Think DS (SPD, with serious hair washing/brushing issues) has nits

[Jacksterbear]

Oh crap crap crap

He's scratching like mad but refusing point blank to have hair washed or combed?

I can see what looks like tiny black flies. Don't know if it's nits or some other infestation resulting from not having his hair washed for weeks .

Fuck. What to do? Any ideas?

?

Thanks ouryve, think I'll need it!

Am hoping if the itching gets bad enough he might think washing/combing is the lesser of two evils... yes?

Well, when DS1 got nits (it was within the last year when he was 6yo), we used Hedrin Treat and Go. It's a spray-on, rub in (that specifically states no asthma triggers).

We sat him down, buzzed his hair with home trimmer (No 2, very short), then spritzed his head with the spray, rubbed it in really good, left it on for quite some time during the afternoon, then just showered it off. Then tried to comb as much as possible - lots of small tiny combing sessions over the next few days. Then in a week, another dose of the spray stuff, while still continuing combing whenever possible. After a couple days he got at least slightly tolerant of the combing (meaning he wasn't screaming and kicking anymore ).

The spray goes on dry hair, so maybe you can get him to allow you to spray his hair and rub it in well. The bottle says you can leave it on for up to 8 hours, and it just dries - can't even really tell it's there IYSWIM. So plenty of time to get his hair washed. At least it's better than nothing.

Thanks Trigglesx.

Hope it helps.

As I sit here now, scratching my head in sympathy.

Thanks, good to know there's an option that doesn't involve washing -not that spraying is going to be much more popular!

Thanks again for the spray recommendations. He was freaking out so badly about bugs crawling in his hair that the promise of killing them did make him submit to the spray in the end, with only a relatively minor meltdown!

Feeling quite crap about not being able to provide even basic hygiene care for DS without a major battle. You know those threads (in Parenting / Behaviour) where a parent is feeling a bit inadequate about not having spent the day baking / doing craft activities or other enriching experiences or whatever with the DC, and inevitably someone else comes along and says "well as long as your DC are fed, clothed and clean, that's the only thing that really matters". Not so easy when your DC have sensory issues!

It IS difficult. That's one of the reasons I trim the boys' hair at home now. I use the electric trimmer - he was quite jumpy initially, so we did it in stages, allowing him time and using his tablet to distract him as much as possible. He still hates it, but is at least relatively tolerant, as long as it's quick and you keep up constant banter/chatter with him. And I always aim for days when it looks like he'll tolerate it better.

Keeping his hair really short means no ongoing fusses with combing it and for the most part, nits are not a common problem. When DS1 got them previously, his hair was longer.