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Hello, My name is Lisa. I'm a part time Substitute Teacher Grades K - 12, special Ed, as well as a Full time mom, to three wonderful kids. Christian, Carolyn - both in 7th grade and going through the middle school Drama, and my youngest who is now 11 years old and has severe autism. Richie was diagnosed when he was 2 years old...and has been my inspiration. Just when I think I got it all figured out...my kids are there to let me know, I have been driving in the wrong lane, going the wrong direction.
We have been through some really good times and some really bad times. We have survived, moving to Japan, moving to Utah, Iraq...and Now we are Surviving Autism and Puberty..... I ran accross a quote this year...that pretty much sums up my whole attitude about everything these days. Any Day Above Ground is a Good Day....Explore All the possibilities, and Dont Sweat the Small Stuff. I'm too blessed to be stressed and way to annointed to be disappointed. And When life is really Hard....HANDLE WITH PRAYER.
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LisaAKAmom's Compositions
by LisaAKAmom on 08.13.08 - public - 152 visits
I dont know if anyone elses child does this or not....I know some bang their heads, and sometimes richie will do that too...but for the most part it's his Chin that takes the most of the beating. I have to say this is definately a Sensory/Habit that he has...because he will do it when he is happy too...but he doesnt hit it as hard. However, today he got upset, because his DVD wouldnt play...I took the DVD out and it wasnt repairable...it was cracked. So he was even more upset...because good ole mom, couldnt fix it...so he went into the famous autism meltdown...banging his chin on the TV...the Wall...Hitting me and anyone else that was close...then bangin his chin and head again. Well he hit it so hard today...that he cut it open....and Yes I do try to step in...but he is really fast as you all know how are kids are. So I'm looking for any type of Ideas...or if anyone else has dealt with the same thing with their child. I know I need to find a replacement behavior...I just cant find one...he will stick with....and I'm worried one day he is going to end up breaking his Jaw. Of course he doesnt hit it as hard when he is happy...but he will still take his fist and hit his Chin...or hit it on a table or chair. Its like its a calming/stemming behavior. So any thoughts or imput would be welcome!
Thanks!
Lisa
Comments(12)
LisaAKAmom
Posted on Thu, 14 Aug 2008
Thanks Gail, No your not alone!!! Also I was trying to respond to your post in msn yesterday...and msn was being a total pain...so as soon as it will cooperate, I will post there too. Hugs, Lisa
GrandmaGail
Posted on Thu, 14 Aug 2008
This is great Lisa. Sounds like you got lots of good advice. Anthony hits himself and head bangs. I don't have any advice but just wanted to commet on the tv and DVD player. I'm so happy to hear it's not just my son and an addiction. He has to have the TV on 24 hrs a day and when something breaks I get the same kind of response as you described. And of course it's all my fault. Gail
GrandmaGail
Posted on Thu, 14 Aug 2008
LisaAKAmom
Posted on Thu, 14 Aug 2008
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! I did get some really good advice here...and I think its only fair to let you know...that I am going to try the Putty and the bing bag thing first. Also, I got another Idea...the weighted lap blanket....he likes to put that on his head, instead of his lap....so it is definately a sensory thing, that he is seeking...so I'm going to try and get one of those too and make it more available for him. One thing I did do today...was once he had calmed down...I had him and christian go into the bathroom to look in the mirror...so I could show him the difference...and pointed out his ouchie in the mirror to him. Again...thanks again for all the wonderful and helpful advice...I will definately let you all know how it works out!
kathy630
Posted on Thu, 14 Aug 2008
You really got alot of good advice and I hope that you find something that works for you. I liked the putty and beanbag idea. Whatever you try, good luck. Let us know how it goes.
Mrs.H.
Posted on Thu, 14 Aug 2008
I have a couple of thoughts in my head right now. First - I wonder if the sensory input is for the skin on his chin, the joint compression on his jaw, the impact sensation/vibration/sound in his head, or what? When he is calm and in a better place - can he verbalize what feels good to him when he does that? With some more information, you may be able to find a good substitute or two that can be used in most environments. Secondly, when he is calm, but sometime after a "banging" session, you might try introducing alternate behavior strategies/skills to cope with with his frustration. Still thinking...
maniacmanormom
Posted on Wed, 13 Aug 2008
my matthew likes to smash his head all the time. the speech and ot said to ignore it and it will stop. this has helped some but it is so hard to see your kid hurt himself. we do have one dvd he loves and it does calm his down but his brother is always turning it off, uggh!
Motherof4
Posted on Wed, 13 Aug 2008
You've got some great advice here. I'll see if I can add to it. Daniel never did this exact thing, but he, too used to seek out pressure. He wore a hat on his head any time he went out of the house and earplugs in his ears to filter sound 24/7. One way to treat this would be to substitute pressure for pressure. These pressure-seeking and nervous behaviors have almost disappeared from Daniel, now that he's on Abilify and Prozac. Check into Zurama's idea, because one side effect of Prozac is to cause diarrhea. Daniel had been constipated before, but after Prozac, no longer!!! Good luck!
janneane7
Posted on Wed, 13 Aug 2008
My son was a chin presser. He would press on his chin so hard that it would often be black and blue. The program he was in used behavior modification to stop him form doing it. He stopped for a little while then started pushing his teeth into the back of his hand. The mouth is one of the most sensitive places on the body for sesnory input and my son (and I imagine yours too) does this to calm himself down when he is overly, happy/excited or upset and stressed out. When my son got to teeth pushing on his hand 125 times a day we sought out the expertise of a psychiatrist. Then we spent our first 3 visits (over 3 hours) discussing what he was doing, why he was doing it, possible medication options, what each medication did, how it worked, how what we would try next if it didn't work, how we we go up and how we would go back down if we needed to wean him off. Together, the psychiatrist and I as a team chose zoloft because we believed that extreme anxiety was playing a role in constantly needing to seek out so much calming sensory input. A few weeks after starte the zoloft Andy's teeth pushing went from 125 times a day to under 25. He became a different (calmer and much happier child) Over the years we had to change medication because we discovered that Andy had Bipolar disorder but we still have those in depth discussions around Andy's moods, anxiety, sensory and stimming issues and how medication can positivly impact his quality of life. I don't advocate medication for everyone because it can be a merry-go-round that is hard to get off once you start. BUT it can also make a MAJOR difference in some kids quality of life. just something to think about.
CMRICHARDSON
Posted on Wed, 13 Aug 2008
I have a student that does the chin pressing and banging. We have started a "behavior protocol" with him and it seems to be working. We got the hardest yet pliable putty we could find as well as a few bean bags (the 4in by 4in ones) during sensory pressing (when he is happy but still pressing) we give him the putty and it gives him enough pressure. When he starts to bang his chin out of frustration or whatever the circumstance is we place the bean bag between him and the object he is hitting it on. After about 3 weeks he started grabbing the bean bag when he was upset and pressing his chin into it instead of banging it on objects. We still do the putty as part of his sensory diet. This way he is gettting the input throughout the day as well as learning to put his frustration into the bean bag not into the furniture, walls, and other objects. Hope this helps.
LisaAKAmom
Posted on Wed, 13 Aug 2008
yes he is Very OCD...if it's suppose to be a certain way...it has to be that way. If he puts something in a spot and you move it...he goes nuts. And broken DVD/VCRS are totally unacceptable. I do know he has GI issues...and suffers with constipation from time to time...but there is another Sensory Issue...I cant get him to take medication/suppliments to save his life. It is very frustrating. It's so bad, that if he gets sick..I have to take him into the doctor and give him a penicillian shot...and it doesnt matter if its liquid or a pill form. For colds...like now his allergies are bugging him...I can sometimes get him to do the triaminic meltaway strips...but even those are a challenge and he can get them out of his mouth before they melt. Sorry for the vent...These too issues are probably my biggest problems with him right now...and like i said, its just so frustrating. So I'm open to any new Ideas and suggestions on this one too. We have tried Hiding it in his food...but his diet is sooo limited...that is one challenge...you never know what he will/wont eat. And then if you do get it in the food...He is soo smart...he figures it out...no matter how well you mix it. I just wonder if anyone elses child is like this too. He is 11 years old an not on any medication....but now that puberty is here, and he is having seizures...its a big worry for us.
Zurama
Posted on Wed, 13 Aug 2008
He is very OCD, like my Mickie, who will only allow one specific DVD in his player and the TV and DVD player must stay on 24 hours a day. It may look like it's about the DVD, but it may not. Just a thought. Could it be related to his digestion. Remember that OCD and self injury are many times related to severe digestive distress. Even if you think you have conquered this problem, it may still be there. My mom has IBS and she drives my dad nuts and she is also very OCD and a clean freak. I can tell the minute she walks through the door that she is hurting. So I'll ask her and she says, well that's not why I'm grumpy, so I just hand her two charcoal capsules and some water-20 minutes later she is a different person. I do the same thing to Mickie when he bangs his headand then his calm again. In fact it happened last night after dinner.
