My 9yo 4th grader is whistling almost constantly. Big hits are Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, 100 bottles of beer on the wall… As I type this he’s trying out a new one - a sea shanty🤣. You can’t believe how long he can keep it going. So glad he’s back in school as of today, but assume the whistling will be just as annoying at school. He’s always been into whistling but this is a new intensity. Anyone else experience this? Our therapist has mentioned gum-chewing in the past, as a fidget activity to help with focus but we’ve never tried it.
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momwifedaughtersis
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Welcome.. I agree find something that will " replace this behavior", gum, fidget tools, Rubicon cubes, etc. This "should" be a phase that goes away.
You could also make a rule that all whisling happens only on his bedroom with the door shut. This could be a win win.. he whistle and you are not driven crazy. Just turn us the music/TV.
My 17-year-old grandson used to do this when his meds were not quite right. I don't even think he was aware of what he was doing. It wasn't a song though, just whistling through his teeth. Kind of a Tourette's thing. His psychiatrist says that ADHD, ODD, Tourette's, autism can all kind of blend in., meaning that at some time a child can have bits of any of this. My daughter, his mother, used to constantly clear her throat. When we adjusted her meds it stopped.
I have a grown son who had a habit of clearing his throat repeatedly without knowing it. With the help of a counselor, we created a word to alert him he was doing it without making it a big deal. I think we just used "hey." In the beginning we reminded him several times a day but eventually it went away. Once he recognizes when he is doing it he will be able to do it when more appropriate. Whistling carols could be really lovely, outside...
I can relate. My son has just started this new thing where every half hour he goes into a fake convulsion for 5-10 seconds. He says it “fun and I should try it” lol. So I did. If not already try introducing him to different types of music abd get him some headphones/earbuds. Audio books. I know for my son, music helps him focus. Although he may just whistle along too so maybe you will need a pair of earbuds!! LolMaybe you could encourage a game you play once a day or something that involves his whistling. Pay attention to it and when the game is over the whistling voice must rest to prepare for the next day. You could say you don’t want him to give away what’s in store for tomorrow’s whistling. I always have all kinds of outlandish ideas. It might just work though. Distraction. When he’s whistling ask him to make 20 chocolate bars. I think there’s most often some sort of repetition in there behaviour. Good luck. Hope this helped a little
Thanks everyone for the ideas! We agreed on “lollipop” as a code word, which works well, except that it makes him feel bad :-(. It’s really a compulsive thing for him. I also got him some sugar free chewing gum, which works as a substitute except he doesn’t really like it that much… he just prefers whistling. Meanwhile little brother is obsessed with the gum 🥴. Anyway thanks again.
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Constant teacher/staff issues
Frustrated Mom
Son diagnosed with ADHD
Eval - neuro pediatrician or extensive academic / psych testing 
