Chewing clothes is a common behaviour seen in autistic children, and therefore, chewing clothes could potentially be a sign of autism. However, autistic children present with a specific pattern of differences in addition to the sensory seeking behaviour that drives chewing behaviour.
How is chewing clothes related to autism?
In order to be diagnosed with autism, a child must present with a specific pattern of differences which fall under the headings of:
A) Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction, and
B) Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities
One of the categories of ‘restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour’ seen in autistic children specifically relates to sensory issues, which is usually what causes chewing clothes in autism.
Autistic children can either experience hyper- or hypo-sensitivity to sensory input. Chewing objects and clothes is related to hypo-sensitivity or a reduced registration of sensory information. A child then engages in sensory-seeking behaviour, seeking the sensations involved in chewing, to regulate themselves
“Hypo reactivity to sensory input” is one of the diagnostic criteria for autism. However, if the behaviour is seen in isolation,it is unlikely that it is a red flag for the condition.
What else could cause a child to chew their clothes?
Sensory exploration: Exploring objects by mouthing them is typical behaviour in children aged 18 months or younger, although persistent chewing is not usual.
Sensory processing disorder: When chewing clothes is seen along with other sensory differences, but in the absence of social communication and interaction difficulties, it could be a sign of sensory processing disorder.
Pica: Chewing and then eating inedible items in the environment could be a sign of a condition called Pica. Pica is a medical issue that is more common amongst individuals with learning difficulties and autism, and it is thought that there may be a link to nutritional deficiencies, such as low iron levels.
Anxiety: Chewing clothes can also be a behaviour used to manage anxiety, with chewing behaviour acting as a distraction from the physical symptoms of anxiety
Habit: In the absence of other difficulties, chewing clothes could also be a bad habit, similar to nail biting
Chewing as a sensory seeking behaviour
Sensory information is received by the sensory organs, such as the eyes, nose and mouth and processed by the central nervous system. Sensory modulation is the process that enables our brains to pay attention to relevant sensory input and ignore information that is not immediately relevant to us. The sensory modulation system gives us ‘too much’ or ‘too little’ cues in relation to sensory information. In autism, there are often issues with the sensory modulation processes, meaning that autistic children can be under- or over-responsive to sensory input. This is commonly referred to as hypo- or hyper-sensitivity.
When a child is hypersensitive to a certain stimulus (for example, noise), they will either show distress or try to reduce or move away from the stimulus (for example, place their hands over their ears). This is referred to as sensory avoidant behaviour.
When a child is hyposensitive to certain stimuli, they may try to seek out sensory experiences in order to modulate. This is referred to as sensory seeking behaviour.
Sensory processing and modulation issues can affect some or all of the senses, and a child can be hypersensitive to one sensory input and hyposensitive to others.
To complicate things further, there are often sub-areas of sensory sensitivity within each sensory system, and a child may, for example, be hypersensitive to light touch and hyposensitive to deep touch!
The process of chewing involves 3 of the sensory systems:
Gustatory: This is the sensory system in the mouth that provides us with information regarding taste
Tactile: This is the sensory system in the mouth (and skin) that allows us to sense different textures and touch
Proprioception: This is the sensory system based in our joints and muscles that allows us to process movement, weight and pressure
There could also be involvement of a fourth sensory system:
Interoception: this is the sensory system that gives us information about what is going on inside our bodies and allows us to recognise thirst, pain and temperature, for example.
When an autistic child chews their clothes, they could be seeking sensory feedback involving one or all of these sensory systems.
How to stop an autistic child from chewing their clothes
Mild chewing behaviours can make clothes dirty and wet, but moderate to severe chewing can damage clothes and have a significant cost impact through replacing them.
For autistic children, chewing is a way of self-regulating, serving a purpose for the child. Therefore, it is better to try to avoid or redirect this behaviour rather than attempting to stop it from happening.
Looking for a trigger
As a first step, it is worthwhile observing when and where the behaviour occurs to see if you can identify what is causing the child to need to regulate. You may then be able to take steps to reduce or prevent the occurrence of chewing. To do this, you can:
Keep a diary: Find an old notepad or book to use as a behaviour diary. Record incidents of chewing over a period of a week or two
Record ABCs: Each time the chewing happens, write down what the child is chewing on and how long they chew for (that’s the B – behaviour), make a note of the day and time. Then make a note of where they are and what is going on around them, note if something happened before the chewing started (that’s the A – A-antecedent). Then also note what happened after the chewing started, did the child appear to calm down, what did you do? (that’s the C – consequence)
Look for patterns: After you have gathered information over a week or two, look through your notes and see if you can see a pattern. For example, does the chewing always happen at the same time of day? Does it happen when things are busy and noisy or calm and quiet?
Address the cause: If you can link the child’s chewing to a specific trigger, for example, noisy environments, you can try using ear defenders to try and reduce the child’s need to regulate through chewing
Diverting the behaviour
If you are unable to find a pattern or your child continues to chew their clothes, you can try diverting the chewing to a different object
Chewellery: Chewellery is specifically designed wearable chewing objects designed for children who need to chew. When you see your child start to chew their clothes, gently remove the clothing and place the chewy item near the child’s mouth to encourage them to chew this instead
Chew cloth: If your child specifically likes chewing fabric, you can repeat the process outlined above with a muslin cloth or flannel
Straws: Offer your child a drink with a straw. Some children chew when thirsty, and the straw also serves as an appropriate object to chew
Offer crunchy food: If your child’s chewing is related to the movement and pressure in the jaw, crunchy foods can be a great alternative. Try carrot sticks, crackers or breadsticks.
About us
We are a specialist autism assessment service that provides autism assessments for adults and children from the age of 2. If your child is chewing their clothes and you are concerned that this is related to autism, feel free to contact us, and we will be more than happy to discuss this with you.
