Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Pencil Chewer In one of the classrooms I've observed, there is a student who chews the eraser to his pencil. Not only is this a distraction to the other students, but also poses a small threat to the students overall health. The teacher has told the student several times to refrain from doing this, but he continues to. I'm assuming this is a fidgeting tactic the student possesses. Any suggestions on how to terminate or lessen this behavior? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) Stress and/or anxiety are the most frequent causes of certain children's chewing. Chewing causes the jaw to receive soothing, self-organizing proprioceptive signals to the brain. It's common for youngsters to chew on their pencils, which is typically not a problem, but when the chewing gets out of hand, it can cause issues. When chewing is causing problems, you can try to get the student to stop by providing them with something more acceptable to chew on. Gum, sensory chew necklace, and chewable pencil toppers have all been successful for certain individuals.