I came home this evening to find a phone message from my son's school telling me that his head banging has increased over the past few weeks and they have come up with a strategy to divert him.
Apparently he has been provided with cards with pictures of animals on them and if he feels the need to bang his head he's instead to take out one of the cards, go to a playground assistant and do some exercise instead. I spoke to my son about it tonight and he says it's not started yet because he's still making the cards. He gets to chose the exercise!
I'll phone the school in the morning to find out more, but in the meantime I wondered if anyone else had heard of, or had experienced this type of approach. It doesn't bother me that he bangs his head, because I know he doesn't hurt himself, but it does look strange.
I'm more concerned about why he's doing it more. Could it be linked to higher levels of anxiety?
My youngest sister was a head-banger, but I didn't have that particular stim with any of mine.
I usually find that any self-destructive behaviour is exacerbated by stress, but it might be difficult to find out exactly what the stress is.
I wish I had an answer. With my eldest, running around in circles usually helped de-stress. With the others cuddles/firm holding worked most of the time.
With my second youngest, I asked him to assign colours to each feeling. Magenta was the colour of happiness, so I gave him a small piece of magenta paper to hold in his pocket at school.
I'm more of a "rocker" myself, but I've been known to start the head-banging when I'm extremely angry or depressed.
Might be worth a try. Getting up and actually moving and doing something, like taking a short walk or washing dishes, usually helps me. It probably amounts to the same thing.
I have found that pacing back and forth can help, and what I've tried that helped me cut down on head banging was to stomp my feet or hit pillows. Of course, the last two activities are not the best ones, at least in a classroom, but I would certainly see stomping on the grass to be a better thing than head banging.
My son doesnt head bang but he's been biting / scratching this week. I had to pick up my son from school yesterday he was sick -- I got there and went to the nurses office his teacher was in their bleeding. My son bit her. I was going to make a thread about that for advice but probably same as head banging. He had a month over the summer where he was biting - August - No school. I think he had a hard time adjusting to his schedule change?? I was mortified that he bit his teacher. She wasnt upset - knew he didnt mean it.
Perhaps your son had a change that he is having trouble adjusting too that started a few weeks ago?
I know they started giving my son sensory breaks to help with behaviors - That was working. Not sure why he started up again maybe because he's not feeling well. Part of his sensory break is jumping on a trampoline or bouncing on a therapy ball so I guess that is exercise maybe its the same idea?
Breeze, my son used to bite a lot, but it was when he was pre-school. We discouraged him, but I think he just grew out of it. Having said that he bit my father a few weeks ago, but that was the first time in a long time. I wonder if you could give him some kind of sturdy plastic or rubber toy that he could bite instead. I think there's an old thread about chewing that made some suggestions along those lines.
My son is in preschool. He has a chewy tube that he uses. His para use to carry one with her at all times but she left a couple weeks ago so perhaps I'll ask if the new one carries one - didnt think of it till you mentioned it thanks . He hasnt done it in ages. Although this week when I picked him up - he was sick and wanted to run laps around the gym but his teacher stopped him. He got real upset and I picked him up well he scratched my eyes which is unlike him. He scratches but not the eyes so I dont know perhaps its just him not feeling well. He does have a new helper with him so maybe its the changes that come with a new person. I hope it resolves soon and I will ask about his chewy. I kept him home today since tomorrow is a holiday - will give him time to get better. He has been doing great in school other then the behaviors. Thanks
I was always a biter/chewer. I used to chew absentmindedly on my clothes, and I would bite myself very hard when I was stressed out. I seldom bit other people, though.
I would have benefited from a chewy toy if I was allowed to have one, but after first grade my parents took mine away.
I guess I kind of just grew out of it... I've had occasional times when I went back to biting, but not often. Most of my stims use pressure; other people prefer movement. So if your son is a headbanger, other movements are probably what he's going to want, which means the exercises idea will be good for him.
Thanks , you too!
LOL The teacher was trying to catch him, I was laughing. She couldnt catch him. He must have did like 6 laps with the teaching trying to get him. LOL It was hilarious.
I hope your son is better soon and you all enjoy the holiday!
Had to laugh about your son doing laps around the gym - my son is exactly the same!
My son chews his clothes too. Usually if they have raised prints on them but he chews other clothes and his coat/ zipper. He doesnt bite people often . My son is a pressure seeker too. He loves deep pressure. He squishes behind my bed (there is a small gap between bed/wall). He never stops moving.
I was always a biter/chewer. I used to chew absentmindedly on my clothes, and I would bite myself very hard when I was stressed out. I seldom bit other people, though.
I would have benefited from a chewy toy if I was allowed to have one, but after first grade my parents took mine away.
I guess I kind of just grew out of it... I've had occasional times when I went back to biting, but not often. Most of my stims use pressure; other people prefer movement. So if your son is a headbanger, other movements are probably what he's going to want, which means the exercises idea will be good for him.
I was always a biter/chewer. I used to chew absentmindedly on my clothes, and I would bite myself very hard when I was stressed out. I seldom bit other people, though.
I would have benefited from a chewy toy if I was allowed to have one, but after first grade my parents took mine away.
I guess I kind of just grew out of it... I've had occasional times when I went back to biting, but not often. Most of my stims use pressure; other people prefer movement. So if your son is a headbanger, other movements are probably what he's going to want, which means the exercises idea will be good for him.
That's an interesting perspective on different types of stim - pressure and movement. My son has both types and is extremely active. His school seem to have a good idea of what they're about then. They have other children there with AS so maybe this is something they've done before with other children.
I think there are other types as well. I find that listening to some sounds/music I like has the same effect on me as stimming, and I often stim "verbally", loudly yelling or singing random things or noises just to shed excess energy and feel better. When I sing really loudly and deeply, though, this is also a pressure stim, because it creates a sensation in my throat and gut that is (for lack of a better word) "stimmy".
I've read that singing random sounds is a common trait in many autistics, so I wonder if this is a common stim "type" as well.
Some people seem to have all possible stim types, while others have only one or two; and some people who have multiple stim types seem to prefer one to the others, while others use them all equally. This is really interesting to me, and I wonder if finding out more about the different sensations involved in stimming can help deal with the occasional problems that may arise from it.
Overstimulation/overload? And the headbanging is a stim that helps block out the stimulation that is overloading him?
I wonder if he is hurting somewhere else, and the head pain from banging, which is under his control, temporarily blocks the other pain which isn't under his control; thus making him feel better?
I know that have done all sorts of bizarre things, including biting my hand (one of my boys also does this) to distract my brain from a pain elsewhere. It does give temporary relief.
Spoke to the Assistant Head about this today. The animals on the cards don't have any particular significance other than my son and the playground assistants know what they're for. He got to choose the animals that went on the cards, so maybe it was partially to involve him as well. When we were talking about it today the teacher commented that he's bright enough to know what it's about as apparently he said to her "This is to distact me from the headbanging isn't it?". lol.
He developed an exciting new combination stim at the swimming pool yesterday. I bought him a float from the Early Learning Centre, after hitting himself on the head with it a few times, he bit on one corner of it so it stuck out in front of his face, then flapped underneath it so it pinged up! Hey, nothing if not inventive!
That's interesting- I had a stim a lot like that when I was little, except I used my favorite teddy bear instead of a float!
I'm quite bad for all the stereotypical autie behaviours when I'm upset - rocking, scratching myself, banging my head, pacing, hitting myself in the head... I've nearly pulled out hair before. When I meltdown, I meltdown... although I find that hypnosis, meditation, exercise and a good diet helps. I don't eat very much anymore and I feel much happier with that - don't get any crap going into my body, and what I do get is good food.