10-year-old nose picking

Lara - posted on 05/11/2011

Thanks Fiona.....will mention it in our PSG next week and see how it goes.

Fiona - posted on 05/11/2011

Jennifer: have you tried getting him to pick his nose with a hankerchief??? It's more socially acceptable. We have some success with it as long as my boy remembers to take the hanky with him.



Lara: something that might help is sticking velcro under your son's desk at school. It's textures provide the stimulus they need without it being obvious to the other kids in the room. Also, if your school will allow it, get him an iPod shuffle and fill it with appropriate music. When appropriate, the teacher can allow you son to listen to it while he works. We have just implemented this with my son and it seems to be working. Both are great for self-soothing and require no ongoing teacher/aide help.

Fiddle toys didn't work for us ... he kept squeezing them too hard and breaking them

Jennifer - posted on 05/10/2011

Thanks Sharon & Lara :)
I've started something new yesterday.... I told him he could pick away if it was done when all alone the bathroom - behind the locked door/stall. And, he must wash his hands before leaving the bathroom.

I figure that this may satisfy his sensory need but also save himself from the embarrassment of other kids as well as the germs.

Well, these are the hopes anyway... I'll let you know!

Lara - posted on 05/10/2011

Hi Jennifer, I have exactly the same issue. Mine also sucks his thumb and puts his hand in his pants. I dont know either how to address this as I remember attending a presentation given by a psychologist and this was bought up and he said that he had a little girl who had a similar habit and once they broke it she then went ono more inappropriate things to enable her sensory needs. So is it better the devil we know.....gross as it is at times! Im about to start him with fiddle toys in his pockets to try to get him to play with these instead...will keep you posted if I have any luck.

Sharon - posted on 05/10/2011

Hi Jennifer, I understand how you feel. I too have a mildly autistic son who habitually picks his nose. He not only picks his nose but eats whatever he finds on his finger. This grosses me out to no end but I have gotten a little more use to it over the years. He is almost 16 and nothing I have tried has had any effect. He has a germ phobia so you would think explaining to him the germ aspect of nose picking would make him stop but for some reason his nose picking is an exception to all his other germ phobia and body waste rules. No one has been able to explain it to me, nor can my son. He says he just does it just because. It's my thought that it's a self soothing mechanism. Yes, it does make me queezy and a bit uncomfortable when he does it in public but I've had to learn to accept that it's just another one of his quirks and he may always pick his nose. But is it really that abnormal? How many times have you been stopped at a red light and turned your head and witnessed a man with his finger so far up his nose you think he must be touching his brain? And what does he do with what he finds up there? I don't know of any man who's in the habit of carrying kleenex like we woman do. I've seen several older men getting after it in church also. I think it's more common than we realize. I used to worry that he might not be able to attract a wife later in life because of this very unattractive habit but he's had 2 girlfriends so far (nothing serious) and they didn't seem to mind and it showed me I was worrying for nothing.
I'm not saying your son will always pick his nose because something may work for him that hasn't worked for my son. Just wanted you to know that you're not alone and I understand your frustration. Maybe someone will answer your post with some great idea that you and I both can try and it will actually work. Wouldn't that be wonderful?!!!!! But if my son never stops picking his nose, well, that's ok too. His wife will be one very special lady and a true blessing.
t seem to mind