Skin picking
Find a Conversation
| Mon, 06-12-2006 - 7:38am |
Does anyone else's child pick at their skin obsessively? Haley has had this problem for awhile now and no matter what we try we can't seem to get it under control. I have tried keeping them covered, antibiotic ointments to help them heal faster but she just keeps digging at these sores she has created on her hands, arms, knees... I was reading in the Oasis book that this can also be an AS behavior. I need to get back with her practitioner about it. Seemed like it was improving but now it is getting bad again.
Was just curious if anyone else has dealt with this and what you might have found that helped. I do know about stress balls or the Koosh balls. I think Haley has one in her room somewhere so I am going to go and look for that.
Thanks!



Jill,
We have not had this problem.
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
I have a horrible problem with picking at my cuticles. It's worse when I'm stressed out and I'm sitting still. So if my hands are doing something else then I'm ok. I knit when I watch tv so I won't do it. I find picking incredibly relaxing so if I'm *really* stressed out I do it anyway unconsiously.....sigh. I'll actually put down my knitting and not realize I even did it. I try to keep them moisturized so they stay even and soft and there's less stuff to pick at. I hate the uneveness. That makes me good with graphic design, lining things up on a page, hanging pictures, balancing a painting...etc....but the balancing thing can get compulsive for me and I have to consciously let things go alot.
If it's bad enough to be getting infected and causing serious bleeding....definately talk to a psychiatrist. And check her stress level. Is there anything that can be done to lessen the level? Is school work difficult for her? Do you notice any patterns between difficult periods and more picking? Medication could be an option if it's serious.
There are knitting mushrooms and other easy for kids loom type things that may occupy her hands too. The mushrooms make a chain that could be used for necklaces, bracelets...etc and are easy for little hands to use. Something that makes something may be more appealing than a koosh......though I like those too!
Good luck.....Chrystee
Thanks Paula, I will check the book out!
Thanks Chrystee. That sounds a lot like Haley's situation. When she's sitting still and it gets worse if she gets stressed out or out of boredom. I've noticed she does it in her sleep too though. She is on 10mg of Celexa currently and I have noticed changes in her but it doesn't appear to be enough. We will certainly be discussing that at our next appt. I will have to look for the knitting mushrooms. That sounds like something Haley would enjoy. She does love crafty things.
I haven't really noticed any changes in stress levels in general although I have noticed that when I ask her to stop doing something... anything... she gets very defensive about it so I don't know where that is coming from exactly. Something I will be talking about with her social worker and practitioner.
Thanks again!
Mom to Erin (19) and Haley (10yo Asp
The only time ds did this was in third grade when he wasn't getting any supports and his teacher was really really stressing him out. He also started banging his head. As soon as we got the stressfull situation under control the behaviours stopped. I hope someone else has some good advice for you.
Samantha
delete
Edited 2/19/2008 7:17 pm ET by littleroses
Thanks Samantha. Yep, that's exactly what brought Haley to start picking... school situations. Unfortunately it hasn't improved much since going to home study. Curious to see if it improves once school is officially out for the summer (next week).
Thank you Littleroses. Haley used to pick at her lip too. Was a big mess at one time but she has stopped that thankfully. I have to be sure to keep them well moisturized though because if she gets little pieces of skin there, she will start pulling at it.
Band-aids don't help much with Haley at all. She will remove them as soon as no one is looking. I have bought so many band-aids I should probably buy stock in the company. LOL I have been debating about buying gauze and just wrapping it around the area she picks at but I don't know if it will make much difference. Since one in particular is on her hand (between her thumb and forefinger), she would constantly have to remove the wrap to wash her hands anyway.
I think it is a soothing thing with Haley too and she gets extremely defensive about it if you tell her to stop picking. She will pretend she doesn't know what you're talking about and then start crying... which of course inevitably just causes her to pick even more.
Oh how I wish there was an easy solution to this problem. I know there never are any but I sure wish there was.
Mom to Erin (19) and Haley (10yo Asp
My 11yo HFA DD picks at her skin, all over the place. We've tried all sorts of things and still haven't found a way to get her to stop.
I'm not on the spectrum, but I do have SID. I pick at my lips and pull at my eyelashes. With my lips it's because any dry skin on them at all is incredibly annoying. I have to remember my blistex more often. I also pick at my eyelashes when I'm stressed.
I used to rub the skin on my forehead until it got terrible rashes (I still have a small bald spot along my hair line from it). I stopped myself from doing that by washhing my face in as hot a water as I could stand and scrubbing it with a Buff Puff exfoliating sponge every couple of days.
I also used to pick at my toes.... that one grossed even me out, lol. I would stop as soon as I noticed I was doing it. I got over it by keeping my feet 'groomed', as in full pedicure. I can't afford to go to the sallon to have it done so I do it myself. I make sure to pay axtra attention to putting designs and such on the nails so I'll be afraid to ruin them if I pick at them.
For me I think it's a matter of needing to be really, really clean. I'm not a clean freak (by any stretch of the imagination, lol) but the feeling of dead skin and stuff drives me batty.
~SG_1Niner