You may want to ask your pediatrician. Your child may not have PICA or Willie Prader syndrome. It may be a texture or in some cases, a nutrient missing in his physiological makeup. Don't get too concerned yet. In the meantime, you could buy fun dip sticks, those candy necklace/bracelet/rings or candy cigarettes. They have the same chalky texture.

Many times, the cravings and odd compulsive eating that we think of as "pica" are related to iron deficiency. (No one knows why exactly, because there is no iron in chalk to speak of.) It is not unusual for the cravings to go away once the iron balance is restored.

Chalk is not likely to kill anyone, or to even be particularly harmful, but it won't help anyone either. Since blackboard chalk is made from calcium sulfate (gypsum), it is technically not the same thing as calcium carbonate. It has been used as a food supplement, and also appears in water in many places. Anything over 2500 mg per day (2.5 grams) is considered unsafe, but that is just an FDA-type analysis, and might not apply to once-per-week eating, or to specific people who need more calcium in their diet.

The real danger is that chalk is produced in factory conditions, rather than food conditions. While food is (almost) always produced in a sterile environment, chalk has no such standards. All sorts of impurities and bacteria could end up in chalk, and the problems would have to be pretty bad before anyone even noticed.

I would try iron supplements first, but you might want to do that under the supervision of a doctor. I am not a doctor, but I can tell you that too much iron is not good for you either.

If that fails, try to approach it like any other behavior problem. Distract him; offer some alternate source of non-nutrition (maybe TUMS, which is actual calcium carbonate); and reward him every time he is able to put down some chalk without eating it.

I wouldn't suggest that you use any negative reinforcement, for two reasons. First, negative reinforcement rarely works on kids with any symptoms of ASD. (There is a scientific explanation as to why. I think it is because they usually think in a very linear fashion, and "punishment" is not directly associated enough with the original action.) Second, negative reinforcement does not take away the cravings. You do not want to set up a situation where he feels guilty for his cravings, and tries to hide them.

With a little creativity, I think you can set up a positive situation which rewards good behavior, and does not offer any attention (good or bad) for continued pica.

@A MyAutismTeam Member I am interested in reading about the negative reinforcement and how to discipline and guide a child with ASD, do you know of a book that talks about this with the scientific explanations and all? I have been so conflicted how to get my son to stop pushing his brother and other aggressive behaviors.

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A MyAutis...

I would talk to his pediatrician. Whether its non toxic or not, it isn't good for our bodies to ingest things that aren't food.

I was just readin about it. It seems like it is. He doesn't eat any other non edible food items. Just chalk. It seems as if he knew what it was from the first day he started eating it