Headbanging

[Lynden]

My 2 year old son Logan has been a 'head-banger' for around a year now. He does it often and normally we just remove him from the situation, take his interest with something else.

 

However, he's just figured out that he can do it specifically for attention :-( ie tonight he wouldn't settle for bed. I put him in his cot, he gets hysterical and starts banging his head hard off the side, I pick him up, he's fine and wants to play, I lay him down, he starts banging his head and gets hysterical, I pick him up.....you get the picture.

 

I'm not sure how to handle it to be honest. If it were my daughter I'd just let her tantrum for a bit but then I know she wouldn't harm herself. I know that there's nothing wrong with him, clean, dry, proper temp, not hungry etc, and when I pick him up he just wants to play around. He is really banging his head hard though so I cant leave him to do that.

 

Any advice in this situation because I really dont want to have to start cuddling him to sleep at 2 years old :-(

 

Lynne

[Amanda32]

Hi LLaverty

I think quite alot of the member's here can relate to the headbanging with their kids at one time or another amongst other things. My son was the same headbanging in his cot, walls, the floor in which he ended up with carpet prints on his forehead... checking him all the time making sure he wasn't in any danger. He used to punch himself in the head, bite his arms jump off things alot (well he stills likes to jump from high places). I did take him to the GP to tell them he was doing all this as I was concerned (think he was about 2-3..... ) and also to cover myself as these days you MAY get accused of harming, especially with our kids. Nobody ever told me then that he was Autistic and he used to flap alot too but I just thought that was him. You could get some information from any of the other members with their experiences or check this thread out:

 

Stimming/Rituals, Hand-licking, teeth grinding etc

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.ph...wtopic=668&st=0

 

Hope this helps

Take care

Amanda <'>

Edited August 9, 2005 by Amanda32

[Lynden]

Thanks Amanda

 

We are in the system up here and have a great care team so they are very aware of his head banging thankfully so at least I know they know its not us. He flaps a lot too, has done for a while. He's also just started hitting but that could be an age thing - its hard to tell when they are so young!

 

Thanks for the link, am off to read it now.

 

Lynne

[pleasehelp]

Hi, my son who is STILL undiagnosed went through the exact same thing from a VERY early age. I can only urge any parent of a young toddler experiencing this to at the very least explore Cranial Osteopathy. We are almost at the end of a short run of uninvasive and inexpensive treatments which are having very definite and positive effects certainly on K's speech and language and a very big indicator that it may benefit them is the headbanging behaviour. Certainly in our case I am sure that it was not merely down to tantrums because it started at such an early age but a very definite case that he seemed to be in discomfort particularly when he lay down to sleep at night but also it seems at other times too. This link which i think appears elsewhere on this forum too will help explain the thinking behind the treatment and I for one having been through the upset of seeing my own son go through this can very definitely recommend it as an avenue to at least explore further. Hope this is helpful to you:

Cranial Osteopathy