One of the realities of living with someone with Autism is we develop a new vocabulary based on the needs and behaviors of our loved one. Thus, in our home we learned that the often-disturbing behavior Micah erratically exhibited is summed up as pica. If you google the word this is the definition you will find:
“Pica is an eating disorder that involves eating items that are not typically thought of as food and that do not contain significant nutritional value, such as hair, dirt, and paint chips. Pica, depending on the objects consumed, can be relativity harmless or dangerous.”
For my son, strong smells have always attracted him, so he has always liked the smell of soaps and shampoo and hand sanitizers; not concerning at all, until he began ingesting them any chance he could. The fact that he has amazing eyesight and is remarkably quick when he notes a desired object, made any hand sanitizer an easy target for the many months we tried to contain this obsession. However, his pica became even more concerning when his obsession turned to gasoline. Not just to smell, but his drink of choice. Then no gas-powered machine was safe as he became focused on locating gasoline to smell, or drink if possible. The number for Poison Control was just about on speed dial during the many months that this behavior drove him. We learned the hard way that Micah was always on the lookout for his next fix. Trips to visit friends’ homes involved the need to do a search of the grounds for gas cans or any gas-powered equipment that he might locate in an attempt to consume gasoline.
The scariest moment of his gasoline obsession occurred late one hot summer night when my Labrador Retriever, Willow, woke me, which was unusual. I went downstairs to check on Micah and found him, not only not in his bed, but with his bedroom window screen pushed out. As I headed outside, I saw little Micah coming out of the barn in his underwear, that he had worn to bed that night as it was so hot. He was swaying a bit and smelled strongly of gasoline. Yet another call to Poison Control provided the information needed to monitor Micah until morning. He showed no ill effects of his midnight jaunt to get his gasoline fix, but as parents we did not recover so easily.
The next day we went out to the barn and noted his hand prints on the lawn mower, the rototiller and the gas can stored there. In the dark, with no light to guide him, he had opened each gas cover. The experience was so disturbing that his father secured every window on the first floor, making it impossible to open them any more than three inches to make sure Micah could not escape again in the night. Oddly, I do not recall when his need to consume gasoline ended. The desire just slowly seemed to fade away. It has been years since I have smelled gas on his breath or clothing, for which we are thankful.
Other obsessions have been concerning, but not as dangerous, such as when he consumed 14 tea bags of his favorite fragrant tea. We knew the exact number of tea bags consumed as he carefully replaced the foil covers back into the box. As sneaky as he can be, he has not mastered the art of hiding the evidence against himself!
As hard as some of our experiences have been with pica, I have learned that that some
individuals consume even more dangerous objects such as batteries and razor blades; objects that require surgery to remove for survival. Those who strive to keep their family members safe must be hyper vigilant, making our experiences seem relatively easy in comparison. However, to this day, the smell of gasoline puts me on alert, especially if there is a gas can stored in an open area. My heart goes out to those families on alert for razor blades or worse. It is our hope and prayer that all of the current research on Autism will lead to answers of what triggers pica and how to alleviate those triggers. Until then, we will be vigilant.
Jan Lessard Peightell
October 14, 2019
*Postscript: For those of you who have followed past Micah Lens blogs, and asked about the success of the new toilet, I am happy to report that we have been flood free. It is almost time to replace the ceiling tiles for hopefully the last time. Thanks for asking! JLP