RE: HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest guest]

I don't have a head banger, never have.

It may be the holidays that are doing this to him.

Did the doc suggest anything??????

My only suggestion would be to get something between him and the floor...a

pillow, blanket, whatever.

Good luck, hon

It won't last forever.....

((((Debbie))))

Penny

[Guest guest]

Ask your state autism list who to go to with situations like these. Who

develops behavioral protocols? It may be a psychia/ologist, behavioralist,

developmental ped, even a neurologist. Also ask anyone who works with him.

For ? OT, OT, OT, and more OT. A brushing program initially helped

dramatically, as did weights. Before brushing he was crawling on the floor

rubbing his face and head against carpet & concrete enough to make himself

bleed.

's head-banging protocol is that we move him to a safe area (a pile

of cushions, your bed, etc) and watch to make sure he stays safe, and we

wait it out. Deep pressure, bear hugs, joint compressions, a weighted vest

or blanket, etc etc may help but if they upset him further, stop. (Some

kids will worsen breifly before calming - you know your child, do what works

for him.) tends to calm fastest when he is left alone but every

child is different.

Some kids benefit greatly from a " quiet place " or " decompression chamber " of

their own. Often this is a play tent with cushions and calming activities

inside it. Any niche or corner can be turned into his own special quiet

place. This is generally not used as the safe spot when he is head-banging,

but as a place where he can learn to go calm himself before he gets to that

point. You may need to make a second one for his sister so he can have it

all for himself whenever he needs.

Some people make a " safe room " out of an extra room or even a closet. They

cover the floor with cushions, cover plywood with padding & fabric & screw

that into the walls, etc etc.

If he's obviously not feeling good I would try some Motrin or Tylenol & see

if that helps. He could have a headache or really any pain anywhere & be

reacting that way. Head-banging is, believe it or not, a self-soothing

behavior. It provides intense sensory stimulation and releases pain-killing

endorphins.

It does stop. It does get better. It takes time but it does happen.

Perhaps 6 months ago I came here sobbing because was attacking me

and his brother, following me around the house kicking and hitting and

biting me while I held Gabe out of his reach. He was eating the couch and

pulling the carpet off the floor to eat the padding underneath. I do

literally mean eating. That was one of the lowest times of my entire life.

Now I am celebrating that my 3 year old is learning to read. I can't wait

to find out what other words he knows so that we can try using written

communication with him. He may be one of those kids who types before he

talks, and I couldn't be more thrilled. This is another window into his

world.

This may not sound all that encouraging right now, but most parents seem to

agree that ages 2-4 are the hardest. Around 4 most kids seem to turn a

corner and life gets a lot easier for everyone.

{{{{{hugs}}}}}

-Sara.

[Guest guest]

((((((Debbie))))))

I haven't had to deal with this, just wanted to let you know I care.

Sue

[Guest guest]

> Before brushing he was crawling on the floor

> rubbing his face and head against carpet & concrete enough to make

himself bleed.

>

ARGH!!

I wish I'd found this group about 7 years ago. Some of the posts I've

read have really opened my eyes about 's behavior. I thought

most of it was because of the seizures and how dopey he was on the

seizure meds. I didn't realize what I was seeing because he's so much

milder than .

He used to rub his face along the carpet until he developed a rug

burn on his nose and forehead. I thought I'd go nuts trying to get

him to stop. He finally stopped on his own after doing it for about 3

months.

*sigh*

I just took a look at the questionaire for Aspergers by Tony Atwood.

doesn't have all the issues listed there, but he has enough to

make me wonder even more. I averaged out his score and he got a 3.

Low end of the 2-6 score Atwood recommends as needing further testing.

Tina

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/28/02 7:18:12 PM Eastern Standard Time,

weya@... writes:

> For those with head bangers ... what do you do to keep them safe???????

>

I have three suggestions. I believe that head banging is caused by a huge

amount of frustration not only at not being able to explain yourself but at

not being able to control the actions of others. I would try to keep a

routine as much as possible. I have known parents that have made their kids

wear bike helmets. Another option would be to keep pillows all around. The

last suggestions is to think about trying the gfcf diet. I had a friend with

a nonverbal 4 year old whose head banging dissappeared after putting him on

the diet.

Some things to think about.

Best of luck

[Guest guest]

>

> > Before brushing he was crawling on the floor

> > rubbing his face and head against carpet & concrete enough to make

> himself bleed.

> I wish I'd found this group about 7 years ago. Some of the posts I've

> read have really opened my eyes about 's behavior. I thought

....

> make me wonder even more. I averaged out his score and he got a 3.

> Low end of the 2-6 score Atwood recommends as needing further testing.

Hey Tina,

's just 7, right? Asperger's can be really tough to dx, and issues

from seizure disorders can and do mimic symptoms of autism. Often a child

with Asperger's will have symptoms that just don't add up to anything until

ages 5-8, when all the pieces finally come together to match the AS dx

criteria. I guess I am hoping you are not beating yourself up over not

persuing this before now.

I think a really in-depth sensory profile was one of the most helpful things

for me with . We lucked into a great OT and she has really helped me

to understand why does the things he does.

Good luck with it all!

-Sara.

[Guest guest]

> 's just 7, right? Asperger's can be really tough to dx, and

issues from seizure disorders can and do mimic symptoms of autism.

>

Thanks Sara,

I'm not beating myself up...too much.

It's more a deep dark depression. I was so hoping that when the

seizures went away, most of the behaviors would too. He spent so much

time unconscious from the age of 1 to 3 because of the seizures and

when he wasn't unconscious he was doped to the max on the medicine. I

wanted to blame all of his problems on that, but he's been off meds

since May of 2002 and hasn't had a full-blown seizure for almost 2

years now. He has had some questionable episodes that make me and the

doctor wonder if he's having some mild seizure activity still. But

those are so few and far between and so incredibly mild that the

doctor doesn't want to put him back on meds and I agree whole

heartedly. We never did achieve total seizure control with the

medicine.

goes in for testing with a neuro-psychologist that I really

trust in late March. Hopefully we'll have some answers then. I've

already talked to him and told him our concerns. I just never thought

could be autistic (or aspie). Even when he was lining his cars

up in careful rows. *sigh*

Tina