Child Hit : When we want to calm a child, we rock him. As the child grows, he can adopt calming habits such as moving his head, rocking his body, sucking his fingers, turning around, and playing on the swing. It’s the joy of movement. These activities involve the cerebral vestibular system. But children with sensory changes or who are understimulating due to auditory or visual deficits can swing more as a form of self-stimulation. The same can happen in a very dull environment.
In autism, repetitive movements can still happen due to stimulus overload. For example, a very agitated, noisy, disturbing environment can lead the child to bang his head as a form of relief. Head banging in moments of frustration or anger is also more common. Some children bang their heads in happy moments. That is, the child, in all these situations, is not able to communicate the intensity of their emotions.
These behaviours will expect in about 20% of all children. They usually appear after six months and end spontaneously around three to four years of age. But in general, children don’t hit their heads to get hurt. This behaviour is atypical if it persists beyond this time or results in injury.
Is The Child Autistic?
- Note other essential behaviours associated with typical child neurodevelopment:
- At three months of age, does the baby make eye contact as a form of interaction
- Does the baby, at three months, startle or respond to loud noises
- At seven months, does the baby show affection for parents and caregivers
- At seven months, does the child try to attract attention
- Is the baby interested in games like hiding/finding at seven months
- At 12 months, does the child look or turn to the person who calls his name or the nickname he often hears
- At 12 months, does the child already say a word
- Does the child point object at 14 months of age for another person to look at or reach
- Does the child, at 14 months, look in the same direction as the adult is looking or pointing
- Did the child, at 14 months, begin to play make-believe? For example, do you use a toy phone the same way an adult would an actual phone?
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If you suspect something is below expectations, consult a neuro paediatrician for evaluation. The previous the child is diagnosed and starts therapies, the easier the child’s evolution. But what if the child is typically developing and still bangs his head? Studies show that
How To Prevent The Child From Hitting His Head?
If you’ve seen your child head banging, you probably want to avoid the behaviour – and understandably so.
Understand your emotions and their intensity. Then, help him deal with these emotions without judgment. After all, it’s not wrong to feel what we feel. Therapists can also help the child understand what he feels, honour all feelings and find new ways to express himself without hurting his little head.
Try to introduce a distraction. Decreasing the time spent on the activity will be overcome more quickly.
Keep calm and take the child to environments with soft surfaces. Try not to despair. There’s no need to raise your voice.
Improve Sleep Hygiene So Your Child Can Rest Well At Night.
Watch, and keep the child safe. For example, don’t stay on your phone while caring for your child. Instead, provide affection, hug and explain that head banging can lead to head injuries.
Children generally do not injure themselves too much as the pain prevents them from continuing to bang their heads. However, children with ASD may have very high pain tolerance, and head banging can put them at risk for a head injury. Therefore, medications may be necessary but do not treat the cause of the problem.
Studies show that children with high concentrations of casomorphins in their blood have more significant pain tolerance. Caseomorphins are exogenous opioids derived from the casein protein in milk. Many children are allergic to this and other milk proteins, which can worsen the condition. In addition, if spots appear on the lung due to allergies, many children end up receiving antibiotics, which modifies the microbiota and can make these behaviours even worse.
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