Re: Head Banging and biting hands

[Guest guest]

My son hand-bites when agitated and can head bang. Before the school implements a strategy- I would ask to see their data (ABC) to be clear as to the function of the behavior. Does he head bang when there is a demand- is the function escape? What is the consequence to his head banging? Does the demand go away when he does it? Does the teacher stop what she is doing to try to intervene? If so maybe that reinforces his head- banging.

Janet

Head Banging and biting hands

My 9 year old son learned to head bang last summer at a parks department day camp for disabled children. He generalized it at home and now at school this entire year head banging is a problem. He doesn't do it at home anymore unless he is agitated. I keep telling the special ed admin at school, to change his class environment and the head banging will lessen.I am trying to change his class at school because it is not a good environment for him. Many of the kids are severely disabled and can't do anything for themselves. I observed a teacher screaming "NO" at my son one day when he opened the wrong door to a class room. So to make a long story short. The school wants to work on his head banging because they say he will do it even when we move him. They want to use adversives like a helmet. I say just move him first. He would have a wing ding if I put a helmet on him at home.He has excellent self adaptive skills (dressing, making his food, cleaning up after himself, playing around home) and his receptive language has really increased. His expressive language is good for requesting, but not for conversation. He can read and he can add and subtract 2 digit numbers. He uses a computer and loves the Tank Engine Still.ANY strategies for headbanging? Any miracles out there?

[Guest guest]

My son hand-bites when agitated and can head bang. Before the school implements a strategy- I would ask to see their data (ABC) to be clear as to the function of the behavior. Does he head bang when there is a demand- is the function escape? What is the consequence to his head banging? Does the demand go away when he does it? Does the teacher stop what she is doing to try to intervene? If so maybe that reinforces his head- banging.

Janet

Head Banging and biting hands

My 9 year old son learned to head bang last summer at a parks department day camp for disabled children. He generalized it at home and now at school this entire year head banging is a problem. He doesn't do it at home anymore unless he is agitated. I keep telling the special ed admin at school, to change his class environment and the head banging will lessen.I am trying to change his class at school because it is not a good environment for him. Many of the kids are severely disabled and can't do anything for themselves. I observed a teacher screaming "NO" at my son one day when he opened the wrong door to a class room. So to make a long story short. The school wants to work on his head banging because they say he will do it even when we move him. They want to use adversives like a helmet. I say just move him first. He would have a wing ding if I put a helmet on him at home.He has excellent self adaptive skills (dressing, making his food, cleaning up after himself, playing around home) and his receptive language has really increased. His expressive language is good for requesting, but not for conversation. He can read and he can add and subtract 2 digit numbers. He uses a computer and loves the Tank Engine Still.ANY strategies for headbanging? Any miracles out there?

[Guest guest]

Re: Head banging-

Try to rule out if he really has some pain he can't express. New teeth? Or other

dental issues are often culprits. My friend's son did similar things for a year

until they found out he had tooth pain he couldn't communicate.

In addition, I know of other kids who head bag due to sensory overload. Some

sounds drive them nutty-- and we have no idea because we don't have the same

sensitivities. Try to anayze the circumstnaces of each occurance. Is there a

common thread?

Remember all behavior is communication. & All behavior represents an unmet need.

Wishing you well.

B :-)

--------- Head Banging and biting hands

>

>

> My 9 year old son learned to head bang last summer at a parks

> department day camp for disabled children. He generalized it at

> home and now at school this entire year head banging is a problem.

> He doesn't do it at home anymore unless he is agitated. I keep

> telling the special ed admin at school, to change his class

> environment and the head banging will lessen.

>

> I am trying to change his class at school because it is not a good

> environment for him. Many of the kids are severely disabled and

> can't do anything for themselves. I observed a teacher

> screaming " NO " at my son one day when he opened the wrong door to a

> class room.

>

> So to make a long story short. The school wants to work on his head

> banging because they say he will do it even when we move him. They

> want to use adversives like a helmet. I say just move him first.

> He would have a wing ding if I put a helmet on him at home.

>

> He has excellent self adaptive skills (dressing, making his food,

> cleaning up after himself, playing around home) and his receptive

> language has really increased. His expressive language is good for

> requesting, but not for conversation. He can read and he can add

> and subtract 2 digit numbers. He uses a computer and loves

> the Tank Engine Still.

>

> ANY strategies for headbanging? Any miracles out there?

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Re: Head banging-

Try to rule out if he really has some pain he can't express. New teeth? Or other

dental issues are often culprits. My friend's son did similar things for a year

until they found out he had tooth pain he couldn't communicate.

In addition, I know of other kids who head bag due to sensory overload. Some

sounds drive them nutty-- and we have no idea because we don't have the same

sensitivities. Try to anayze the circumstnaces of each occurance. Is there a

common thread?

Remember all behavior is communication. & All behavior represents an unmet need.

Wishing you well.

B :-)

--------- Head Banging and biting hands

>

>

> My 9 year old son learned to head bang last summer at a parks

> department day camp for disabled children. He generalized it at

> home and now at school this entire year head banging is a problem.

> He doesn't do it at home anymore unless he is agitated. I keep

> telling the special ed admin at school, to change his class

> environment and the head banging will lessen.

>

> I am trying to change his class at school because it is not a good

> environment for him. Many of the kids are severely disabled and

> can't do anything for themselves. I observed a teacher

> screaming " NO " at my son one day when he opened the wrong door to a

> class room.

>

> So to make a long story short. The school wants to work on his head

> banging because they say he will do it even when we move him. They

> want to use adversives like a helmet. I say just move him first.

> He would have a wing ding if I put a helmet on him at home.

>

> He has excellent self adaptive skills (dressing, making his food,

> cleaning up after himself, playing around home) and his receptive

> language has really increased. His expressive language is good for

> requesting, but not for conversation. He can read and he can add

> and subtract 2 digit numbers. He uses a computer and loves

> the Tank Engine Still.

>

> ANY strategies for headbanging? Any miracles out there?

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Janet, and Angel,

Thank you so much for your response. First I want to say that you 3

are very intelligent, it is refreshing and I'm impressed. I guess

I'm not alone afterall. You're 3 responses combined are better then

all the professional opinions I have been seeking this year!!!

Mother do know more then professionals! Can't we cure too! No one

knows anything about it.

Janet - He totally learned that the demand would go away with head

banging at camp. Then they would give him pieces of cookies to get

him to stop banging his head. Talk about reinforcement! So he

brought back to school in September " head banging " . You are so

right that when the demand is placed on him (he doesn't want to do

work or he wants more food and they say no). When he was younger he

wasn't so agitated all the time. Sigh. At school they did not do

a very good ABC. But now he does head banging for everything.

Frustrated, bored, angry....or to get attention. Or just because it

is a fun stimulating thing to do, scream at the video's and bang his

head. Or it is also now a " compulsion " . He just has to tap his

head on the corner of the wall when he walks by and bite his finger.

I think he re-enacts bad moments in his head and starts banging.

- I love the concept you wrote- extinction burst. At school

they can't ignore it for too long, if he is doing it in front of the

whole school. It is frightening for little kids. He will shut his

door turn on the tv and scream and bang for stimulation (I already

wrote that), so he doesn't care if I ignore him all the time. But

with all that said, I think he hates school (even though he wants to

go in the morning) it is boring and driving him nuts so he does

compulsions and bad behaviors to get through his day.

Angel - He isn't in pain at this time. I know in the past he was.

He probably could use a round of Nystatin (but he won't take it) and

be 100% gfcf for a few weeks. But even when I did the diet

perfectly strict for 3 years (with no additives (basically veggies,

fruit, rice, potatoes and meat), it did make him feel better, but

behaviorly he is who he is. I've come to accept that it wasn't the

cure for his autism (not that you suggested that, I'm just adding

that).

A friend sensed my desperation today and brought me this book. The

calm in crises section linked below was us! So nice to finally see

myself in a book. It is usually the high functioning " quirky "

kids. Not kids like mine.

http://paulakluth.com/articles/calmincrisis.html

Anyway. Thanks for responding. So comforting to have repies to my

cyber post!

[Guest guest]

Hi... My son is 11 and is constantly biting his hands and banging his head especially when denied a reinforcer or told no. Thru the years we have tried numerous behavior ideas...loovas, verbal behavior, Work in progress ..extinction blah blah blah...he still does it ....bumms me out in abig way....jen

[Guest guest]

Jen,

You are in good company. And it bumms me out in a big way too! I

have never met or wrote with other parents of kids that bang and

bite. What is the deal with banging and biting?

My son doesn't use words for conversation, but can use words for

requesting. What about your son?

I wonder if head banging and hand biting is mostly with non so verbal

kids.

>

> Hi... My son is 11 and is constantly biting his hands and banging

his head

> especially when denied a reinforcer or told no. Thru the years we

have tried

> numerous behavior ideas...loovas, verbal behavior, Work in progress

> ..extinction blah blah blah...he still does it ....bumms me out in

abig way....jen

>

[Guest guest]

Do gloves help with the hand biting? Pat K

[Guest guest]

Karac is 13 and started biting him fingers shortly after the new year. We put gloves on his hands and not only has it stopped him from biting, but it seems to help with his self control. They even started putting the gloves on his hands at school, and they say it improves his overall focus and behavior. Isn't that odd? Pat K

[Guest guest]

My son sometime smiles while he bangs his head with the palm of his

hand. It can be all sorts of things: Sensory issues, mineral

deficiencies, frustration, sickness, yeast…. Why do you scratch an

itch?... Why do I sometimes feel like banging my head against the

wall after he finishes?..... The world may never know.

> >

> > Hi... My son is 11 and is constantly biting his hands and

banging

> his head

> > especially when denied a reinforcer or told no. Thru the years

we

> have tried

> > numerous behavior ideas...loovas, verbal behavior, Work in

progress

> > ..extinction blah blah blah...he still does it ....bumms me out

in

> abig way....jen

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I heard a story about a teenage girl that was non verbal and would

present self injurious behavior. The first step was a thorough

functional behavior assessment, which included a sensory profile and

diet, etc, etc. After implementing a plan the behavior stopped and

she was doing great. A few months later the behavior started again

and no one could figure out why. They tried all kinds of

interventions; none of which were restraints or aversives, another

thorough FBA, and after a couple weeks of harmful-to-self behavior

they had no idea what was going on so they took her to the ER for a

complete check. It was then found that she had swallowed a safety

pin and it unhooked and lodged in her intestine causing an

infection.

What I took from that story is that thorough FBA's are the key to

distinguishing behavior from motivation and can lead to positive

growth for the people we care about.

It sounds like most of us here are able to read our kids pretty

well, we've been doing this for awhile. My concern is the schools.

Sometimes their staff isn't trained or supported enough to take care

of our kids in the most positive way that is available.

I'm adding a file titled " In the Name of Treatment, A Parents Guide

to Protecting Your Child From the Use of Restraint, Aversive

Intervention, and Seclusion " .

I hope this has been helpful.

angela -mom to Donovan-

> > >

> > > Hi... My son is 11 and is constantly biting his hands and

> banging

> > his head

> > > especially when denied a reinforcer or told no. Thru the

years

> we

> > have tried

> > > numerous behavior ideas...loovas, verbal behavior, Work in

> progress

> > > ..extinction blah blah blah...he still does it ....bumms me

out

> in

> > abig way....jen

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I sent a post on handbiting to the list not long ago--my 13 yo has struggled with this forever, and his hands are red and calloused.

I just found a "hand brace" at Target, made by Nexcare, which is like an ace bandage that slides over the hand and wrist area, leaving fingers free. (It's all fabric, no metal pieces). My son LOVES them (I actually had to buy a second set today, so he'd give me the first set back so I could wash them!). It helps to block the biting, and I think he likes the consistent pressure on his hands.

May be worth a try....

Heidi

-------------- Original message -------------- From: pkuenstler@... Do gloves help with the hand biting? Pat K

[Guest guest]

That is interesting. I guess they serve the same purpose as the gloves do for Karac. Pat K

[Guest guest]

I thought I was the only one with a son with calloused and red

hands. I'm impressed that your son's will keep the gloves/hand brace

on. Mine won't wear gloves but I will buy a handbrace and try that

today. Thanks.

>

> I sent a post on handbiting to the list not long ago--my 13 yo has

struggled with this forever, and his hands are red and calloused.

>

> I just found a " hand brace " at Target, made by Nexcare, which is

like an ace bandage that slides over the hand and wrist area, leaving

fingers free. (It's all fabric, no metal pieces). My son LOVES them

(I actually had to buy a second set today, so he'd give me the first

set back so I could wash them!). It helps to block the biting, and I

think he likes the consistent pressure on his hands.

>

> May be worth a try....

> Heidi

>

> -------------- Original message --------------

> From: pkuenstler@...

> Do gloves help with the hand biting? Pat K

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Jen:

Did you ever find anything that help with the biting and banging.

-----Original Message-----From: autism [mailto:autism ] On Behalf Of JRae32566@...Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 12:06 PMautism Subject: Re: Head Banging and biting hands

Hi... My son is 11 and is constantly biting his hands and banging his head especially when denied a reinforcer or told no. Thru the years we have tried numerous behavior ideas...loovas, verbal behavior, Work in progress ..extinction blah blah blah...he still does it ....bumms me out in abig way....jen