Pica Update

We received the results of the blood work in the mail yesterday- CBC, iron, zinc, and lead levels. We are relieved to know that he doesn’t have lead poisoning. Unfortunately, this debunks our doctor’s hope that rather than being caused because of his developmental disability, it was caused by iron or zinc deficiency. He was hoping this because, in his experience, children who exhibit pica from those deficiencies usually no longer exhibit the behavior once the deficiencies are addressed with a customized supplement. At this point, we have to wait to for our doctor to be in office so that we can talk about appropriate interventions.

We wanted to share some basic information about pica. Pica is a pattern of eating non food items that must persist for longer than a month in order to qualify for a diagnosis. Commonly eaten non food items are:

Clay
Chalk
Soil
Paper
Soap
Glass

Additionally, it includes the persistent eating of things that could be considered food or food ingredients:

Ice
Salt
Flour
Raw Potato
Raw Rice
Raw Noodles
Raw Beans
(items in bold are items that Little Bug eats)

Complications that can arise from pica can include:

Lead poisoning
Bowel problems
Bowel obstructions
Dental injuries
Parasitic infections
Malnutrition
Iron or Zinc deficiencies

At times, having information is overwhelming. It is difficult to read these things and think about our son. The worry we feel about this is only compounded by the limited pain response that Little Bug exhibits. In reviewing the articles provided, we noticed that children with developmental disabilities often exhibit pica for a much more prolonged time. No one understands why this is something that sticks with this group of children longer than other children.

The interventions for pica sound mostly rooted in behavioral interventions.