Quick question about finger sucking

[Omololu Majekodunmi]

Hi Class,

I have a kid that will not stop sucking his fingers. We have tried immobilizing his hand at the elbow joint, dad has put something that does not taste good but nothing works.

Any suggestions?

[Kristen Truitt]

Why are you targeting the behavior? Social reasons? Skin damage?

Why is the kiddo sucking the fingers? Self-soothing, habit, need for oral input, negative attention seeking, developmental level?

Age/cog level of kiddo? 

Some thoughts: Can you offer a reward system? Oral replacements - hard candy, chewies or other long-lasting food? Explore other appropriate soothing options?

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[Sarah Singalla]

Hey!

   We used a Tguard that just covers the thumb paired with a chart and education about why it’s not helpful to him (I.e. dental health, skin callus, avoiding getting sick by sticking fingers in the mouth). Everyday we put stickers and used positive reinforcement. You use for about a month and used incentives of a gift if completed. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 20, 2023, at 11:31 PM, Kristen Truitt <kristen....@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Dannielle Harden]

What I’m not clear on is the age and intellectual capacity. 

What was explored for acceptable alternatives?

Why is he sucking? Sensory? Boredom?

What would replace that need and be an acceptable activity?

Another suggestion would be engagement in activities that exclude thumb sucking. Hands covered in goo. Bilateral activities. The review at the end is key to enforce that he enjoyed the activity and did not suck thumb for X minutes. 

Dannielle Harden

On Jul 29, 2023, at 12:22 AM, 'Sarah Singalla' via Howard MSOT 2012 <howard-m...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



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