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PICA (eating non-edible items)

Checked: 02-10-2024 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 01-10-2026

Overview

Pica is defined as the persistent ingestion of non-nutritive, non-food substances for more than one month at an age which is inappropriate for the developmental level of the individual. The behaviour must not be part of a culturally supported or socially normative practice. It is more common in children with learning and developmental disabilities including autistic spectrum disorder. It is also associated with deprivation, parental neglect, and malnutrition.

Please see the guidelines provided by Bristol Royal Hospital for Children Management of a child with PICA

Resources

Parent information leaflet

Pica (eating non-edible items) (cambspborochildrenshealth.nhs.uk) - useful information for parents from Cambridgeshire Community Paediatrics.



Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

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