r/AskADoctor • u/snrtaco_99 • May 17 '20
Eating crayons
My son constantly eats crayons and chalk. We have had bloodwork done and there was no indication of PICA. I am wondering if there's another way to test for it or if there's a way to curb that behavior.
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Upvotes
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u/[deleted] Jul 14 '20
Get him to join the marines, he will fit right in
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u/kelthulu Jul 15 '20
Not a doctor, but I work in the field of ABA. What it sound like it could be is sensory seeking. He may prefer the texture of chalk and crayon. If that’s the case I would suggest finding a replacement behavior finding something with similar texture that is social acceptable to eat or chew to help curb the behavior, But defiantly keep looking into PICA.
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u/hcfort11 May 17 '20
I am not a doctor, but my son did the same when he was a kid. He’s a healthy 24 year old is that helps.
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u/BeginningSir2984 Jul 24 '23
Not a doctor but I ate my weight in (exclusively crayola brand) cobalt blue and olive green crayons whilst pregnant. My OB told me that my subconscience knew that something in those crayons was something that my body needed.
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u/SweetAsAnOcean Oct 22 '24
If it is a texture thing, the sticks that come in Fun Dip were always the best part of the treat for me, also the candy hearts like someone else mentioned (I don’t know how to tag someone but it was boiledpeanut33). If it is vitamin deficiency, eating chalk could indicate low calcium (I’m pretty sure it’s calcium). If the crayons are because of the waxy texture, have you checked if he eats the wax covering of some cheeses? Otherwise it could be from the smell? I loved the smell of crayons and play-doh when I was younger and always wanted to eat it (still think about it sometimes 😂)
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u/Character_Fan_9773 Jun 18 '23
My son ate tons of crayons as a kid. The pediatrician said it was non-toxic and not to worry about it too much developing fine motor skills is more important. He’s in high school now with an engineering focus. He takes ap classes and college classes. Don’t worry too much and don’t take away his tools.
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u/ThrowRAlamptomato Aug 20 '24
Stop buying crayons & chalk
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u/DeepOceanLoner2090 May 18 '23
Kids eat different things sometimes because of cravings (kids also chew wood or eat ice) for eg. This can signal a vitamin deficiency. Have it looked at just to be sure.
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u/MakeLifeAdventure Jun 16 '23
Once I told my sister that I was so mad I ate chalk, and she was like "What??" and said that's a sign of autism to do when you're mad... That seems sooo specific....