Question as to why my son does this? He has Autism PDD/NOS?

My son is 6 now and was diagnosed with Autism/PDD/NOS when he was 2. Back then he used to bang his head a lot and at times to the point where he would injure himself. Over time it seemed to subside and then go away once he eventually began talking.

Well I have noticed lately in the past few months that he has begun to start hitting his head more frequently and it is to the point he is even doing it in public. He does it in the car to the point where I feel he is gonna hurt himself severely.

He also smacks himself in the head to. I have tried talking to him and ask him why he says he does this. He said he doesn't know or someone or something else is controlling his brain. He also says the left side of his brain is working faster than the right.

I went to his pediatrician and she was no help because she felt because she didn't see it happening there that it wasn't happening at all. We are in the process of switching doctors.

I need to know if other parents,grandparents,brothers,sisters or health care professionals have seen this before and what was done to help the child.

It also seems as if his speech is becoming more hard to understand since he has entered Kindergarten. It seems more slurred than it usually does.



I could use some very helpful advice on this and no smart *** answers. This is a very serious situation and I have heard others comment on things like this and they have no idea. There is a difference between being non typical and typical and I can tell the difference with my son.Question as to why my son does this? He has Autism PDD/NOS?
This is a common problem. I'd say you need to see a psychologist and occupational therapist about this to get a good answer and recommendations/treatment. If your ped won't give you a referral then call you local Easter Seals and ask for help.
I have an eleven yr old daughter who has autism. She would bite herself when mad but has seemed to outgrow that. She does hit herself on the head occasionally, when mad, frustrated, angry. Sometimes she says things like "My brain is not working right" but can't explain fully what she means. . We have a TV set that sometimes gets out of alignment and you have to smack it to make it focus again. That's probably where she got the idea of smacking her head to focus. Honestly if you think about it in those terms, it makes perfect sense, though it's certainly not appropriate behavior. Knowing why is half the battle. Can you imagine the frustration our kids must feel when they know they're not processing things right, are stuck on something, or can't focus when they want to, and are trying to fix it by banging on their head?



Working on replacement activities when he starts banging his head would be the first step. Perhaps have him draw a picture of what he's feeling, and draw a picture of how it's supposed to be? As a parent of a child with autism you have to be really creative in finding solutions. Maybe making a head/brain out of playdough with him and have him show you what it feels like. KWIM? Could you engage him in these activities during playtime? Ask him about it when he's not "in the throes" of the behavior. Easier said than done, I know, I'm just throwing out all the ideas I can think of.



The other thing that really stands out is his speech is becoming harder to understand. Would you say it's because he's learning more speech, and having a hard time organizing it? Is it a lazy habit or imitation of someone else? Did it come on fairly quickly? My concern would be him feeling like his brain isn't working right, and his speech becoming slurred could be tied together. Seizures or small strokes? What is your gut telling you? You might want to contact a pediatric neurologist and schedule an appointment.Question as to why my son does this? He has Autism PDD/NOS?
The pediatrician is likely not the best professional to address this problem as they typically approach the problem from a medical vantage point. I would suggest getting a psychologist or a behavior analyst to help you with this issue. If the problem happens at all at school, you may start by speaking with those professionals. If they are not available or you are not satisfied with their answers, you should seek out these professionals in the community.
I have a 27yr old autistic son %26amp; from what I've learned over the years is that those types of behaviors in PDD and autism are pretty common - although my son never did the head banging thing, he would bite his fingers when he was upset or overstimulated - in fact he still does - as for the speech he likely would benefit from some type of speech therapy - you may consider finding a therapist that specializes in developmental disorders...sorry this wasn't much help - but good luck to youQuestion as to why my son does this? He has Autism PDD/NOS?
I would advise having him wearing a helmet would work because it would protect his head.





Speaking as a person with AS, I sometimes bang my head when I am melting down because it releases some anger and it helps me cope but I know not to hit my head hard enough and I know not to hit it on hard surfaces or hit myself in the head with my hands because I know that can give me a head injury. But I can control my actions fortunately. It's rare when I actually snap naturally.



I don't know if occupational therapy would work but it does help slow your brain down so that might help him out since he said the left side of his brain works faster than the other.



You can also start taking movies of your kid doing it and show them to the doctor to prove to her he does it.



I hope this wasn't a smart *** answer.
totally agree with the person who said to rule out underlying problem. It could even be a headache, and he is banging his head to stop the pain. Children with autism can get migraines like any child ...definitely dump that pediatrician. One must ALWAYS rule out a physical problem with any child, before moving on to another reason, but more so autistic children. Sometimes they have difficulty expressing physical pain or discomfort. That said...if no physical problem...turn to the issue of why we don't hit our own bodies. I say, treat the autistic child like any child, with all the needs of any child, and then with extra help for his or her specific needs. We teach any child that hitting ourselves is not acceptable, and why (because we must take care of and treat our bodies right). If a child was hitting a toy, we say..don't do that because that is not how we take care of our toys..ditto for our bodies. Then say, ok...lets figure out whats going on here, shall we? Do you have a headache?.. Is you head rolling around and you need to keep it in place? (this is interjecting a little humor to keep things light)...does that help you think?, etc...As to the speech...my 6 yr old autistic nephew Nicky has also become very hard to understand lately when before he was so clear, so it may be part of your son's development as it is my Nicky's (again, after ruling out physical causes). It is so hard to know what is the regular development and what is the special challenge due to the autism.