned on me..he had sore ears..he didn't touch them, they were not red etc..turns out he had glue ear, he was feeling the pressure.

Sometimes there is a pattern to the behaviour..is it the food? Was there anything happening around a particular food, maybe upset tummy with a particular food and he now associates this with that food? You know where I am going with this..time to be Mom Detective..

[jthompson1976]

my daugther like to hide her sweets such as candy. alot of that due hiding from brothers.  has he been watching squals may be he seen some thing n tv...   hey my daugther use to waslk like a dog   she finaly stoped  i hear ya girl

[jthompson1976]

oh i didnt talk about that. my son when younger would bite other kids it was frustation not being able to talk or other kids understanding him  alot ear problms  end having tubs

[Randomlady]

He is going to be 4 soon. We have taken him to the doctors a few times but they just look at him and say he's perfect. When it comes to his diet I can't tell if anything is bothering him, he eats quite a varied diet but he doesn't look like anything is disturbing him. he doesn't watch tv, maybe he picked it up at school though. he goes to school with other autistic kids.

[crossnlilly]

My daughter use to do that. I just made sure I inspected things very well and let her see me throw it away. After a while she got to the understanding if she hid it I would find it and throw it away. Its hard but you have to find what works foe you.

[KristyF84]

My son used to store food in his cheeks all the time!  he would actually fall asleep with food in his mouth.  He did grow out of it.  I think he was doing it with the foods he really liked, as if to savour every last bit of flavor.  Then he would realise it didnt taste good after too long and spit it out.  I remember always having to tell him to swallow his food.  He is 7 now and as far as i can tell he only packs his cheeks when he is in a hurry to go play.  I would say try to only let him eat in the kitchen or dining area, when he swallows all of his food he can go play elsewhere.  hope that helps! 

[icn_mom]

oh lord my daughter hides food EVERYWHERE!! she is 5 (and probably 4 developmentally) so we talk to her about it... if i were you, i would keep food only at the table and check his mouth before he leaves the table as well. (as you would if he were physically 10 months old) good luck!

[kenleespice]

yep lol.i will find food in the oddest places

[mogadishukim]

Because autism has many OCD-type hyperfocussing, it is helpful and important to interrupt the behavior early. The earlier the better, because the brain becomes patterned with deeper and deeper grooves linking this behavior to whatever payoff he derives from it.  Consult with a behavioralist, ABA therapist for a procedure to address redirecting this behavior and to help you figure out the possible payoff or what he is getting out of it.