what normal sexual behavior can one expect from boys of around 8 years of age ?
I have 2 boys and a girl. 16, 9 and 2... They have all done this. I was freaked out when my 16 year old did it as a toddler. My health visitor assured me it was normal.
Its not about sex at that age it just feels nice. She did tell me to just tell him to do it in his room... not in public. No-one has obviously told this kid or his brother to do it in private.
I have told both my boys and never had an issue. Now from time to time my 2 year old will do it, I just say to her, I know that feels nice angel, but you must do that in your room.
You cannot teach a child that this is bad, just private.
If it was a reaction to sexual abuse there would be lots of other issues too!!
Take care
Although it is disconcerting to watch children's self touching behavior, by itself it is not a sign of anything more than sexual urges and bad manners, even in an 8 year old boy. If it was nose picking it might still bother you but no one would be jumping to conclusions about whether anyone touched their noses. That is not to take anything away from kids who have been exposed to sexual maltreatment and who exhibit a lot of sexualized behavior. However, boys have testosterone flowing though their bodies which causes sexual feelings. Touching genitals is a common way that may kids soothe themselves - boys tend to exhibit these behaviors more than girls. With younger children distraction is a good technique to use to get them to shift away from that behavior. Also, giving children something to hold in their hands sometimes helps. Talking to kids about "quiet hands" (euphemism for no touching) can be helpful, too. There is some literature on this - look at Toni Cavanaugh Johnson's book Understanding Your Child's Sexual Behavior: What's Natural and Healthy (1999). Good luck and consider being patient and letting the school work on this with the child.