A mother has spoken of how her son suffers from a rare condition that causes him to eat furniture and his nappies.
Marie Buckley, 32, from Hull, East Yorkshire, has shared the difficulties in dealing with her son’s eating disorder, Pica, which sees him eating non-food items like paper, fluff, toys, and books
William Buckley, four, has been attempting to eat non-food items since he was two.
Marie, who works part-time as a training coordinator, has had to remove books and soft toys from his room and distract him during the day to try and prevent him ingesting damaging materials.
Marie Buckley, 32, from Hull, East Yorkshire, has shared the difficulties in dealing with her son’s eating disorder, Pica, which sees him eating non-food items like paper, fluff, toys, and book. Pictured, William
William’s rare condition, Pica, compelled him to actually eat the corner of his new divan bed frame (pictured)
Marie, pictured with William, said there is a shocking lack of understanding about his condition
Marie explained: ‘Pica is a condition in which one is attracted to eating things that contain no nutritional value.
‘It’s really difficult to diagnose in children as a lot of professionals will just expect a child to grow out of it.
‘William hasn’t always tried to eat his nappies, this is a new problem within the last three to six months.
‘He tries to eat them on a daily basis and more so at night when he’s in his bedroom.’
Marie, pictured with William, is hoping to raise awareness about his conditions and share the reality of hidden disabilities
William can be stopped from eating strange objects during the day when his mum is watching him, but he’s harder to monitor at night
‘William will eat paper; he ate half a book when it was on the wrong shelf in his room.
‘He eats mattress protectors as they were fluffy around the edges so we had to change the material.
‘He’ll also eat carpet fibres, soft toys, the rain cover on his stroller and any form of fluff or hair.’
‘It’s a work in progress; I removed all books and soft toys from his room.
‘During the day, I can run interference and distract him but on a night it’s proving difficult.’
William is currently still at nursery after waiting to be placed in a suitable school for his needs as he also has ASD (autism spectrum disorder), GDD (global developmental delay), and SPD (sensory processing disorder).
Marie is hoping to raise awareness about his conditions and share the reality of hidden disabilities.
Marie, who co-parents William, added: ‘The lack of awareness around William’s conditions is shocking. The cruelness in the comments people make is appalling.’
William caught eating nappies on a baby monitor. He hasn’t always eaten nappies, and started in the last three to six months
William has been the victim of ‘cruel’ online comments which his mother attributes to a ‘shocking’ lack of awareness
‘I had no idea what any of these conditions were and if it wasn’t for support groups on Facebook, I wouldn’t know nearly as much as I do now.
‘Professionals and organisations don’t seem to talk to each other which means they may offer advice on one condition which contradicts another.
‘William’s disabilities are hidden but it doesn’t make them any less viable.’
William is currently still at pre-school after waiting to be placed in a suitable school for his needs as he also has ASD (autism spectrum disorder), GDD (global developmental delay), and SPD (sensory processing disorder)