Thumb sucking - ゆびしゃぶり (English spelling) thumb sucking

Japanese: 指しゃぶり - ゆびしゃぶり（英語表記）thumb sucking

Thumb sucking often begins after 4-5 months of age. Thumb sucking seen in infants from this age onwards is a voluntary movement and is considered to be a developmental phenomenon that represents exploratory behaviour. Thumb sucking from around 18 months of age is also a behaviour to ease feelings of restlessness caused by boredom or anxiety, and forcing a child to stop may actually increase the amount of thumb sucking. The negative effects are the sucking of the fingers and the effect on the dentition, but generally the child will naturally stop doing it once their interest turns outwards. It is not something that can be strictly forbidden to stop, and care must be taken to ease the child's psychological anxiety. From a dental perspective, it has been pointed out that thumb sucking and pacifiers can cause maxillary protrusion (protruding teeth) and open bite (upper and lower teeth do not fit together). If the child does not stop by the age of 2, these abnormalities are seen relatively frequently, and the frequency increases even more after the age of 3. The differences in opinion between pediatricians and pediatric dentists have confused parents, but a consensus has been reached between the two groups through the Health Review Committee for Pediatrics and Pediatric Dentistry. According to this consensus, thumb sucking during infancy (up to about 12 months of age) is a physiological behavior in the developmental process of infants, so it is sufficient to simply observe the progress. In the first half of toddlerhood (1 to 2 years of age), thumb sucking during the daytime decreases as play becomes more widespread. It is only observed when the child is bored or sleepy. Therefore, during this period, it is sufficient to watch the child's entire life with kindness without being too nervous. In the second half of toddlerhood (from 3 years of age to preschool), even thumb sucking that has already become a habit often naturally decreases as children develop social skills, such as playing with other children at nursery school or kindergarten. However, if frequent thumb sucking continues, active measures by pediatricians, pediatric dentists, and clinical psychologists are required. Thumb sucking almost completely disappears after entering elementary school. For children who persist at this stage or who want to quit but are unable to, proactive measures will be taken in collaboration with pediatricians, pediatric dentists, and clinical psychologists.

(Takashi Nakamura, Professor, Department of Human Welfare, Faculty of Human Studies, Taisho University / 2008)

Source : "Chiezo" published by Asahi Shimbun Publications Co., Ltd. About Chiezo

Japanese:

指しゃぶりは、生後4〜5カ月以降に始まる場合が多い。この時期以降の乳児に見られる指しゃぶりは随意的運動であり、探索行動を表す発達の一現象と考えられている。 1歳半を過ぎるころからの指しゃぶりは、手持ちぶさたや不安などによる落ち着かない感情を和らげるための行動でもあり、無理にやめさせようとすると、逆に多くなることがある。弊害は、指にできる吸いだこと歯列への影響だが、一般的には興味が外に向くようになると自然にしなくなる。厳しく禁止してやめさせられるものでもなく、子供の心理的不安を和らげる配慮が必要。歯科の立場からは指しゃぶりやおしゃぶりによる上顎(じょうがく)前突(出っ歯)や開咬(かいこう=上の歯と下の歯がかみ合わない)への影響が指摘される。2歳を過ぎてもやめない場合にはこれらの異常が比較的高頻度に見られ、3歳となるとさらに頻度が高まる。小児科医と小児歯科医との見解の相違が親を混乱させてきたが、小児科と小児歯科の保健検討委員会により、両者間の統一見解が形成された。それによると、乳児期(生後12カ月ごろまで)の指しゃぶりは乳児の発達過程における生理的な行為なので、そのまま経過をみればよい。幼児期前半(1〜2歳まで)では、遊びが広がるので、昼間の指しゃぶりは減少する。退屈なときや眠いときに見られるに過ぎない。したがって、この時期はあまり神経質にならずに子供の生活全体を温かく見守ればよい。幼児期後半(3歳〜就学前まで)になると、すでに習慣化した指しゃぶりでも、保育園、幼稚園で子供同士の遊びなど社会性が発達するにつれて自然に減少することが多い。しかし、なお頻繁な指しゃぶりが続く場合は小児科医、小児歯科医及び臨床心理士による積極的な対応が必要になる。小学校入学後には指しゃぶりはほとんど消失する。この時期になっても固執している子供、あるいはやめたくてもやめられない子供の場合は、小児科医、小児歯科医及び臨床心理士の連携による積極的対応を行う。

(中村敬大正大学人間学部人間福祉学科教授／ 2008年)

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