3yr old biting herself

I just was a liitle worried. My 3yr old daughter bits herself when she is hungry or so we think. At first it was just light bites, now they are getting worse and sometimes leaves marks that will last until the next day. Other than this she seems normal and healthy and developing fine. We are just worried that this may be a sign of some other problems in the future. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

If all else is normal, you needn't have to worry. Sometimes such behavior is associated with various developmental disorders, but not necessarily. In otherwise normal children, the behavior is indicative of stress and is an expression of that stress. From what you can discern, the biting is correlated with hunger. Now that your daughter is three, teach her to let you know with words when she is hungry. Teach he to ask for something to eat. The behavior she is using is a 'primitive' way of expressing herself and it does not lead to problem-solving. You'll want to teach her how to solve this problem.