A Young Mother Looking for Advice

This may sound crazy, but has any mentioned trying some sort of helmet to protect his head? He may not like how the helmet feels when banging and then stop the behavior?

Find a craniosacral therapy practitioner. A chiropractor or alternative health care provider may be able to recommend one. Sometimes there is a problem with the circulation of the cerebral spinal fluid, causing the child to have headaches or other issues that they can't tell you about at that age. The practitioner uses light touch on specific cranial bones, and it normalizes the spf circulation and can have amazing results. I used to take my 18 month old to one, and he liked going - it relaxed him and he always slept better that night.

Don't ignore the head banging- if a child really did that for attention, then that child still needs help, because hurting oneself for attention is in itself a problem to be dealt with.

Good luck!

My little brother when having tantrums used to bang his head on the walls/floor until he had bruises. After nothing else worked, my mother dealt with it by putting a bike helmet on him and placing in a soft-sided pack & plan so that he could work through his tantrum without getting hurt.

He also had asthma at that time and was taking some medicines that we think impacted him negatively and he was also misdiagnosed with ADHD.

He is now 19 and does not have any issues with agression or school. It sounds like you might be dealing with a little more, but hopefully, like my brother, the head-banging is just a phase and he will grow out of it.

For your 20 month old who is banging his head, I would recommend taking him to a chiropractor. Check with your health insurance to find one in your network who sees kids.

I would also take a good, hard look at his diet. Keep a food journal and see if you notice any correlation between the head banging and certain foods--he could have a food allergy. I would also read the labels of everything your children eat. A lot of "natural" foods and foods geared towards kids have colors and preservatives in them. If you don't know what an ingredient is, or it sounds like a chemical--don't eat it!

It sounds to me like he may have sensory problems, which is a problem with the nervous system. That is when the sensory system (touch, taste, sight, sound, etc) isn't developing as it should. Banging of the head is a classic sign of a child trying to stimulate their nervous system. Thankfully it is easy to treat and the younger a child is when they are treated, the more sucessful the treatment is. Treatment is a specialised physical therapy program, tailored to the individual.

Sensory problems (DSI-Disorder of Sensory Integration) is under the autism umbrella (along with ADD, ADHD, etc) and many children, though not all, with autism have sensory problems. It would be worth a look see anyway, to rule it out if nothing else. I have ADD and DSI and as an adult who was untreated as a child...well, I have to constantly maintain my nervous system with different therapies but those who are treated as children tend to 'outgrow' the problem (as did my friends daughter who is now a Senior in High School).

Here is a link to a site that has a symptom check list...when doing this, it is important to note that you are to check off everything that has affected them since infancy otherwise you will not get an acurate picture or diagnosis.

http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-proces...

Oh my, do you have your hands full. Sounds like you have tried things already I don't know where you live but there is a great place in Omaha Ne that is called Munroe Meyer institute I would contact them immediately and see if they could work you into there clinic for more testing. As far as the safety of your son and then the others, (this is going to sound crazy) but I would take off the door to his room and put up a screan door with a lack on it so that he can't get out and hurt himself. This way you can hear him, see him and he will be able to see you if needed. I have dealt with the Munroe Meyer institute and also there is Childrens Clinic (CDC) in Omaha as well they are really good too. I don't know if I have really helped you much but these are some ideas. Try to think through things before they do, head banging I would try to make the area as soft as possible with mats, pillows, blankets etc. Good luck and if you need to just to vent feel free to email me! S.

I use cribs and a crib tent to keep my little ones in their beds! I have 4 yr old twin boys, 3 yr old twin girls and a 16 mo old boy. My kids are in their cribs until 3 1/2 yrs of age at least! My daughters both climbed out of their cribs at 18 mo and 2 yrs and broke their arms - then I got the crib tents. My one daughter learned how to unzip it and get out so now I "lock" her in as she says - I use a dog leash clasp and clip the zipper to a zip tie on the crib. Then she can't get out by herself and get hurt or completely demolish her room! As for the banging of the head - not sure - my cousins little boy does that when he is tired to fall asleep. I haven't had a kid do that. Good luck!

Do not worry it is very common. Our son did the same thing. We even went to several doctors to stop it. They all said let him alone. It is for attention. The head banging will stop in months to a year, that is what it took for us, but do not give him the attention he wants when he does it. Reinforce the good behavior when he does it. Like us with that many kids it is hard to give everyone attention all the time. Good luck.

Contact the public school and have him evaluated. It sounds as if he has a sensory issue. A good occupational therapist could give you some ideas to get his sensory issues met so he would quite.

Give your autistic child a strong hug. Make it long and really squeeze, I mean, not to the point you're hurting him, but so he feels secure. I got this idea off a documentary I watched about an autistic woman who developed a machine for herself that would "hug" her for about 1/2 hr. per day. She found it to be very relaxing. Even if it doesn't really help, a hug can never hurt anyone, right?

I hope that helps, at least a little. Oh, and there are books out there about helping your child detoxify from these heavy metals. I've heard that people have actually reversed autism. I'd have to look for it online again, but feel free to send me a message and I can try to find out the title.

Take him to a neurologist to get a cat scan to see if there is something going on that is causing him to bang his head or to act out with such aggression. It could be something as simple as a medication that helps him control his outrages. I don't know your situation personally but my sister had problems with her daughter being aggressive and that is what she did.

Dear T.,

Remove ALL artificial colors and flavors and preservatives from your child's diet. Many have already been banned in Europe because of the negative behaviors on children's behaviors. Another idea is to attend a church with a good children's program.

Has the school performed a functional behavioral assessment? Does he have a positive behavior plan in place at school? What parts of the PBP can be carried over at home? Does your son have a form of communication? Has your son had an applied behavior analsysis? Have you looked into behavior management therapy or medication? Has your son had extensive testing (MRI, CT, blood work, etc.) to rule out any other condition (MR, chromosome defect, brain damage, etc.)?

Many kids have treatable conditions in addition to their autism: sleep disorders, allergies, and digestive problems are common. Many of these can be treated with environmental interventions and/or medication.

I hope you find answers soon!

To start with, I would consider getting him a helmet that he has to wear, to prevent any damage. I'm serious.
My only other thought is to take him to a child behavior specialist - but you are one!! Maybe you could take him to one who specializes in children's behaviors like these. Look for resources on the internet.
Good luck!!

Hi T.! I read your requests and my heart went out to you! I cannot begin to know what you are going through.
I have found a product that I am going to use for my own daughter. It's called Rescue Remedy by Bach flower essences. It's supposed to relieve stress. It's not harmful at all to the body and they make it for kids and adults. My mom has had alot of success with the adult formula so I am excited to try the kids version for my 2 year old. She has diabetes and stress makes her blood sugars go crazy!
You can purchase Rescue Remedy at alot of natural stores but I get mine at www.vitacost.com
You just put a few drops in the mouth as needed. Non addictive and no chemicals.
I hope you find relief soon! You are a strong mama!

Do you know of another behavioral specialist that has worked with autistic children?? Have you gone to the autistic sites and talked with other parents in their support groups?

I know a counselor who worked with dually diagnosed children at a residential center and is now a counselor. I can give you his name and number if you live near the Waukesha WI area.... Email me personally.
We both worked at the Oconomowoc Developmental Training Center. They do offer day school programming there as well as residential opportunities. Google ODTC or the above name to see their website. I am by no means saying that your child needs residential care, just to use what you can to get the help and information you need.
You are in a tough spot and there is help out there!!! It is so hard helping children with special needs, starting now with help is the best thing you can do with your sanity!
Remember there are others out here with the same troubles, and there is help in your area, just keep looking!!!!! I am thinking about you and your family!!!!!!!

I know a couple autistic children and a lady that worked for Child delevelment who also specialized in Austism work with them free of charge. There was one who was very austic with loads of behavior proplems and one that didn't have the behavior problems but needed a little help. They amaze me how much they know but the frustration of getting it to work is heartbreaking. One of them put the jigsaw puzzels together so fast at age 2, it was fun to watch him. The woman worked with the one with behavior problems using a notebook with pictures cut from a magazine. It showed if he wanted to eat, drink, play, what to play with and other things, I can't remember them all. Once he was able to communicate a bit he settled down a little. He still had trouble when something didn't go the way he wanted or if something was changed on him. My suggestion would be to contact your local child develmental center and see if there was someone who could work with him. They usually have grants to help pay for it. It would be like a day care for him, giving him a break and you all a break also.

Good luck.

Those children I talked about are both now teens and doing very well. One is mainstreamed full time in school and the other has half days in public school working with a special ed teacher.

I read somewhere that head banging can be a sign of not getting enough sleep. It is a way for them to self-sooth, even though it can lead to injury. I know he shares a room, do you think maybe he isn't sleeping well?

T.,

You need a break...

I hear a lot of tension in your writing. Your children can sense that. They feel everything that you do.

Can I share with you this. My son, when he was 2 years old did the same thing. He had ADD. He would bang his little head so hard on the floor that it would make "me" hurt! And he would do it over and over again! I called the doctor's I called my mom and they all said it was a phase that he was going through. That he was testing me... and I found out later that he was... Just seeing how far mommy would go before she bursts.

Kids do that you know. Especially when you have, so many! little ones running around. I am sure they are all trying to get mommy's attention.

Do you read to them at night? Have special time for each of them?

For your son that is autistic, get the chemicals out of your home and I swear he will calm down. I have seen it so many times! We have some supplements that will help him too! They are made for little guys and gals. :-)

I realize that you're frustrated, but know that it gets better. I thought for sure that our son was going to have a permanent mark in his forhead. But he's gonna be 22 in May and he's in college. He barely made it through highschool. He never did his homework. But it's all good. I am so surprised I don't have grey hair! LOL!

It does get better hon. Trust me. Just love your babies and let them know that you'll be there for them.

I'm here if you want to chat!

Love ya & best wishes!

J.