Child who hits

[kwg]

He does not hit his friends too much or when playing but at home- all.the.time. angry or not! SOmetimes he will just run up and use part of a person almost like a drum. He is not upset, just...playing? He turns 4 next month. I read this book No David! and I swear that is him. He is into everything and I try to be positive but I am still always telling him no, stop, don't. It is exhausting! He is a sweet little boy but I am getting sick of his hitting. It has gotten better but it is still very frequent. Time out seems to escalate the problem. I have also just made him be with in arms reach of me when he hits his brother (out of anger) which does works to get him away and give older ds some space. Any other ideas? Especially for the "run by" hits. Older ds never hits him nor do we so it isn't like he has the behavior modeled. Lately I have thought about hitting him back so he can see how it feels (they should have a bag over head smiley). I havent and I am pretty sure it is just frustration for me and ds-who gets hit the most. Has anyone else had a kid like this? Do they grow out of it? When?

[Joanne]

He does not hit his friends too much or when playing but at home- all.the.time. angry or not! SOmetimes he will just run up and use part of a person almost like a drum. He is not upset, just...playing? He turns 4 next month. I read this book No David! and I swear that is him. He is into everything and I try to be positive but I am still always telling him no, stop, don't. It is exhausting! He is a sweet little boy but I am getting sick of his hitting. It has gotten better but it is still very frequent. Time out seems to escalate the problem. I have also just made him be with in arms reach of me when he hits his brother (out of anger) which does works to get him away and give older ds some space. Any other ideas? Especially for the "run by" hits. Older ds never hits him nor do we so it isn't like he has the behavior modeled. Lately I have thought about hitting him back so he can see how it feels (they should have a bag over head smiley). I havent and I am pretty sure it is just frustration for me and ds-who gets hit the most. Has anyone else had a kid like this? Do they grow out of it? When?

 

This is not age-expected. That leads me to wonder if he has some biophysical needs going on. Dairy allergy can manifest this way. A sensory-seeking kid who has some sensory processing challenges would do this well beyond expected years.

 

In a sensory-seeking kid, they often don't *feel* sensation typically. They are often under-sensitive to touch. That means the touch they experience doesn't register in the same way it would for a sensory-typical child. This leads the child to seek sensation. You'll find him doing things that average kids do not in terms of touch, body space, interaction with bodies, surfaces, textures, etc.

 

His seeming need to hit might be an immature way to provide stimulation and sensation for his body. If this is the problem, or even part of the problem, providing appropriate sensory input will take the edge off his sensory seeking behavior.

 

You might want to read The Out of Sync Child and/or google sensory integration disorder.

[Mom2J112903]

This is not age-expected. That leads me to wonder if he has some biophysical needs going on. Dairy allergy can manifest this way. A sensory-seeking kid who has some sensory processing challenges would do this well beyond expected years.

 

In a sensory-seeking kid, they often don't *feel* sensation typically. They are often under-sensitive to touch. That means the touch they experience doesn't register in the same way it would for a sensory-typical child. This leads the child to seek sensation. You'll find him doing things that average kids do not in terms of touch, body space, interaction with bodies, surfaces, textures, etc.

 

His seeming need to hit might be an immature way to provide stimulation and sensation for his body. If this is the problem, or even part of the problem, providing appropriate sensory input will take the edge off his sensory seeking behavior.

 

You might want to read The Out of Sync Child and/or google sensory integration disorder.

 

:iagree: I could have written this word for word a few years ago about my J.

[Murmer]

My 3 year old Sensory Processing Disorder (sensory seeker) does the same thing too...so I would look into SPD too. Especially since you said "He is into everything and I try to be positive but I am still always telling him no, stop, don't." That's how I feel about my dd.

[kwg]

Thank you! I googled sensory processing disorder and I am not sure it really fits ds but I put the book on hold at the library. He does have excema so I have wondered about a dairy allergy. It is controllable with creams but sometimes after he has a lot of milk he will say his tummy hurts.

[kwg]

Has your 3 year old improved? What kinds of things do you do to help her?

[mo2]

My boy is the same way. He will be 4 soon also. I love him to bits, and it makes me sad to be constantly telling him no. I am looking into SPD too. Best of luck.

[Murmer]

Has your 3 year old improved? What kinds of things do you do to help her?

 

She was just diagnosed last month but I have found that the more she plays outside in rough and tumble ways makes her so much more amiable to deal with during the day. She is also dairy allergic and one of her symptoms is tummy hurting (followed by vomiting) and before we removed milk she was even worse.