smearing feces?

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2005
smearing feces?
6
Wed, 11-01-2006 - 8:54pm
I asked this over at the SID board and am waiting for a response....My nephew, who is six and, if you ask me is on the spectrum, has started smearing his feces around the bathroom. He did it at my house twice over the summer and his parents get somewhat angry at him but I really think he can't help it. He's always liked to smear fruit snacks and fruit rollups on my kitchen table and bites into things he shouldn't. Has anyone ever experienced this? He's been referred for an evaluation by a neuropsych and hopefully this will get him the help he needs. I think he's just a sensory mess and doesn't need to be in a classroom full of kids. He's highly intelligent but says the kid's voices make him crazy and he can't concentrate. TIA, Vicky
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: cvcissell
Thu, 11-02-2006 - 7:40am

I have heard of spectrum kids doing this.....I agree, it does sound sensory related.....can the parents give him something else to play with? playdoh? peanut butter? cream cheese? I'm trying to think of things with similar textures that are more exceptable.....put the cream cheese in a bowl and have him cover a plate with it or fingerpaint with it......I'm not sure if that will help.....first thing that popped into my mind.

take care,
Christie

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-16-2006
In reply to: cvcissell
Thu, 11-02-2006 - 9:50am
DD did this for a while..finger painting helped get her the sensory stuff she was craving and play doh. In the mean time we pinned her clothes and since she was still in diapers at the time, put them on backwards...
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-30-2003
In reply to: cvcissell
Thu, 11-02-2006 - 12:02pm

It sounds like he is a sensation seeker. I agree with the others on giving him similar textures to play with.

I would be tempted to supervise bathroom usage when he has to go #2.

I hope he gets help through the school system. My DS did not receive any sensory help or accommodations. No FAPE in my county.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2005
In reply to: cvcissell
Thu, 11-02-2006 - 12:22pm
Yeah, I had told them to put something in the bathroom as well that he could smear about. I hadn't thought of the cream cheese...great idea. My brother is beginning to realize something unusual is going on. He told me on the phone earlier that he recalls now that my nephew likes to smell a little girl's hair at school that he has a crush on. Things are adding up....thanks, Vicky
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-30-2003
In reply to: cvcissell
Thu, 11-02-2006 - 12:37pm

My DS was just diagnosed as HFA within the last month or so. He's almost 8. Besides having some quirks and language delays, I really didn't see it. As he's gotten older the differences between him and his NT peers have become obvious to me (and he's getting more and more looks for other people too)

Some of the stuff, is disregarded as simply immaturity or manipulative behavior.

I didn't really get it until I stumbled upon forums like this. Finally! I found kids like my kid.

Avatar for littleroses
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
In reply to: cvcissell
Thu, 11-02-2006 - 12:45pm

A long time ago, I read a post by a mom who recalled doing the very same thing herself as a young child. It was her sense of smell that was actually overwhelmed. She said, everything else was so strong and powerful that the the poo had her scent and could cover up other intrusive smells. I guess it sounds strange, but it made sense to me. This may not be the case for all children who do this, of course and may be a touch sensory issue, but it would be something to observe. I distinctly remember that post because I also have a sensitive nose, not quite THAT sensitive and I didn't have that issue when I was little, but I can detect different layers of scents. My children have base scents. My oldest daughter has a base scent that is exactly like mine, but my youngest has a base scent exactly like her father's. It is the next layer that is distinctly their own scent.

I guess in that sense, (no pun intended) it seemed plausible to me what the woman was saying about the relief which came to her from being surrounded by the smell of herself. Even if it was in something as gross smelling as poo. There may have been a layer of scent in there that brought her comfort, which people with a less articulated sense of smell couldn't detect.

The olfactory center is located next to the memory center in the brain. Kinda interesting.

If he is into smearing different textures though, it does seem more of a touch thing but I thought it might be good for others to know about smell.