Erika
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by Erika on May 26, 2005 13:21:07 GMT -5
Hi there, I am new to the group and a teacher of children with autism, I currently have a child who is self harming and we are unbale to determine the cause or how to stop it, help please! if you have suggestions, readings, someone to contact etc then let me know. thanks
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Post by momofautistic on May 31, 2005 12:09:42 GMT -5
Erica, what kind of harm is he doing to himself? When my son Jimmy was between the ages of 2 and 4 he used to slam his head on the ground when he got upset. At first since he was not yet diagnossed when it started we thought he was doing it to get attention and that he would stop once it hurt. Not so after a couple of times giving himself an egg on his forhead we started interveening by just restraining him and holding him in a bear hug which wasnt easy because he would fight us but i would just sit on the floor with my legs and arms wrapped arround him and i would rock back and forth until he calmed down. Then he just kinda grew out of his high tolerance to pain right around the same time that he qiut drinking milk. I strongly believe that milk was causing alot of problems for jimmy. From an infant with caulic to a toddler with symptoms ive read about on how milk not digesting properly in autistic children and turning into a morphine like substance.
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thula
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by thula on Jun 20, 2005 19:45:31 GMT -5
Hi Erica, (English is not my first language - excuse the spelling and grammar)
I have a 9 year old son who sometimes harms himself, at times quite violently.
A therapist once taught him a 'game' of lying down and breathing through his stomach whenever she starts counting out loud in an even toned voice. After-wards a game or something exciting such as a wild swing outside would be the treat for doing it.
We try- but suppose that when we are not at hand he would get so frustrated at glue that sticks to his hands - that he harms himself to a point where he looses all reality and wants to cut the hand off if he could get hold of a knife or blade or something like a garden scissors! By this time he hyperventilates and bumps himself or hits stuff with his hand palms Or fists or kicks at walls etc. This we try to calm him by starting to count out loud -doing the breathing 'game'. He then does a trained breathing exercise -that normally gives him something else to focus on and we can try and de-fuse the situation the moment he starts concentrating on something else.
We realized this was usually triggered by a change in the current (ongoing) event. Suppose they were building Lego blocks, and I intervene by asking the group/ or him to pack up and take out another activity. He hated being interrupted - the switch in his current activity. He hated being disturbed while concentrating at what was at hand. But this is inevitable - being asked to stop with a task and to take up a next or new task.
We realized that he was unsettled by the unknown. Also that anger and tantrums was his way of venting emotion such was hurting himself to show us how serious he felt about something. His words could not describe his pain or angst.
This applied to stuff he did not even enjoy such as bathing - and same reaction - hurting himself when asked to get out of the bath. When he knew / or was explained before hand (building with Lego) that at a (very) specific time indicated on the wall clock - we would change to another activity he then knew what to expect and though he still protested it suddenly became less traumatic to him and he stopped scratching his body. But then it was not us forcing him to change his activity. It was the numb clock that said it was time to change action. He now watches clocks and listens to their constant ticking. Finding a rhythm in it. Similar to his rhythm. We use hairdressers timer-clocks to tick off the remaining time for an activity as well.
When he experiences a change in his routine (such as a stand-in teacher) even for a few hours - he still scratches his hand palms and eventually plucks at the skin- pulling it in layers from his hands. I have often noticed that at the time when he's doing it he's unaware of the pain and the smearing blood does not deter him. Its like he just locks himself in a safe place in his own mind and hides there until something familiar rips him back into our world. Sometimes its a familiar sound of a voice or an electronic wrist watch that beeps on the half hour or the texture of his Teddy's fabric. When he "clicks back" and I point out the blood or bump or marks on his body where he harmed himself he's defensive and evasive about me treating it - at these times (and many other) I may not touch him. It just bolts him straight into a raging fit. He wiggles away and scurries to a corner as far away as possible.
Sometimes he would walk on a heel -cut up by a piece of glass or a thorn stuck in it-still in the heel - and I would find it (notice blood stained school socks) or even days later when the wound would start healing again. I realized that this is when he was 'dreaming or locked away in his own fantasies when the injury happened. He remains 'unaware' of it for days until I discover it. When asked what happened he mostly denies that he every got hurt - even denies accidentally gotten hurt.
But when he plays and run and stumbles accidentally and barely scrapes his knee he screams like he's broken every bone in his body! All the time screaming like a slaughtered pig- for sometimes more than a half an hour. At these times I cannot touch him but should stay close and "be there" for when he decides to need me.
He is very kind to animals and has a magic touch with wild animals. Wild birds sit and he walks up to them and carefully catches 'em and after a long whisper-like chat he eventually lets 'em go again. He claims that he knows which ones he caught before. Calls 'em at their names he gave 'em, and can tell me which ones he has caught before and how many times they came back to be caught by him again.
The calming effect of animals on him is something out of this world. So now we have a house cat at home and a hamster in his classroom. We've explained that his violent reactions scare the animals and he tries so hard 'not to scare the animals'. He may not handle the hamster if his hands have bled or have recent scabs and he really tries so hard.
Some days are good others not.
He amazes me everyday. Danielle - Namibia - Southern Africa
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Post by Tayo on Jul 6, 2005 10:14:35 GMT -5
Hello, I have a similar problem. My son started self harming by slapping his face with both hands when he was about 5. we tried to do breathing exercises and redirect him to slap his laps and they seemed to be working. by the time he was 12, the slapping had reduced in frequency, duration and intensity. Then just before he turned 13, they started again- out of the blue for no apparent reason. I believe puberty is a factor; plus the fact that he is a twin, and he sees his brother do things that he can't. He realizes he is different. He is now 14, and has a cataract, and possibly a detached retina as a direct result of his self harm. I've explained to him why he can't see out of his left eye, and told him if he carries on, the same will happen to his other eye. He is now trying to control his outbursts with limited success.
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Post by momofautistic on Jul 6, 2005 12:27:56 GMT -5
tayo have you tried giving him something else to hit?
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Post by MISS on Mar 25, 2007 21:11:41 GMT -5
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Post by wenxiao on Mar 28, 2007 1:29:32 GMT -5
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