My first time!

[kirstie]

Hi All!

I have a dilemma!

My boy, at 5 years old and a dx of AS and sensory problems has, i have just discovered tonight, NITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's fine, kids get the little critters but i'm finding it a nightmare to even touch my sons head (and thats when he's asleep!!). I tried to have a good old root about but he kept awakening, bless his cotton socks!

Does anyone have ant fabby advice please?

 

I have encountered many problems but not this one and i just wondered if anyone out there has had the same experience with the sensory thing to boot and what did you do?

You're advice is appreciated!!

[bid]

Poor you! I do sympathise, as a few years ago we had The Summer of Headlice. This was not my AS son, but my two girls...so I'm afraid I can't give you ASD-friendly advice.

 

But - Elefan may delete me here - I can tell you the ONLY thing that has ever worked for us!

 

I finally found a lotion called 'Nice'n Clear'. It is made by Natural Science and is more gentle than the 'recommended' chemical nasties! It is a natural product, containing Neem oil.

 

One of the things that might help you with your son is the fact that you only have to leave it on for 10 minutes or so while you comb through...not overnight. I found that with the chemical nasties the little blighters were still alive the next morning, but with this product they are dead after the 10 minutes. One draw back for you, I guess, is that you need to repeat on days 3/7/10/14.

 

Hope you find something to help!

 

Bid

[pookie170]

I'm afraid there's no way round this one, Kirstie.....to get rid of nits, you have to apply the lotion and use a nit comb......they ain't gonna depart without thorough combing!! It's a nightmare, my Caghal and I caught nits when I worked with kids and he was horrified! But the combing was a nightmare. Mind you, as your affected child is male, you could always shave his head.....but again, with sensory issues this could also be problematic!! I found giving him something to play with distacted him slightly as I combed away....and I think he had mutant giant nits-they were HUGE!!!!

 

By the way, misting his hair each morning with diluted tea tree or lavender oil should dissuade another infestation, but be careful to get the mix right and watch out for allergies-I discovered my skin is rather intolerant of tea tree oil!!

Good luck getting rid of the unwelcome visitors, Kirstie!!

 

Esther x

Edited August 30, 2004 by pookie170

[Lisajb]

Eeeek!

Me heads gone all itchy just thinking about em!

Lisa

[Carol]

If you don't like using chemicals ( & taking into account that they tend to build up a resistance to them), or maybe don't like the smell of the lotions - I have found the old fashion method by far the best - use a nice thick hair conditioner & just rub it in & comb them out with a nit comb - the conditioner makes it not so bad for the comb to go through either as they don't feel the comb going through quite as much - but a tip is to warm the lotion up a bit in your hands first - (really cold straight from the bottle - oops)

 

hth

 

Carol

[Amanda32]

My daughter always gets headlice quite often since in primary school and now shes in her second year of comp. Why dont some of the parents check their kids hair... My daughter as got to the stage she'd rather stay home and it's always arguments in the house over it as she's really had enough of it. Why dont they have the nit nurse anymore???..I wanted to do a petition to get the department to fund nit nurses again as she is really getting a sore scalp all the time. Not sure what to do as my hands are tied because she thinks if I complain in a letter or more the other kids will know she has them and may pick on her. Really dont know what to do. My hubby is going out to buy some stuff tomorrow as she hasn't used anything for a while only just conditioner with a nit comb as everything stopped working.

 

Any advice what to do with doing a complaint as its been like this since primary school and every night I comb her hair and find them.........

 

Many thanks

Amanda

Edited September 18, 2005 by Amanda32

[Kathryn]

Poor you.

 

We haven't had the beasties for a while, but my AS daughter had a nasty infestation when she was 12 and we were on holiday. She had long thick hair too. Boys are a bit easier.

 

There are loads of products on the market - I tend to use a mousse which you leave on for half an hour and wash out. Others you have to leave on overnight. I've used the conditioner and comb method with my son: it works as long as you get them all out.

 

It's a horrible thought but it's a good idea to treat the rest of the family too, just in case.

 

Good luck

 

K

[Viper]

I have one of those electric thingies, they work well but you have to use them every day for a while. The problem with these is they emit a high pitched hum and can give a tiny electric shock a bit like the static shock you get from the car, this can cause sensory problems.

 

The other method I have used with some sucsess is to coat the hair in cooking oil then cover the whole head with cling film and heat with a hairdryer until hot leave for half an hour and then comb through wash useing washing up liquid (it breaks down the oil) use the one with the baby on as it is milder.

 

Again not good for sensory problems, so I've been no good at all

Sorry.

 

Viper.

[lorryw]

The only really fool proof method is conditioner and the good old fashioned nit comb.

The liitle swines develop resistance to pesticides very quickly and once the originals nits and eggs have gone its advisable to carry on with conditioner and comb once a week.

Head lice love me! I work as an LSA and was forever finding the wretched things in my hair. I returned to work after a break caring for my son. I only work 2 days a week but at the end of the second day back I felt the tell tale itching at the back of my neck. I had visions of the little swines leaping in excitement in the race to see who could make it first onto my head.

My son hates having his hair combed and the only way to do it was put his favourite video on hand him some chocolate drops (wonderful parenting skills) and go for it.

Good luck and happy hunting

Loraine

[mandyque]

I don't envy you, I've had the same situation over the weekend with my eldest. My daughter won't let me look in her hair at all and is very sensitive to touch on her head. It's a nightmare just doing the everyday brushing! Last time she had them I cut a sponge up and soaked the lotion into a piece of the sponge rather than trying to apply it to her hair. Then I dabbed the sponge all over her head until her hair was soaked in it. Apart from the smell making us both almost throw up it worked better than if I pussyfooted around faffing with her hair

[KarenT]

Tea tree oil shampoo is supposed to be a good preventative. I've used it on J for about a year a couple of times a month and he's never had them. Don't know if that's just luck or what, but there have been several outbreaks in his school and he's escaped scratch-free every time.

 

Karen

x

[Suze]

......................ooh hate the little ****!.................they seem to like me though .My daughter gets them the most often.You have to make sure all the eggs are out as some treatments don,t kill the eggs .So a week later you get another load hatching out.I also make sure I keep the boys hair v.short and my daughters is always tied back gelled down and plaitted..............good luck with the nits.My heads begining to itch now

[Sallya]

Don't laugh.......<Edited by Mods. PM the member if you want the information> and then wrap your head in clingfilm for half an hour....don't know where I read that.....somewhere on the internet.......but it works..... knocks them dead....... and at least the ones that get away have fresh breath....!

s

xxx

Edited December 21, 2005 by Elefan

[treetree]

im a hairdresser and i find with my daughter if i let her watch a vid she will let me do it i use cheap con and put loads on and when i do find one i explain that it is living in her hair and that they grow and let her see it walking this usually works

[Zemanski]

most of the 'recommended' - by whom? - chemicals contain neuro toxins some of which are related to DDT. Although they have been passed for use on children if you are worried by vaccines then you should think carefully about this stuff too.

 

Our LEA recommends the conditioner and comb method.

I've got one of the electric combs but as someone already said it causes sensory problems sometimes - Com will tolerate it but not often enough.

I personally find the conditioner method pretty effective if used every other day - and the kids love to see what comes out of their hair alive and wriggling -

 

Zemanski

[Viper]

Zamanski I am with you on this. My DD 14 used to suffer with astema when she was a baby then as she grew up she grew out of it until one day when we used a chemical that had to be left on over night, she woke up in the early hours with an astema attack, this was after 4 years without one.

 

I have never used it since.

 

Viper.

[BuntyB]

Hi,

We have had this problem and having brought up 3 step-kids and 5 of my own I have tried the lot!

 

Contrary to their title 'nit combs' will only actually remove lice that are big enough not to go through between the teeth. They don't actually remove the nits. If you don't catch them before they lay the nits (eggs) the whole process starts again!

 

The best comb I have had is from www.hippychick.com. You wash the hair and comb it, it removes lice AND nits because it's like a double comb which clicks out for easy cleaning. My my kids all have one and I try to encourage them to always comb with them. (I should ask hippychick for some commission!)

 

The best way to do it is to explain what is happening and then use the best distraction tool you have, video, computer, or whatever while you comb them out.

[Zemanski]

the reason to continue for two weeks is precisely because most of the nit combs, including the electric, only take out the lice not the eggs so you have to do it for longer than the hatching period of the eggs so that those eggs left in the hair are dead or empty - you can remove these by running your finger and thumb nail down the hair but it is purely cosmetic.

 

it's also good to check your child's hair regularly because by the time your child is scratching there's usually a pretty good infestation going - if you can get to them within a couple of days of their arrival you're much more likely to get them all quickly.

Each head louse lays about 8-10 eggs a night, they take 2-3 days to hatch and a week to mature to egg laying - if you can catch that first louse then you only have about 10 babies to get rid off, if you miss it then they multiply exponentially after about a week and a half.

 

Zemanski

[lil_me]

The first sign of one on my sons hair and his hair gets cut, then use the conditioner and comb method depending on how short. My son has an obsession with bugs, hates them with a passion so if I say I am searching his hair to make sure there are no bugs in he'll usually let me if I let him play on his gameboy. Youngest had asthma so can't use the lotions etc .

 

 

This whole thread is making me itch

[Malika]

HI

 

After various experiences with nits squatters I found that the best way was to use tea tre oil or lavender oil on a double nit comb every day for around 3 weeks but to keep the session shorts both my kids have asthma so no lotions. For your boy with sensory integration pb (just like mine) cut his hair short and try to comb him when he is playing in the bath may be this will work. To get rid of the eggs a grand-mother trick is to rince the hair with hot vinegar (half vinegar and half boild water but to check the temperature!!) then when you comb most of the eggs come out may a bit tricky with a little ASD.

 

Good luck.

 

Malika

[Alphazebra]

Don't you just tell the to say AAHHHH ;-)