Situation:When a child cannot manage saliva in his mouth, there is likely a physical or medical reason for this and should be addressed by the appropriate professional which may include: Pediatrician, Ear Nose & Throat Specialist, Speech Pathologist or Occupational Therapist.
For the issue of keeping saliva in his mouth, please seek feedback from the student’s speech pathologist who can conduct an oral motor evaluation, an occupational therapist and/or a referral to a medical professional may be warranted. In some cases, a student may benefit from a visual cue to close his mouth and swallow more often or need some type of bandana or towel to have available to wipe his mouth. It is important to rule out any medical issues prior to trying a new technique.
For the purpose of this answer, we will address purposeful spitting. When a child purposely spits on others, it is a learned maladaptive behavior and can be addressed by teaching an appropriate replacement behavior, positive reinforcement of the new behavior and if necessary, imposing consequences for the spitting behavior (e.g. loss of privilege, time out or cleaning an area spit on).
I have a student who can not keep his spit in his mouth, but he will also purposely spit on his peers. Do you have any suggestions?