How to Stop Finger Biting

Video Transcript

"Hi! I'm Dr. Darren Adamson from Argosy University in Salt Lake City. I'm here today to talk to you a little bit about how to stop finger biting. We're going to talk at in terms of finger biting in a child as well as finger or fingernail biting as an adult. The concepts are very similar. I think the first thing that you want to do to discontinue this particular behavior is try to get an understanding of why you're engaging in that behavior or your child is. What prompts it? Is there a nervousness to it? Is there simply a maybe worrying about something? Just simply distracted? Perhaps it's it's associated with daydreaming. Understand the reason why the behavior's occurring. The next step is to discontinue the comfort of the behavior. Often people either suck on or bite on their fingers because it's comfortable. It provides some soothing comfort for some issue that is bothering them. So, here's the key, change the texture or the temperature of the finger, make it less comfortable to bite on or chew on. And so, put a Band Aid for example, on the tip of the finger. That way when the child or the adult goes to bite that finger or that fingernail, there's something obstructing their access to the finger and it makes them stop and think, and then they can make a different decision. So, the key in stopping finger biting or fingernail biting is to be able to stop the behavior long enough to make a choice so that that behavior isn't just simply unconscious or compulsive. That's how you stop finger biting or fingernail biting."