FoggyRock General Forum

My middle child had a hair thing for years.  It was so constant, I got to where I didn't even notice it until someone else would mention it.  She doesn't do it anymore, but we have done much biomedical for her and I can't really say when that went  away.  I'm pretty sure it was after chelation.  I mean, she still loves hair, but it's no longer a stim.

When my non-ASD but dyspraxic daughter with GI issues did this when she was younger it was always gut related.  She pulled herself bald on a couple of occasions and was on antibiotics both times.  Antibiotics would clear up any diarrhea that she was having but she'd always lose some hair in the process.  She's 6 now and we haven't noticed this problem in several years.  Of course she hasn't been on antibiotics lately either.

I believe it is called trichotillomania, and it is a stim.  It is actually a "obsessive-compulsive disorder" from the DSM-IV.  A lot of our kids have symptoms of ADHD, anxiety, and obsessive/compulsive disorders - basically, I think this "comprises" what is autism at times.  Sometimes meds bring out these tics (like Adderall will bring out tics like this - picking, hair-pulling, fear of germs, etc. in certain people - other ADD meds can bring out tics...) - some people just develop them.  When my older guy was little, he used to flutter his eyes as a stim, almost like a movie projector.  It eventually stopped.  My roomie in college was a hair puller, especially when she was writing, which was what she wanted to do for her livelihood...she used to wear a ball-cap while she wrote to keep from pulling her hair.  Maybe cute hats would help?  Also, my little sister went through a hair twisting phase as a toddler that did go away - she would twist and twirl when tired before sleeping....  some stims do go away. 

My younger son (moderat ASD) was obsessed with clothing tags - and nearly took my very large underwear into Wal-Mart with him one day in order to have a "tag" at his dispoasal to flick.  Thankfully, I caught him with the panties...  and thankfully, he has quit that obsession.  Hopefully, this too shall pass...

Good luck!

My 16 year old daughter has done this on and off for years.  She pulls it out and eats it until there is only a bald patch left.  It is trichotillomania, a self stim, but it can be caused by a lack of certain vitamins in your diet also.  I can't remember which one she was missing(it was a couple of years ago and I've slept since then) but after placing her on a supplement she slowly stopped the behavior.  I'd talk to your doctor about it.

I would vote YES on stim.  My daughter used to chew in her hair, which is a lot easier to remedy that pulling out for sure, but she quit when we took her out of daycare that was making her a nervous wreck.  She was chewing on hair and shirt collar like no body's business.

I am a hair twister.   I don't pull it out, just "twirl" it, as my mother used to call it.
I am also possibly undiagnosed Asperger's.  My son has been diagnosed with it. I share a lot of traits, and now that I know about it, Asperger's would explain a lot of my trouble in childhood and early adulthood.

I still use it and a few other stims when I've had a hard day, am stressed out, or just because. It is amazingly comforting, doesn't bother anyone really, although my family has always been annoyed by it.

I suppose pulling it out would be a different story.

I started it at about age 10, along with shoulder shrugging, tensing up my back muscles, rocking ( try to only do it in rocker or swivel chairs) and waggling a foot.   I'm now 40, so I've been doing it for 30 years.

I've had a lot of others, but these have stuck.

It is definitely a stim and I use it a lot.  I have tried to stop by cutting my hair very short, but when it grows back, I just do it again.  When I can't twirl, I rock or wag something.
It helps to keep my body moving.