Finger Sucking

[beautifulsoul]

Desperatley need help. My DS is almost 9 and is still sucking his fingers. We have tried everything. We took away video games until he quits.
We tried that thum stuff, didn't work. We tried taping his fingers, he just took it off. We tried having him wear a glove to bed, he just took it off no matter how much I told him not to. We've even explained to him about braces. We tried taping a sock to his sleeve, he just pulled his arm through the neck hole. He doesn't seem to mind not being able to play video games still. He has ADHD by the way, don't know if that has much to do with it, the impulsiveness maybe. Anybody else deal with this? What worked for you? Thanks so much.

 

[sancho]

Hi Adina,

My daughter was 8 before we finally got her to stop. We tried all the thumb devices and positive reinforcement and nothing worked. Finally, the dentist talked me into having a braces type device cemented into her mouth (really it's more like a permanent retainer that has a piece of plastic at the roof of the mouth). She stopped sucking the day it went in. It took about a day for her to adjust to it and then she forgot it was even there. After 4 months, we had it removed and she still hasn't gone back to the habit. It's been about 3 months that she has had it out. It is ridiculously expensive ($500), but it worked and I wish we had tried it first before all that other garbage I bought that didn't work.

Good luck!

Lauren

 

[Tamrahan]

I have a 42 year old cousin who still sucks her thumb. I think in her case it stems from a very troubled childhood.

I googled up adult thumb sucking and apparently it's not all that uncommon.
Here is a link that talks about differant remedies including a dental device.

http://www.healthmantra.com/thumbsuck.shtml

 

[jonahnah]

Hmmmm, the finger sucking sounds like a symptom of severe anxiety. If he's working that hard to be able to keep sucking on it, I would not take it away from him without figuring out why he's so anxious. (ADHD with anxiety is very common.) Making it a huge issue is only going to increase his anxiety and his need for comfort (hence, tearing off tape, removing socks etc.)

I would try talking to his teachers and see if they are seeing symptoms of anxiety (such at this) and then address the cause, before you try to eliminate the symptoms.

My DS has ADHD, Aspergers and Anxiety so I'm done lots of research and reading on these issues. While every kid is different, I can tell you that before we addressed his anxiety, my son was chewing on his shirts, socks, even his belt! Your school district can do simple testing to determine if he has elevated anxiety levels and if so, there are different ways to address it.

JMHO and good luck!

 

[carolyn122162]

HI Adina,

My DS was 8 and still sucked his thumb( he is now 18). We tried all the traditional methods and nothing worked. We ended up taking him to the orthodontist b/c he desperately needed braces due to thumb sucking. He made a device that was like a retainer but instead of curving with the roof of his mouth, it curved down totally preventing him from sucking. after about 4 months it came out and he never sucked his thumb again.

 

[sancho]

Carolyn is describing the same thing the dentist put in for my daughter. The dentist's version was $300 cheaper than the orthodontist's version.

I don't think it was anxiety for my daughter, thumb sucking had become a comfort thing. But, the minute the "retainer" went in, the behavior stopped and there haven't been any problems with anxiety or any other behaviors.

Lauren

 

[beautifulsoul]

Thanks so much you guys, I don't think it is anxiety, we talked about it with him and it sounds like it's more of a comfort thing, he does not want to give it up because it helps him fall asleep and there is nothing he wants enough for a reward for quiting. I will look into that retainer thing.

 

[pink_fortitude]

Thanks so much you guys, I don't think it is anxiety, we talked about it with him and it sounds like it's more of a comfort thing, he does not want to give it up because it helps him fall asleep and there is nothing he wants enough for a reward for quiting. I will look into that retainer thing.

My DS does it for comfort,usually when he is watching a movie or falling asleep. He is too young for the retainer-thingy though as he is only 4. No advice, just wanted to say I am there with you.

Missy

 

[beautifulsoul]

My DS does it for comfort,usually when he is watching a movie or falling asleep. He is too young for the retainer-thingy though as he is only 4. No advice, just wanted to say I am there with you.

Missy

Thanks Missy, we have been trying to get DS to quit since he was 6. I hope you have better luck.

 

[allwildgirl]

My DD still sucks her thumb and she's 10, almost 11. She only does it now at bedtime when she's trying to fall asleep, so it's totally a comfort thing. She's going to have to have braces (she would have anyway, even without the thumb sucking). To be honest, I haven't tried very hard to get her to stop.

 

[aloxx]

I haven't read all the responses, but I just wanted to say that my daughter's father actually sucked his thumb until he was 36. He only stopped because of a shoulder injury that actually affected how he had to position his arm when he slept. He did it when he was sleeping, probably out of habit...but, he's actually a totally normal, successful adult and his teeth were and still are fabulous! Maybe it's just something that your DS will have to do on his own whenever he is ready, as long as it's not something causing problems at school or in social situations. Just a thought.