5 1/2 Year Old Who Sucks His Thumb

Hi, I’m a speech pathologist with a 5 and a half year old son who sucks his thumb. I never learned how to approach this problem in school unfortunately. I tried a lot of different ideas I heard about but nothing has been effective. I wonder if I started when he was too young. I began trying to get him to stop when he had just turned three years old. I’m feeling guilty that I have been using all the wrong approaches. My friend and associate attended your course last year and told me that there is a program called Unplugging the Thumb. Is that appropriate for my son? I’m worried about his teeth and also that he will continue this bad habit in the years to come. Any information you can give me will be very welcome. Thank you.

Hi, Thank you for writing and asking about Unplugging the Thumb (UTT) and if it would be appropriate for your son. The program was created for those children from 4 years through 10 years. Beginning a program earlier than four years is usually not recommended. I have had only a few exceptions that were younger and it was due to various reasons such as being “almost” four years old, cognitively ready and able to understand the program, anxious to quit, etc. As far as whether to get UTT for your son, here is what I recommend to those in the dental, speech, educational, and mental health professions: it is a good idea to order the Therapist Edition instead of the Parent Edition as that will give you the ability to help your own clients/patients/students as well as your own child. Although the editions are similar, the Therapist Edition will provide you with what you need to help your own caseloads. Let me know if you have any further questions and thank you again for contacting us.