My DS is 6. He has global learning delay and auditory processing disorder.
He is a lovely boy.
He has quite a few behaviours that would be classed as challenging - tantrums, outbursts, destructive play etc. But we can handle these. We are used to them and we are experienced parents so can cope.
The one behaviour that I am finding hard to cope with is his habit of 'stealing' food. I dont like to use the word but I cant think of how else to describe it. He doesnt hoard it, it eats it!
At first I thought it was just down to his delay. I assumed he wasnt 'getting' the rights and wrongs of helping yourself and that he would learn that it wasnt allowed as long as we were consistant with him.
Nuh uh
I dont buy sweets and stuff as a rule. But I do get cereal bars and usually buy a load at a time for use in lunch boxes. It took time to notice that they were disappearing. I would go to a box of 6 and find it was empty. I worked out it was DS and did the usual talk with him.
But it has just gone on and on.
Its almost always sweet things. As I dont buy sweets much he will go for sugar. He went through 2 lbs in a week before I realised what was going on! He ate all the halloween sweets, finds chocolate that OH buys me for a treat and eats it all, eats indigestion 'sweets', in fact anything he can get his hands on including cake icing and mixes.
Its driving me crazy. I bought some hot chocolate drink last week, it comes in individual chunks and he went through the whole packet.
He is never sick or gets tummy ache. He does it when we are very close by but I have never caught him at it. I find out when I am doing his room (I have to dust and hoover daily due to his skin condition) or when I notice something is missing.
He finds stuff however high up or difficult it is to get to.
Its like he is driven to do it. He knows he will get in trouble. He knows he shouldnt do it and I really cannot imagine half the stuff tastes nice. I have spoken to him, I have gone mad at him, I have punished him but nothing works.
As I said, we dont buy sweets often but I need to keep sugar in the house and like to bake sometimes. Its got to the point where I am seriously considering putting a lock on a cuboard so I can keep stuff safe from him and him safe from stuff. I just dont think he is developmentally ready to stop himself and I hate getting so stressed about it.
Sorry for the long post. Its really getting to me know, its almost daily and it must be making him feel bad about himself.
I know that this sort of bingeing is common with some conditions so I wondered if anyone has had to deal with it and how.
Thanks very much.