Janie Grace Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I have a one-year-old who, when he is frustrated or upset (not getting what he wants, not being understood), will hit himself on the side of his head with his hand -- maybe 5 or 6 times in a row. This is pretty disturbing, but he doesn't have any other unusual behaviors (he socializes fine, makes eye contact, etc.). Has anyone had a child do this? How long did it last? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 one of mine would beat her head on the wall another would bash it against the ceramic tile. Can't remember how long it lasted though, but they arefine now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgo95 Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 (edited) Mine slaps/scratches his cheek/side of his face (repeatedly). If his nails have not been clipped recently, he scratches himself :crying:. He's been doing this for a few months, so I don't know when he might grow out of it. None of my other kids did anything like this... Edited May 19, 2011 by sgo95 added one more detail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 My son would bang his head on the floor..... once he did it on the concrete patio he never did it again :) BTW - perfectly normal 8th grader now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 At 11 months ds would beat his head against the wall or floor when he was angry/frustrated. I'd just move him over to where there was carpet or a couch -- something soft. He had a bruise on his forehead full time for a couple of months. He outgrew it, and no other weird signs like that. He did have an extreme temper as a toddler/preschooler, and a *lot* of that resolved around the time he turned four, when we finally identified a huge array of food allergies (the doctor didn't believe me that this was an issue until he ended up in the ER). It could just have been age, but the change was pretty dramatic. He was always easy-going *most* of the time, but if he got to that point of a tantrum, it would just sort of overtake him and the tantrums were *much* longer and also more dramatic than most I've seen in kids that age. We moved about the time he turned 5, and nobody who has known him here over the last seven years even believes me that he was like that as a tiny guy. ;o) Anyway, I throw that out there only as part of our whole experience. I can't swear the things were connected, but they appeared to be, at least in some way. He's not autistic and has no other developmental quirks or anything. He's an extremely bright (academically) kid, but also has good personal relationships and interactions. He doesn't have unmanageable moods or any tendency towards violence. His tolerance for frustration is actually probably pretty high compared to others his age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I have a one-year-old who, when he is frustrated or upset (not getting what he wants, not being understood), will hit himself on the side of his head with his hand -- maybe 5 or 6 times in a row. This is pretty disturbing, but he doesn't have any other unusual behaviors (he socializes fine, makes eye contact, etc.). Has anyone had a child do this? How long did it last? Thanks. My 5 y.o. would hit his head on the floor when in a rage when he was a toddler. It was bizarre and really concerned me, in fact, I think I even posted about it here asking for opinions. He did it for a few months...sporadically... because it had to hurt a lot I'm sure! You would never know he ever did anything like that now, though. He avoids pain if he can, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I have a head hitter. I think what you're describing sounds in the realm of normal. FYI- (This is a little OT) Some kids may NOT stop the head banging even after an injury. DS was a serious head banger from early on. At 18ish months, after seeing a neurologist and bringing it up with his Dr, I was told to ignore it, which I had basically been doing. DS slammed the back of his head so hard on the concrete that he required staples. He still slammed his head any chance he got after that (even with the staples!). One of his first diagnoses was a sensory processing disorder, and we figured out that he has an insanely high tolerance for pain, more than his body should be able to handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 My younger daughter went through a brief phase as a toddler where, when she got frustrated, she would get down on her hands and knees and bang her head on the ground. The first time she did that, I nearly had a heart attack lol. After the first few times, I brought it up to her pediatrician. His advice was to entirely ignore it (unless she was on a really hard surface where she could really hurt herself). So the next time she did it (on the living room carpet), as soon as she started, I pretended I didn't even see her. I got up and walked out of the room without even glancing at her. When she got up to follow me into the other room so she could get my attention, I gave her that attention before she could start doing the head banging routine again, so the attention was not at all connected to her doing that. It only took a very few times of doing that before she stopped banging her head on the ground. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 Thanks. It's weird how common this is. I wonder if anyone has studied why they do this. I don't think ds is doing it for attention, it is more like he is trying to relieve his frustration or something. Anyway, glad it's not something to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I always considered it a language thing. Kids understand sooooo much more than they can put out and it gets extremely frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I always considered it a language thing. Kids understand sooooo much more than they can put out and it gets extremely frustrating. The only child I have with full blown, diagnosed and medicated ADHD used to do this when she tried to talk, so I agree with the language thing. She couldn't get her words out fast enough; it would all come out as strange-sounding vowels...similar to a hearing-impaired child. Then she'd scream in frustration and bang her fists on her forehead. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 The only child I have with full blown, diagnosed and medicated ADHD used to do this when she tried to talk, so I agree with the language thing. She couldn't get her words out fast enough; it would all come out as strange-sounding vowels...similar to a hearing-impaired child. Then she'd scream in frustration and bang her fists on her forehead. Barb Hmmm. Food for thought. This ds sometimes speaks with clicks and clucks, and he has very few words. I do think he's frustrated in general; he spends much of his life screaming. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchara Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I have one that did it quite a bit. She's ADD, but doesn't have the hyperactivity. I don't know if it's related. She's a very normal almost 10 year old now. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 (edited) Hmmm. Food for thought. This ds sometimes speaks with clicks and clucks, and he has very few words. I do think he's frustrated in general; he spends much of his life screaming. :( My little sweetie is the one with me in my avatar. She is quite pleasant now. There is light down there at the end of the tunnel. :D She grew out of it somewhere around age 3, I think. Barb Edited May 20, 2011 by Barb F. PA in AZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifelearnin' Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 My son used to slam his head into walls and floors all the time when he was younger. I have so many nice pictures that I took of my kids, and there he is with his bruises on his forehead. He was just a miserable child until he started walking and talking. I mean literally from the day he was born until about the age of 3 he was terrible. He has always been a passionate kid, and because he couldn't express himself, he would hurt himself. He will be 7 in a couple of months, and he is a very active, normal boy. To this day he is just as passionate, but it comes out in much more positive ways. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 My son hit his head for many years when he got frustrated. I was really concerned....I tried to tell him he was going to hurt himself, but he kept doing it until recently..... he's 10 now and it seems to be a thing of the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 My dd slaps and punches her own head when she gets frustrated. She is a perfectionist. She has never done her self any harm though. She was 7 at the beginning of may. It comes and goes in phases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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