Tools for students with chewing needs

06/01/2020

Pupil with a need to chew

You may recognize them, that student in your class who chews on the top of his pencil, puts his fingers in his mouth or sucks on the t-shirt or makes excessive noises? You may have already addressed the student about his behavior, but there is no change. And you wonder how to deal with this chewing need.

Importance of chewing

Your student’s chewing behavior has a function. It can help your student to regulate tension, but it can also help your student to increase his alertness. Biting on a pencil or chewing chain then helps the student to be more concentrated and to work better. Unlearning chewing and sucking on clothes or pencils is then a missed opportunity.

Ark’s Brick stick Pencil caps

€ 12,99

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Ark’s Smiley Face Chewing Jewelry

€ 23,95

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Need to chew increases with stress

And you may also notice that chewing increases in some students during stressful times in the classroom. Especially in that student (with autism) who has difficulty with changes, chewing will increase. Chewing offers that student peace.

But how can you, as a teacher, provide your student with the right sensory stimuli to calm or activate the body? In this article, we’ve listed 7 chewing need ideas to support your student in the classroom.

7 Tips for Oral Stimulus Seekers in the Classroom

Chewing gum
Eat crunchy snacks, i.e. carrots, etc
Eat acidic foods, i.e. lemon or lime flavoured candies
Eat tough foods (think chewy or licorice).
Drink thick liquids through a straw
Blowing games (have a cotton ball moved by blowing)
Offer a chewing ornament

How do you use an oral stimulus effectively?

Administering an oral stimulus

When you, as a teacher, start offering sensory stimuli to the student. Then try only one tool at a time for a number of days.

Observe for a few days

A chewing piece of jewelry is an easy-to-use tool in the classroom. See if the oral input of a chewing chain helps the student. If no difference is seen after a few days, try offering another sensory stimulus.

Record changes in self-regulation and concentration

If possible, collect data throughout the day to see if there is any change in your student’s self-regulation, attention, behavior, or emotional state (after administering the sensory stimulus). To do this, make a list of fixed measurement moments (when working independently, at instruction moment and at group work and this at an average of 3 moments per day).

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