7 year old hand flapping and masterbating

[christinadc0527]

I am a teacher and there is a student that has been on my radar for 3 years.  I had her in kindergarten and noticed that she flaps her hands in front of her eyes, usually when she is excited but others times as well.  Her gross motor skills are delayed.  In kindergarten she couldn't alternate feet when walking up the stairs, but her fine motor skills are wonderful.    Her speech is very slurred but she is very intelligent then and now and does well in school.  The hand flapping has increased and now she is masterbating in class, often and persistently to the point where she is sweating.  My thought is that she is understimulated which is why she is stimulating herself by the masterbation and hand flapping.  Are all these symptoms indicative of a specific disorder?  The only thing I could think of is Sensory Integration Disorder but she doesn't fit all the criterion.  

[momto2miracles]

I would also look into autism,sensory issues and self stimulating are VERY common, also gross motor issues/clumsiness can occur.

[momd699]

I am having the exact same problem with my daughter. She is 7 years old and started masterbating when she was 5 1/2. During Kindergarten we called it the "wiggles" where she would wiggle in her chair. The Teacher really worked with her and seemed to be able to curb it somewhat so she could progress with her work. All last summer she did not do it and then when she went into first grade she started again. I have had several conversations with the school, guidance counselors, psycologist etc... I have tried several things and we cannot get her to stop. It is really affecting her work and ability to progress because she gets so lost in it and she cannot pay attention. She does also do the hand flapping in front of her eyes and she is a Sensory child, but I am not sure how to get her to stop the wiggles, and how to find another thing for her to do that is not as distracting to the class/teacher and will allow her to focus on the work.

If you find anything you find works or have any suggestions please let me know and I will do the same.

We have tried:

Box under her chair to put her feet on
x marks on the floor for her to keep her feet on
and now we are trying a pillow on her chair.

I am now going to try several sensory things before school to help her release some energy etc... and I am hoping that will help.

sorry so long winded - thank you

[christinadc0527]

Thank you very much for your response.  It wasn't too long and very helpful.  :)  

[MomWLoveFor2]

We have a daughter who has major tactile and sensory disorders. She also has a mild CP. We have been dealing with her hand flapping and self stimulation for awhile now.
Her neurologist has told us many times that sometimes children are so overstimulated in their environment that self stimulation calms them. It even helps them escape. We were told that in a public situation to approach her quietly and ask her to please stop doing that with her pee pee. We never treat her like it is something dirty or for her to be ashamed of. Usually she complies.
  With the hand flapping and finger movement...We call those her "Nervous hands" We ask her why she is using her nervous hands. Then we hold her hands and gently squeeze them until she calms down.
  We are still just learning as we go along considering she is only 3 years old. Every doctor including her pediatrician has assured us that the self stimulation is normal and most children outgrow it. It is especially hard to outgrow it for children with special needs so it's best to have a plan of how to get a child out of the public's view and try to understand that it isn't bad or dirty because children this age aren't even aware of doing this in a sexual way. They are just trying sometimes to escape and the doctor said it is something that makes her feel good. Even though we feel it's inapropriet we still have to try and understand. We've since found things that she can usually be distracted with (books, favorite doll, chewy tube, or simply just talking to her). We are also always on alert to see what her triggers are...It's mostly when she is very sleepy or zoning out.
I am so sorry that this was so long. I hope it helps out in some way.
Take Care

[swimamy]

Check out Autism

[nastursim]

sHE COULD HAVE A BIT OF CEREBRAL PALSY