Zach Tahir, six, cannot tell the difference between edible and inedible objects. His mother, Rachel Horn, 32, raised £7,000 to pay for a new, inedible garden for him to play in...
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A little boy who has a rare condition which means he cannot distinguish between edible and inedible objects has been given a new, inedible garden - after the ate the old one.
Zach Tahir suffers from pica, an eating disorder which causes him to eat inappropriate objects, and with moss being one of his favourite snacks, his family garden in Salford, Greater Manchester, has until now been out of bounds.
In the past, the six-year-old has been known to eat stones, paper and even the blinds in his bedroom.
However, he now has a newly-landscaped outdoor area, which cost £7,100, and comes complete with artificial grass, a submerged trampoline and play equipment with rounded edges which are impossible for Zach to get his teeth into.
His mother, Rachel Horn, raised the funds for the garden by organizing a charity comedy night.
Ms Horn, 32, said: ‘It’s great. Zach loves it and it’s so much safer for him.
‘Before it was slushy and muddy so we couldn't go out there, particularly as Zach is particularly keen on eating moss.
‘He can’t eat anything in it, which is the most important thing.
‘If a leaf falls down before I've had time to get rid of it then he might try and eat that but otherwise I can feel so much happier about him being outside.’
Zach (pictured with his mother in his new garden) has pica, an eating disorder which means he eats inappropriate objects. He is also autistic and cannot speak...
Zach has been known to eat moss, stones, paper and even the blinds in his bedroom. Before the new garden was built, he could not be let out alone as he would eat mud and grass...
Zach’s new garden was built just months after he was given an inedible bedroom, costing £36,000, after his cravings reached a whole new level and he gnawed through the walls.
‘There’s no limit to what he will try and eat,’ said Ms Horn.
‘He likes things that are textured, and moss has always been his favourite, as he can mull them around and chew on them for a while.
‘It’s very worrying for me as a parent, because you never know what kind of germs he could be taking in.
‘But in the garden, he can’t get to the street and he’s completely safe.’
Zach also had to have a new, £36,000 bedroom because he started eating his way through the walls. The new bedroom has been specially designed to stop him gnawing on it...
The garden is believed to be the first of its kind for pica sufferers, and contains lots of other sensory features for Zach, who is also autistic and cannot speak.
Ms Horn, who gave up her job in a bank to look after Zach full-time said: ‘It’s all open now.
‘There are no obstacles so he can run around in circles without bumping into things.
‘He’s got his own little slide and he has poles that he can run in and out of.
‘There are multi-coloured lights and he has soft play areas which mean he can bounce around without hurting himself.
Ms Horn said: 'The garden is great. Zach loves it and it's so much safer for him. Before it was slushy and muddy so we couldn't go out there, particularly as Zach is keen on eating moss'...
The garden includes a hammock, inedible fake grass, water features, poles for Zach to run in and out of and a trampoline...
‘The best part is that there are no corners that he could pull up and start gnawing on.
WHAT IS PICA?
Between 10 and 30 per cent of children aged between one and six have pica - an eating disorder which is characterised by cravings for non-food items.
The disorder is most common in people with developmental disorders, such as autism.
It is also common in children between the ages of two and three and in those who have suffered a brain injury.
People with pica frequently crave and eat items such as dirt, paint, chalk, clay, coffee grounds, cigarette butts, hair and sand.
The condition can sometimes result in serious health problems, such as lead poisoning.
Zach, who has a younger sister, Isabella, is very pleased with his new garden.
Ms Horn: ‘When it was first done he didn’t like going out too much but I took some of his toys out there and he soon came round and got used to it.
‘It’s unusual for him and it’s taken me by complete surprise.
‘It’s a shame the weather isn’t so great now, but by next summer, I don’t think we’ll be able to keep him inside.’
Between 10 and 30 per cent of children aged between one and six have pica - an eating disorder which is characterised by cravings for non-food items.
The disorder is most common in people with developmental disorders, such as autism.
It is also common in children between the ages of two and three and in those who have suffered a brain injury.
People with pica frequently crave and eat items such as dirt, paint, chalk, clay, coffee grounds, cigarette butts, hair and sand.
The condition can sometimes result in serious health problems, such as lead poisoning.
Culled from The Daily Mail UK...
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