Does anyone know how to stop or discourage my 17 yr. old from cutting and chewing electrical cords?

Debbie - posted on 01/06/2013

my daughter is 10 and does the same thing she is ADHD PPD &NOS they say children with ADHD do it to releive anxiety

Tina - posted on 05/08/2011

www.crittercord.com check this site out they have products that may help. It's meant to be for pets but might be just the thing to help stop him chewing the chords. The have covers that are meant for persistent chewing.

Jane - posted on 05/08/2011

What if you put something foul tasting on all the cords? He will still chew a few but eventually he may give up if all of them taste bad. You might also try running all cords through conduit so he can't get to them.

Tina - posted on 05/08/2011

100mile an hour tape is suppose to be able to withstand 100mile an hour winds we use it to stick cords down

Anna - posted on 05/08/2011

Get him some professional help.

Red - posted on 05/08/2011

Oh well when he gets a good shock Im sure he will stop cutting on the eletrical cords

Ink - posted on 05/08/2011

I just asked my husband what else they did at Coastal Harbour that might be helpful here...
He added maybe you could cover the cords in a tougher material...ducttape? electrical tape?
One great brainfart he just came up with is to cover the cords with something nasty tasting...like Bitrex for fingernail biting...or hot sauce.

Tina - posted on 05/08/2011

put the tv and that up high and try putting something in the way of the cords so he can't get to them or when he is not using the appliances role up the cords and keep them up high

Ink - posted on 05/08/2011

My husband remodeled Coastal Harbour Youth Detention Facility in Savannah Ga. years ago. There were a BUNCH of different building materials he had to use special because of the children who live there. All cords were inside conduit pipe..(grey pipe) mounted to the walls. The walls were made of abuse board, (much harder to put a fist through...they had to start slamming the doorknobs through it...they couldn't damage it by hand anymore.) Every cabinet had plexiglass doors mounted to it..with a hasp for a padlock. These went over every TV...bookcases...everything. The TV cabinet that was in the 'dayroom' was also bolted to the floor. The kids can't move the cabinet (bolted to the floor) They can't get to the cords, (inside grey conduit bolted to the wall) and they can't get inside the cabinet to the components...(plexiglass door)

I have the ideas of my husband's work there...maybe if you were to just fake "taking a tour" of a facility you can get some ideas on how THEY keep the dangerous items away from the children. Maybe even ask them questions..."how to you keep the cords away from the children?" "are these mounted to the floor?" "why did you put these here?" You know, just common questions you WOULD ask about safety....IF you child were going there.

From what I understood while he was working...he was trying to meet odd OSHA rules that they have set to 'child proof' the youth facility.

I understand it is just not possible to take away his TV...but maybe you can find a way to contain it enough that he can't GET to the cords.

Jocelyn - posted on 05/08/2011

Talk to his therapist. It really sounds like a sensory issue. You need to find out WHY he's doing it, before you can stop it (unless you plan on going out and buying new cordless-everything lol) For instance if he likes the feel of the cord or the resistance against his teeth, you could get him an oral aide (for lack of a better explanation, a chew toy :P my son has one that is hard rubber with nubs all over it) Good luck :)

Dorothy - posted on 05/08/2011

thanks, but the other problem is he watches alot of dvd's and educational television . I did remove the electronics and he had a meltdown and trying to make an autistic child understand reason is very hard. I have two other autistic kids, one who is a type 1 diabetic and has other other health problems so it's hard to just put all my attention to just the one child., thanks anyways!

Teresa - posted on 05/06/2011

Um.... remove everything electronic from him room maybe. Also lock up anything sharp that he can cut the cords w/... Talk to his doctor or therapist as well.