Boy age 10 in good health constantly licks his hands then puts his hands in his armpits. There is no visible signs of rash or skin irritation. He has been to a doctor, the doc is researching. He makes all A's on school work but has very poor verbal and communication skills. He might be autistic, the doc is not sure. Has anyone ever seen this repetitive behavior, the armpit thing? Any info would be helpful.
THANKS everyone! We found out he is engaging in Stimmimg.
The behavior started about 6 months ago. We've been in the same house, same school for 4 years. He is somewhere on the autism or Asperger's scale, we know this, don't know exactly where. He is extremely un-cooperative, gets annoyed, gets irritable, gets mad, etc. He is difficult to talk to.
His diet is poor, he'll only eat 6 things, cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, french fries, tortillas, blueberries, bananas. This is a strict list and he will starve himself before he'll eat anything not on the 6-list. He does not like sweets or junk food either, no sugar in his diet at all and no dairy. He WILL EAT frijoles, arroz and enchiladas at our fav tex-mex place. If we say beans and rice in English, he won't eat it and we are NOT Hispanic, we're Irish. He will NOT eat any of these things at home no matter how many times I present it to him. He will take one bite of anything his favorite aunt is eating, sometimes more bites, occasionally all of it, she's a good sport, thank goodness.. But, he'd never eat any of these things off my plate or at our home. His teacher just laughs and says have dinner w/Auntie every night. He will not eat one bite at school, no matter what or how it's presented, not even cheeseburgers. I think the lunch room is a sensory explosion, too much stimuli all at once, he just cannot eat in those conditions - but then he loves the restaurant.
Kids are funny! Trying to figure them out is complicated.
Have you asked him why he does this and is he even aware he does this?
It could be OCD or a self stimulating behavior that is not uncommon in kids on the spectrum. There are ways you can help him to stop this behavior. Google "self stimulating behaviors" and see if it seems to match.
Hope you get answers and good luck!
Ask him, and if it's hard for him to talk, he can write or type -whichever is easiest.
Have the doctor and school assess him to find out what's going on.
Perhaps he needs some hand lotion? Is his skin dry?
Hung up on your homework today?
Sounds like OCD which is seen in many kids with ASD,but plenty of kids NOT on the spectrum have OCD.
With the dietary restrictions, he may have a nutritional deficiency or craving that licking his hands satisfies.I have 3 students with ASD who eat boogers and they all have seriously limited diets.
Repetitive behavior is definitely one of many signs of Autism. As is poor communication skills. You don't say if this is a new thing or if it has been going on for a while.
What happens when you tell him to not lick or not put his hands in his armpits? Does he cooperate or does he get agitated or annoyed? The behavior you're describing may be his version of stimming or self stimulatory behavior. Pay careful attention to when he does it and you might find triggers- loud noise, bright lights, smells, overly tired, etc. It could be anything. Talk to his teacher. Does he do this at school? Has the teacher noticed anything?
I've known one autistic boy who liked to lick things- something about the texture on his tongue. This same boy hated all kinds of bread because he couldn't stand it's texture.
In addition to having your Pediatrician research, go to your son's school and ask what you need to do to have him evaluated. Usually it begins with you writing a brief letter to the principal requesting the evaluation.
Best of luck to you.
When my daughter was 8 she was always licking her hands. But was "normal" in every other way. AFter talking to people, her doctor, etc - I simply asked her why she was always licking her hands. She said they always felt dry and yucky. (she definintely has a sensory thing about how stuff feels - won't have anything to do with velvet, fleece,. etc.) We tried a few different hand cream - ends up she really like Mary Kay - so we bought a couple of tubes from a friend and that was it.
So ask youru son - hsi hands might be dry - but after licking htem they may feel cold so in the armpits they go to warm up.
But if he has sensory issues and communication delays he may be somewhere on the Aspbergers spectrum. My good friend took her son off gluten (wheat prodcuts primarily) and he's been much better.
Good luck mama - sometimes the answer is far more simple than we realize!
