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What to do to stop autistic child from banging head?
My son is 7yo nonverbal autistic. Often times he wakes up in the middle of the night (typically from 2:00am to 4:00am) screaming, kicking and banging the back of his head on the wall. The duration of his fits lasts from 1 to 4 hours. After all the screaming, kicking and headbanging, he eventually becomes exhausted and passes out. He is at the age where it is getting dangerous for us to try to protect him. When holding him during his fits, he swings his head back with so much force, he could break my chin or nose. Nothing we try works to calm him down. I am worried that he may one day crack his skull. What do we do?
What do you think about nitrous oxide? Do you think nitrous oxide would work to calm my son down when he throws a fit in the middle of the night?
1 Comments
This would not be recommended nor safe for a calming agent for children. Please speak to your doctor.
Hello and welcome. This must be very hard on you AND him. Does he have any alternate way of communicating? Could you offer an alternative for him to do? Do you use story cards to help with direction or 'go to' things for him? Do you work with an occupational therapist at all? What time does he go to bed?
10 Comments
He does not talk, sign, or use any form of communication such as cards or drawing on a board. He can write his name on a board but that is about it. Last night he went to sleep at around 9:00pm which is typical. He woke up screaming and throwing his head back at around 1:40am today and as of 2:10am, he is still screaming. He will probably be screaming for another hour.
He does not do ABA therapy or OT. We tried them but he can't stand that stuff and throws tantrums.
Since nobody seems to know what to do, what do you think about cannabis oil?
It doesn't work. Doctors recommend against it especially for kids with developing brains. OT is beloved by almost all kids because the OT"s do it through play and adjust to the kids. Sure you've really tried that? It might be worth revisiting. Reasons why he head bangs. One, he's actually getting sensory input. Banging, crashing, etc. is used this way for some kids. The key then is to introduce other methods that are better for getting it. I have suggestions for that if you want them. (received FROM an OT). Second reason is frustration and limited verbal ability to communicate it. Then you use cards with pictures or help him with the words to use. We described things in terms of weather from a book we read, for example. Storm clouds, sad. Tornado, losing control. lightening, flash of anger. Etc. Try to help them communicate and the it is on you to work really hard to calm them.
This is a common thing that autistic kids do and things like cbd oil wouldn't be an appropriate application. It's not an illness. They have a need, you have to figure out how to meet it.
This is a common thing that autistic kids do and things like cbd oil wouldn't be an appropriate application. It's not an illness. They have a need, you have to figure out how to meet it.
https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/therapies-guide/pecs A good way to help a non verbal autistic child communicate.
So you are saying when my son wakes up at 2:00am screaming, kicking, biting and slamming his head against the wall as hard as he can (btw we have padded walls), you are saying we should show him pictures. OK, is that before he cracks his skull or after?
No, that's not what I'm saying but he may be trying to communicate with you. During other times, begin working with PECS. And try with a different occupational therapist. Autistics bang heads in order to self soothe, communicate a need or as the result of anxiety. While not ideal, autism doctors will tell you that oh so rarely does a child do actual damage from headbanging. They say to first rule out other issues that are physical causing pain like stomach issues (common in autistic kids/adults), ear infections, etc. Does he have adhd as a secondary diagnosis? Is he verbal at all? But they will likely try to have you identify the cause. There always is one. It's not just a thing autistic kids do.They do it for specific reasons.
I see that he is non verbal from your original post, so scratch that question. Does he have calm periods during the day you could start working on some communication tools?
by the way, I'm not trying to aggravate you. I have a neurodivergent son as well and know all the complexities. I'm not sure where you live, what part of the world. I know that it can be quite challenging to deal with and when the child is non verbal, we can feel utterly lost. I know you are trying to help your child.
Thank you for your responses. It has been a really tough week. My son usually is fine during the day. He goes to special needs school and usually makes it through the day, but sometimes we have to pick him up early if he has a fit. He can communicate a little, but when he throws a fit, what little communication he has is gone.
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