I need advice on how to address this problem as above for my foster child on the spectrum aged 7 yrs old.. This problem started about 8 weeks ago .
Answer:
Thank you for your question and sorry for the delay in responding! I have some strategies that we can use for regurgitation, but first two questions for you that you can answer in a follow up comment.
1. Did anything happen in the child's life 8 weeks ago before this started occurring?
2. Does the child only regurgitate (spit food back into mouth) or also ruminate (chew the regurgitated food and re-swallow) the food?
While you are answering those questions here are some strategies that we can try:
1. Sometimes regurgitation and rumination is due to the child still being hungry, but more likely with autism it is for oral stimulation. Try after meals immediately giving the child chewing gum or a plastic chew ring (similar to baby teething toys). This will compete with the regurgitated food and could act as a replacement behavior.
2. Provide lots of positive attention during and after meals as long as regurgitation is not occurring. For example, "I love how nicely you are eating your food!" and after the meal, "I love how nicely you are chewing your gum or using your teething toy!" Providing positive attention (AKA reinforcement) for the absence of regurgitation will hopefully be motivating for the child and result in a decrease in regurgitation.
Give both of these strategies a try and let us know how it goes. Good luck!
Thank you for your question and sorry for the delay in responding! I have some strategies that we can use for regurgitation, but first two questions for you that you can answer in a follow up comment.
1. Did anything happen in the child’s life 8 weeks ago before this started occurring?
2. Does the child only regurgitate (spit food back into mouth) or also ruminate (chew the regurgitated food and re-swallow) the food?
While you are answering those questions here are some strategies that we can try:
1. Sometimes regurgitation and rumination is due to the child still being hungry, but more likely with autism it is for oral stimulation. Try after meals immediately giving the child chewing gum or a plastic chew ring (similar to baby teething toys). This will compete with the regurgitated food and could act as a replacement behavior.
2. Provide lots of positive attention during and after meals as long as regurgitation is not occurring. For example, “I love how nicely you are eating your food!” and after the meal, “I love how nicely you are chewing your gum or using your teething toy!” Providing positive attention (AKA reinforcement) for the absence of regurgitation will hopefully be motivating for the child and result in a decrease in regurgitation.
Give both of these strategies a try and let us know how it goes. Good luck!
Thank you for your reply to our problem. The only thing that happened , 8 weeks ago was a tummy bug in school before the summer holidays ,Regan didn’t get it & wasn’t ill but I wonder did he see others getting sick or is it all coincidental. It started with a strange noise like a cough & burp at the same time , Donald duck sound is the best way I can describe it. He would work & stretch his neck until he brought up food into his mouth. It could be a mouth full or a large amount , he would take it out examine it & re eat it or on occasions swallow it again . Other times he would splash it on the floor or down his clothes making a right mess . I’ve also seen him rub it into his skin or on his pants. I feel it’s a sensory issue . It’s definitely not hunger related as he is an over eater so he looks for treats , snacks several times a day .since your reply I heard him make the preceding noise so I gave him the chew thing as you suggested & it didn’t progress to regurgitation. In recent weeks it has calmed down to once a day but I asked for the information to have in my back pocket should it start up again & school were looking for help also . First day back at school in Sept they rang me 3 times for more clothes as he was very bad that day but it’s calmed down in school too.now . Any further advice would be appreciated. The big question is , will it pass off like a phase or will it continue if it’s a sensory thing & he likes doing it ???
Thank you for the follow up information! It definitely sounds like a sensory issue and it is a very good sign that the chew toy has been effective already! It additional to the gum (or chewy food) and/or chew toy after eating you can also try some sensory activities since it sounds like he is also enjoying the feeling of the food on his body/clothes. Try slime or play doh after meals! Slime in particular would have a similar texture just make sure you are monitoring that he does not put it in his mouth. It could pass off like a phase as long as you are consistent with the intervention! Do not forget the praise for eating nicely and using the chew toy! Keep us updated! 🙂