Open Discussion Forum

  • 1.  Propensity to insert items in noses

    Posted 06-22-2019 10:34 AM
    There is a child in a classroom that I observed that was intent on inserting small items in her nose. The parents have had to remove many items, and some have caused infection and trips to the emergency room.  The child is about 2 1/2, and definitely knows about nostrils.  Suggestions on what might be the underlying cause of this behavior would be helpful, (maybe her sinuses itch and need scratching? Allergies?) as well as ways to extinguish this behavior.

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    Donna Satterlee
    Assistant Professor
    University of Maryland Eastern Shore
    Princess Anne MD
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  • 2.  RE: Propensity to insert items in noses

    Posted 06-23-2019 07:49 AM
    Have the parents taken them in to have her sinuses checked as well as checked for allergies? That would be a good place to start.
    It could be a habit developed to deal with stress or discomfort and perhaps as become an obsession with constant reminders not to put things in their nose. Definitely I would limit the nose sized items this child has access to and if possible have someone shadow this child to try and observe what is happening around the behavior as well as redirect before items go in the nose. Questions I might follow are: What seems to trigger items to the nose? When is the child least likely to be preoccupied with their nostrils? Is there any commonality among objects, besides size, smell, color, texture, etc?

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    Helen Meissner
    Lead Teacher
    Love To Grow On
    Saint Paul MN
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