Aspergers and Head Lice...

[LaydeeC]

Yuk, I know but I have a 14 yo son with Aspergers. His behaviour is VERY challenging and he came become very verbally and physically aggressive very quickly. He is very non-compliant. And he has head-lice.

Unbelievably, he let me wash his hair a week or so ago (he won't normally let me go anywhere near him) and I was gobsmacked to see that he had friends. He had them a couple of times when he was much younger but allowed me to condition and comb every night until we got rid of them.

This, however, is different. I have had to smother his head in treatment (which I hate doing). He then washed it out a couple of days later but still refused to let me go through his hair. Last night, he let me put more hedrin in and he slept in it but now is refusing to wash it out or let me go through his hair.

I know I sound pathetic as in 'my son won't let me....' but he won't.

I am on the brink of offering financial incentives along the line of a fiver for every hour I spend going through his hair. This has sometimes worked in the past with other issues as he is very motivated by money.

I can't bear to think of him having lice on his head and it is getting us down changing the sheets when we are not dealing with the problem.
What to do?

[alison222]

Huge sympathy. DS is 10 and I can still insist he does things. We would have tears and screaming BUT I would be allowed to comb his hair out. - He is used to me doing it as every time they send a letter home from school saying there is nits going round we comb as a precaution. I too recommend the nitty gritty comb - it gets the eggs out too reducing the number of combings needed.
Try bribery and threats - as I am sure you don't want nits too. - you have checked the rest of the family haven't you?

[Swiddle]

Actually, I think you are fine just doing the Hedrin twice, without any combing. Cos from what I remember when our family were last stricken with lice, the stuff suffocates the live crawlies, and then when you repeat it a week later, it suffocates the new ones that have hatched (but are too young to have laid any new eggs).

So, whilst I can see that it is not a nice thought to think of the dead ones hanging around in there, he should actually be all clear now.

I have full sympathy with 'my son won't let me' by the way ... these kids really really won't if they don't want to!

[suburbandream]

DS2 (Aspergers) is 7 and hates having his hair washed, it was a nightmare when he had headlice, so I feel your pain. Fortunately for me he doesn't usually get close enough to any of his classmates to catch anything so it's only happened once but they took ages to go completely. Because he's a big lad now I'd definitely try bribing him to let you do it, for your own sanity - he probably wouldn't be thorough enough himself

[Marne]

I would bribe him with money too (easy way out but sounds like its the only way), both my dd's hate having their hair touched, we havn't had lice for a year or so but when we did it was a nightmare (lots of bribery).

[WilsonFrickett]

Oh I dread this happening, DS is so 'hair sensory' (completely made up term but you KWIM). Bribe him. Seriously, just do it. And get a nitty gritty comb, they work the best.

[TapselteerieO]

You have my sympathy, my ds will not submerse his head in water, it is very hard washing his hair, but he is only seven and he would rather let me comb than live with bugs in his hair. I used hedrin and combed, bribing him with sweets and distracting him with a DVD to watch whilst I combed, I used the nitty gritty comb.

I would use money to bribe him, others might not agree, but if it works then go for it, maybe say £1 per 20 minutes of combing, you give him coins, he watches the money accumulate. That way he gets £3 per hour and the more combing you do, the more money he gets.

Once I had done the hedrin treatments I condition combed until I got all the eggs, ds also hated the hair dryer, until quite recently, it dries up the eggs a little and makes the habitat unfriendly!

[Ineedalife]

I agree about the combs, the nitty gritty is suppposed to be good.

We have one with 2 rows of teeth but it pulls like hell in Dd3's masses of hair.

I think I would go down the financial incentive route. You really need to check that they are gone or he will infest everyone.

By the way Dd3 got quite fond of hers and called them her friends and was disappointed that I was so determined to get rid of them

Good luck

[Jodianna]

If he's fourteen, maybe you could get him to do it himself.

[davidsotherhalf]

my dd used to have headlice everytime she came home from school, she hates anyone touching her hair but i got a comb from boots, can't remember what it's called but it's metal with longer teeth than normal nit comb, cost about £10, i smothered her hair with conditioner and combed it and even the eggs came out, only had to do it once and got everything out (took me 2hrs as hair was down to her waist) tbh i bribed her with a treat, could try a bribe on ds, my dd couldn't stand the smell of headlice treatments.