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Special needs children...hitting themselves X-Post


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This is a recurrent problem with my youngest. She is visually impaired and developmentally delayed. Without giving too much background (want to protect her privacy), we have had her for two years. Prior to the day we got her, she was in an overcrowded orphanage and was pretty much isolated from the world. She was like a newborn when we got her, but now she is on an 18-24 month old level; which, of course makes sense, since that is the amount of time she has been with us and received lots of love, teaching, and stimulation. She is in therapy, but no one has been able to diagnose what caused her to hit herself in the head...hard, so hard, in fact, that she cries because it hurts. She started this about a year ago when she had three rounds of severe tonsillitis. Her tonsils and adenoids were then removed and tubes were put in her ears (last July.) Since that time, she hits herself when she is sick, or at least that's the only reason I can think of that she is doing it. I don't think it's behavioral since she only does it when she is sick. She had a throat infection a couple of weeks ago, which led to her hitting herself. I took her to the doctor. He gave her antiobiotics, she got well, & the hitting stopped. But now she has started hitting herself again today. I am taking her back to the doctor tomorrow. Also, she has been seen by her pediatric optholmologist recently & he ruled out any pain caused by vision problems. Do any of you have any thoughts about this? I am at my wit's end here. I want to help my baby girl, but I don't know how.

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Could the head banging be her way of dealing with being sick?

 

My DS used to bang his head on the floor (cement slab) whenever he was frustrated. This went of from about about a year to about eight years old. He would bang his head so hard on the floor, the bridge of his nose would be bruised.

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Could the head banging be her way of dealing with being sick?

 

My DS used to bang his head on the floor (cement slab) whenever he was frustrated. This went of from about about a year to about eight years old. He would bang his head so hard on the floor, the bridge of his nose would be bruised.

 

I'm thinking it is her way of expressing that she is in pain. I wish she could just communicate it in a better way.

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Could it be headaches (even little ones could get migraines) or ear infection--even with the tubes?

 

I think you are right that there is something going on causing her pain but I know how tough it is to figure out with delayed little ones.

 

Another thought--urinary tract infection. Those can cause pain but wouldn't show obvious symptoms outwardly.

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My son also banged his head.

 

It was helpful for me to look at it as sensory seeking, and for him I think it was a reaction to being overstimulated and/or frustrated.

 

(I read a book about SPD I think? It did not directly help but it made me feel like maybe that was what was going on a little bit. I didn't think he had SPD -- just that he would have a tendency to do self-stimulating or sensory-seeking things sometimes, and it was easier on me psychologically to have that explanation than to wonder what was going on.)

 

I am not sure now, b/c he switched to non-injuring temper tantrums, but when he was a little older he started having temper tantrums when he was not able to be understood (he is in speech therapy for articulation).

 

I have tended not to think that his head-hitting had anything to do with his speech delay, but it is hard to be sure.

 

I have also wondered if he had fluids in his ears or silent ear infections, in retrospect. My younger son had fluids in his ears and he would shake his head a lot sometimes, I think partly b/c the fluids were effecting his sense of balance.

 

My son hit his head from about 15 months to about age 2.

 

It was very stressful. I am sorry for both of you. I still remember my son crying from a hurt head after he had hit his head himself.

 

(My son would do it twice a week or less, over about a year, then he did grow out of it. It was all before he was talking so I never really knew what it had all been about. He also head-butted and did some other sensory seeking things, that seemed connected.)

Edited by Lecka
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I took dd4 to the doctor today. She has another throat infection. That is frustrating b/c she's had her tonsils removed, which we thought would take care of this problem. But at the same time I am also relieved to know that it is pain related. Now, here's another question I have for you all: how do I get her to stop putting her hands in her mouth? She does this constantly, which of course causes her to pick up germs that make her sick. Thanks!

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