My 20 month old son, has a habit of hitting his head with his hand and he also hits his head on the floor. I've been chalking this up to frustration, but sometimes he does it for no apparent reason. He is developmentally delayed due to medical issues, but is not mentally impaired in any way. Please do not answer this question if you have no experience with this. Any ideas as to what's going on?
2006-07-21 11:49:45 · 11 answers · asked by Answers to Nurse 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
btw, my son receive occupational and physical therapy weekly. He'll be starting speach therapy soon as he doesn't say one word yet, which really makes me sad.
2006-07-21 12:03:39 · update #1
i'm an occupational therapist. first and foremost you have to check if its behavioral or sensory. if you observe the behavior at all times, in all environments(school, home, mall, playground, hospital..) for no apparent reason, it may be sensory. if hitting is seen because he did not get what he wanted or out of frustration, it is behavioral.
now if it is sensory, consult an occupational therapist(licensed and certified to do sensory integration techniques) who would prescribe you a sensory diet to address sensory processing problems. this would also help improve work behaviors like concentration.
on the other hand, if its behavioral, do not reinforce the behavior by giving him what he wants everytime he hits his head(although i know its hard to ignore this behavior). that would only reward his behavior. instead, make sure he can not hurt himself that much by making sure the area is free from objects that might hurt him. you might want to put pads or rubber mats to cushion the headbanging.
hope this helps. =) if you find out its sensory, the book The Out-of-Sync child by Carol Kranowitz is a good book. just so you'd understand better.
2006-07-22 15:40:16 · answer #1 · answered by ayna 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
My daughter is acting the same asyour son an she is nearly 17 months. I am really worried but luckily, my partner and I have a decade or so experience with children this age and everything tells us we are bring paranoid.
It still doesn't stop us worrying, neither does the fact that our 4 year-old nephew did the same.
I think that this is a normal part of development, but it is always better to monitor your child's behaviour and note anyhing out of the ordinary.
At 20 months he ought to be using language to communicate, if he is slihgtly delayed then he may be simply using non verbal means of communication, this isn't something to really worry about until he is at least two.
2006-07-21 18:57:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not trying to scare you, but has either therapist ever mentioned possible Autism? I know that some children wear protective helmets to prevent this type of head banging. I'm not sure it your son is old enough to see a behavior specialist or a Neurodevelopmental Psychologist. I'm sorry that I don't have any other information to offer. You might want to visit specialparent.org
2006-07-22 14:02:12 · answer #3 · answered by Marie K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could he be seeing this on TV or seeing other people doing it?
I babysitted an 18 month old when I was 13. She accidentally saw my brother immitating a hand knocking the head that he saw on TV. Next thing I know, she's hitting herself in the head with her hand thinking it's funny.
2006-07-21 18:55:55 · answer #4 · answered by christigmc 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps you should bring him to a neurologist he may need intervention by an occupational therapist for Sensory Integration Disorder.
Is your occupational therapist working on sensory or fine motor issues? How does your child communicate what he wants? Does he point to things, or pull you?Does he follow simple one step commands? Does he have good eye contact?
2006-07-21 18:59:16 · answer #5 · answered by phoephus 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All three of my boys did this, the youngest still does. Your son is perfectly normal. I have learned to ignore the behavior because they do it for attention, if they don't get the attention, they try something different. Don't make an issue out of it as long as he is not injuring himself. I'm sure he will outgrow it, my older boys did and I'm sure the youngest will too.
2006-07-22 01:11:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My first son did that...I think he was just very frustrated because he did not have the words to express what he needed to say. He is now 4 and doesn't do it much-once in a blue moon during a temper tantrum. My doctor said not to worry. :-) Hope this helps!
2006-07-21 18:56:25 · answer #7 · answered by Momto2boys 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My 18 month old daughter does this, and so does my niece who is 2 1/2. My youngest brother would do this at school also. He would also kick the walls at school. The school walls are built out of brick so this was kind of shocking to hear.
2006-07-21 18:56:12 · answer #8 · answered by ♥SA-Spurs♥ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, it is common. Both my nephews when they were about that age done it and we called it head butting. They would never even cry, but I got head butted a few times and it hurt! at 6 and 7 years old now, they don't do it anymore because it hurts!
2006-07-21 21:04:17 · answer #9 · answered by tricksy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah both of my kids did that too and my younger one still does. She finds it hilarios.There is no way you can stop this coz if you tell them no and move their hand away they will find that funny and do it again!! if you are realy that worried take him to the doctors. I think it is something all kids do and it is a way for them to get more attention
2006-07-21 19:03:01 · answer #10 · answered by noone 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋