banging spine/ back instead of head

[westie]

Hi does anyones child with ASD bang their back/ spine against hard surfaces instead of their head? and if so what were you advised (if anything) about how to reduce this behaviour or what damage it may potentially cause to the spine/ back if continuing. This is not soft impact btw and quite frequent. Any ideas about ways to reduce damage (padded clothing or other solution?) padding surfaces is being looked into but obviously you cannot pad every surface so any suggestions appreciated.

Have tried searching but no luck - most are coming up with head banging only.

Thanks

[Karen A]

Hi.

I am not an expert on this.I can however make some speculative assumptions based on what I do know.

 

The difficulty with repeated banging of the spine against a hard surface may not be so much to do with the risk of short term injury [which might be localised bruising but is less likely to be damage to the spine itself] but more to do with the development of an abnormal pattern of movement that might cause long term trauma and so pain in the future.

 

If my speculations are right then providing padding might encourage the repeating of the behaviour and could do more harm long term.

I think it may be worth obtaining advice from an OT or physio.It may not be a good idea to try to use information gained from advice re head banging without specialist advice because the head and spine are specialist areas with their own problems.

 

Karen.

[westie]

Thanks Karen, yr reply is much appreciated

[JsMum]

Would you say he has been quite anxious lately, tense, stiff ect... if the answer is yes, then I absaloutly recommend Remedial Sports Massage, J has this regularly, and the difference in his posture, muscles, mind is amazing and he really is a different kid after physiotherapy, he does recieve his privately but its worth every penny, as the benefits are massive.

 

He was also recieving Massage at his resi school too, as the school see the benefits too in All the boys.

 

Recommend it.

 

JsMumx

Edited October 31, 2010 by JsMum

[JsMum]

Another thought, is does your son have any Weighted Blanket, weight vests, I know its only assumption here but could he be harming his body in this way as way to feel his body, it could be that he doesnt coprehend where in relation his arms/legs are to his imediate surroundings, for example J trips up the stairs as he doesnt know where his feet have contacted the step, or he bumps into door frames as he hasnt gaged the distane correctly from his body to the door enterance, often Js is because he is rushing, wants to get from A to B in like 50 seconds ago.

 

It could be he is growing and has growing pains and is trying to cancel out the pain he already is experiencing, J cries with growing pain, it actually hurts, when he is really bad I give him calpol/Ibrofen.

 

Another reason Im gonna assumption, is could he be doing this to actually FEEL as he may have expressive difficulties, the pain could be reasuring him he is still actually alive and here with us on this planet, also his body will release painkilling chemicals.

 

JsMumx

[westie]

Hi J's mum,

Just to clarify, its not either of my children, I am asking on behalf of someone else. Their child is almost 3 and has been head banging from an early age and now wears a special helmet due to injuries received from head banging. now moved to sitting up against things and banging back/ spine as well/ instead. The child has no/ little speech as yet, but as professionals are involved things will hopefully improve. The parents are quite worried about whether the child will damage their spine by banging it so hard and so frequently. The feeling comment is probably something like why the

child does this, it must provide some sort of comfort or stimulation to the child.

 

Maybe some sort of massage could be worth looking into though, I will mention it.

 

Thanks again some useful info to think about.

D

[Sally44]

Hi J's mum,

Just to clarify, its not either of my children, I am asking on behalf of someone else. Their child is almost 3 and has been head banging from an early age and now wears a special helmet due to injuries received from head banging. now moved to sitting up against things and banging back/ spine as well/ instead. The child has no/ little speech as yet, but as professionals are involved things will hopefully improve. The parents are quite worried about whether the child will damage their spine by banging it so hard and so frequently. The feeling comment is probably something like why the

child does this, it must provide some sort of comfort or stimulation to the child.

 

Maybe some sort of massage could be worth looking into though, I will mention it.

 

Thanks again some useful info to think about.

D

 

It is very hard with a non-verbal child that is so young.

But it could also be frustration.

And as JS Mum said, he maybe doing this to 'feel' his body. When watching TV my son loses body sensation. I can tickle his feet and pinch his earlobes and get no response at all. Turn off the TV and he is incredibly ticklish and would yelp if I touched his ears! It is also recorded that he cannot identify body temperature. In the classroom he maybe too cold or sweating and will not understand that because the sensory input and processing causes him to be unaware of his body temperature.

 

His clothes also have to be just so. His coat has to have the hood up and fastened very tightly and the cuffs around his hands very tight too. The OT believes he does this to get input into where his head and hands are.

 

 

Massage, deep pressure (and advice from physio and OT) are not going to do any damage to him. The parents could see how he responded to a weighted jacket, or deep pressure or massage and see if it reduces the behaviours.

It might also be useful to keep a diary to record what happens before, during and after this behaviour. It might shed some light on it. And they should record the 'environment' as well ie. which room, lighting, any noise or music in the background etc.

 

My son used to head bang if he was doing a puzzle and I walked into the room and turned the TV on. It took me a while to get the connection. My son is now reported by professionals to mono-process. What I believe was happening was that my turning on the TV distracted him and made it impossible to continue with his puzzle. And once distracted he effectively "lost his place" in the mental process. It is still the same today with his Nintendo. If playing it he cannot do anything else, or cope with any other input. I know that is my child, and not this one. But sometimes it does take years to get an understanding.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Sally44