Why does he eat chalk?
Young children are naturally curious about their environment, it is quite common for them to experiment occasionally with eating items such as those you describe. However there is an eating disorder called pica in which the child or adult persistently eats non food items. The name ‘pica’ comes from the Latin word for magpie, as this bird has a large and indiscriminate appetite. People with pica crave and eat non food items such as dirt, clay, paint and paint chips, plaster, chalk, cornflower, baking soda, coffee grounds, cigarette ashes, cigarette butts, glue, hair, paper, sand, toothpaste, soap, broken crockery. You are right to be concerned because although eating many of these items may be harmless, pica can sometimes lead to serious health problems such as lead poisoning and iron deficiency anaemia. Up to 10 per cent of children experience pica at some point before adulthood. Such pica can sometimes be associated with an underlying problem with the brain or its development, such as
