why is he banging his head so much!?

Question

okay so I take care of this little 2 year old boy and when he gets mad he runs up to a wall and starts hitting his head on the wall very hard and he also throws himself to the ground and starts doing the same thing hitting his head on the ground and when i tell him to stop he refuses and start screaming why is he doing this?

and what can i do to stop this?

Answer 1

Sounds like he is throwing a real good fit!! I would guess that when at "home" mom and dad give in to his little acts. He won't hurt himself! This is done simply because he isn't getting his way but knows that he gets attention acting this way! Remember that "negative" attention is still attention. So keep in mind that he isn't going to hurt himself, when this child starts throwing his little fit IGNORE it and only reward him when he is being GOOD. When he acts bad put him in the middle of a room and he has to sit with NO toys or tv for 2 minutes or until you think he has calmed down. This is easier said than done! Remember when children are hungry and tired they get cranky and at this age they still have a hard time telling us what they want and what is bothering them and because of this they get frustrated and BOOM we have a full blown kicking screaming crying head banging fit that makes us the grownup want to pull our hair out!! Stay calm and try what I stated above and if that doesn't work, try distraction!! Some times that works best. I would say that this child is loved very much at home and is rarely told no. So good luck and if nothing I said works, take 2 cookies and call me in the morning. It won't work over night and it will take time. So good luck and I hope this helped. Oh and that is very normal for a 2 year old child.

Answer 2

Two year olds can be very dramatic in how they handle the frustration in their life. I am a licensed daycare provider and have run a business out of my home for nearly 20 years. When I have encountered an ongoing situation with a questionable behavior, my first step is to speak with the parents about it. It is possible it is a behavior exhibited only at your home, but if they are dealing with the same issue, you can develop a plan that involves consistency both at home and at daycare. This little boy is getting some type of gratification from hitting his head and throwing tantrums. My initial guess would be that this is what he does to get his own way. Adult in charge say no, he hits his head on the wall and he gets what he wants. Autistic behavior does not always involve self-inflicted pain and when it does, it is not generally inflicted as a result of anger, but more of a self-soothing behavior. This little boy sounds more like a strong-willed child than an autistic child, but a complete physical by his pediatrician would be appropriate.

As far as what you can do at your home with him. I would start by keeping calm regardless of what he does to himself. The less emotion you show during his tantrums, the less reinforcement he will get from the behavior. Be as consistent with the rules and requirements, making sure you are not expecting more from him than is physically, mentally, and emotionally possible for a 2 year old. Develop a plan you can consistently follow through with. I would start by choosing a pillow that he can use to bang his head on. When he becomes angry and heads to the wall for the head banging, I would take him very firmly by the shoulders and tell him in a firm, but not loud or mean voice, that "at my house, we do not bang our head on the wall when we are angry. If you want to bang your head, you may put this pillow on the floor and bang your head as much as you like." Require the pillow on the floor to be somewhere away from the main living area, but well within your sight, such as the hallway floor or on a bedroom floor. You will have to repeat this direction probably multiple (maybe 100's of) times before he knows you mean business. You can not expect a 2 year old to do what you tell him to do, in fact, doing the opposite is quite normal and part of learning how the world works. Caring for a 2 year old requires plenty of hands on direct contact. 2 year olds are learning a lot and need constant supervision, lots of opportunity for active play, and gentle guidance in what is expected and acceptable behavior. Make sure he is eating several small meals as his tummy is quite little still and a hungry toddler is a grumpy toddler. I serve breakfast, lunch, and 2 snacks and require everyone to have a sleep/nap/rest time in the afternoon. Plenty of rest and healthy food goes a long way to keeping little ones happy!

Answer 3

i have a son soon to be 2 years old and he just started this also...he bangs his head and throws himself on the ground...this is called a tantrum and it is part of being 2 "the terrible twos" lol....i just ignore my son and he stops...at this age they are doing lots of things for attention sometimes in the wrong ways, i would just let him do his thing, you walk away read, watch tv and when he realizes he snot getting what he wants from you he will stop and act like nothing happened...good luck

Answer 4

some little kids do this even if they can talk because they don't know how to express their anger any other way or in the right words. They get frustrated easy and take out their anger physically. It can be very common.

Answer 5

Duct tape a pillow around his head. Just kidding. Tell his parents you are concerned about his behavior and would like to know what their doctor has suggested (this would imply that if they haven't, they should take him in).

Answer 6

This child has a serious mental illness and needs to be treated professionally. Children like this are sometimes autistic. If they actively hurt themselves like this, they need to be provided with head protection (a helmet) that they cannot remove on their own, to protect themselves during anger fits.

Answer 7

his marents need to get him to a dr ASAP and find out what is going on this is not normal. if he tests negative for autism. ADHD and the other common medical ailments that can cause this behavior then his parents will need to work with him to stop it!!


tell his mom & dad you are very concerned that he is going to hurt himself.

if they do nothing about it - tell them you can no longer watch him because you do not feel comfortable and are afraid he is going to injure himself while in your care.

Answer 8

I hate to say it, but it is normal, over 40% of boys age 11months to 3 bang thier heads, it is a way for them to relieve stress, they cant cope anyother way... it is nothing to worry about, he will grow out of it, my son did it for months, i took him to a doctor and he laughed at me, if it persists past 3 id take him to a doctor, you can try to distract him and get his attention on other things.. its all you can do

Answer 9

my son did this, too. our ped. told us that lots of children do this as an expression of anger, or for attention. she said to ignore it and he will stop. eventually, he did and hes a perfectly healthy and happy child. i wouldnt worry too much about it, but i would surely let the ped. know at the next well check up, just to be thorough.
|

Answer 10

It's probably his way of dealing with anger and/or stress. As for stopping his behavior, talk with a child physiologist