Banging!

[mandyque]

DDs latest thing is to kick her bedroom window, banging over and over and over again. I have done all kinds of things in her room to avoid behaviour difficulties, taken toys away that she was breaking, had a cupboard built to stop her climbing on the 'box' that goes over the stairs, she has lino on the floor, soon to be replaced by specialist flooring, because of her smearing and urinating on the floor, she has a bed with a waterproof mattress, stable doors that lock at the bottom to keep her safe and so I can check on her without opening the door. We have had the windows replaced with toughened ones and film put over them to make them one way windows that nobody can see in from outside because she strips off and sits on the windowsill.

 

But how do I stop her kicking the window?????? Can't remove the window or her legs! Any ideas????????????????????

[reclusive giraffe]

Could you give her something that she can 'bang'? Instead of trying to remove the problem turn it into a positive?

 

Sorry if you've tried this already, i'm new here!

 

xx

[nellie]

Sorry, I'm not sure I know the answer. I would contact the Occupatonal Therapy department for advice. Have a look at the following, they are very expensive, you could try asking SS to fund this, it's worth mentioning to Occ. Therapy. If you don't have any success with funding you could maybe improvise, a playtent or something similar as she may like the enclosed space, give her lots of things to play with that give her sensory satisfaction.

 

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/jkmorony/index.htm

 

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

 

Nellie xx

[mandyque]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll have a better look at that link when I've got some time to concentrate on it

 

I'm just so worried a) about her possibly breaking the window, even toughened glass will break under pressure, and also the noise, I have an alcoholic neighbour prone to violence and I really don't want to annoy him The noise is pretty unbearable too, she just does it over and over again. Nothing I do or say stops her once she has decided she is going to do something like this, I'm out of ideas!

 

I was going to call her community nurse anyway so I'll mention it to him, I'm sure he was supposed to refer her to behaviour therapy but as usual nothing is happening

[elaine1]

wow i hope u get help soon, sounds like you have a lot to deal with. <'>

[nellie]

Mandy,

 

Just in case you missed this, the website states:

 

Funding:

 

Safespaces have been bought as freestanding items of equipment and also as fixtures or housing adaptations. They have been financed using a variety of statutory sources, for example by Hospital or Community Loan Stores, Continuing Care, Looked After Children and the Disabled Facilities Grant

 

We can also offer support and advice with various options to help with funding, for example charitable/voluntary organisations, benefits/government help, VAT relief for disabled people.

[mandyque]

That is definately worth knowing nellie, thank you for drawing my attention there. I think I'll conveniently have the computer on when the community nurse comes round She's driving me nuts with the banging!!!!

[mandyque]

Wish me luck everyone, she has been at her dads for a couple of nights and we have new flooring laid and I have decorated her room, adding a TV/video combi. I'm hoping and praying that it will distract her from the banging and poo smearing. Of course this is just the latest in a long line of efforts to change the problems so we could just end up with a broken TV when she kicks that instead I showed her the newly painted room earlier and she didn't seem to be upset by it, so far so good!

[katkin]

Hi mandyque, when I worked in residential care all the tvs in the children's rooms were in cupboards and the front of the cupboard was in macrolon(sp?) a kind of heavy duty perspex stuff.. This did not break even with heavy thumping of it going on and things being thrown at it. The macrolon then had about 1cm holes drilled in the front so the sound could be heard. Some of the children had a slot in the macrolon so they could manage the controls of the tv/video by themselves. The cupboards were locked shut with a star key so all staff could access. it does stop the tvs being so damaged so often. I don't know where the macrolon comes from but must be reasonably easy to get - we used a lot. The only downside is if your child smears the "slot" for access to the tv is a lovely "posting box"!!! Worth a thought and doesn't have to look institutionalised if done nicely. Hope this helps a bit, Kat

[mandyque]

Thanks for that Kat, it's something to look into

 

We got through the night unscathed lol! She was up till after midnight, hyper as a hyperactive hyper thing but I sort of expected that, it's the same way she gets when we are on holiday, the changes and excitement get her so worked up. She did sleep a little later this morning though She loved having the TV in there and it did help to keep her in her room and distracted her from the banging. So far so good.......................

[lil_me]

Hopefully you've managed to solve it then, fingers crossed for you

[mandyque]

So far so good, I don't want to speak too soon because it's inevitable that she will make a liar of me We haven't had a smearing episode in a week!

 

Now I need to find out why saying 'use your spoon' means I get attacked in a screaming hissy fit

[lil_me]

Some childen just don't like using cutlery, my fairly able 6 year old says knives forks and spoons are 'hard work'

[mandyque]

Spoke too soon Guess what she woke me up doing this morning

[lil_me]

<'> Oh dear, I wonder what triggered it off.