Ah, the terrible twos! (Meaning age one
two and three and maybe even into age 4
lol.) The very best of luck to you during
these years: it looks like your child
really has a strong will!
Head banging does occur in a lot of
children. Some of us even do it as
adults! This is actually a soothing
process...somewhere a long the line he
realized that if he bangs his head it can
relieve his stress in the situation. The
good thing is that if he does hurt
himself, he's going to stop and maybe it
will take a few times, but he will learn
that he can hurt himself this way and will
find another way to get relief. He should
eventually grow out of this to matter
what.
You should keep his pediatrician aware
that this behavior is going on, but
usually doctors will just let them do it
unless there are significant bumps and
bruises: Since he does end up in pain when
he does it too hard, this is the best
teacher and prevention...his own nervous
system. Not only that, kids this age
aren't strong enough to cause themselves
brain damage.
The only concern that you might consider
(which I don't think is a problem here) is
that he could have another condition which
might include a developmental disability.
IF he was unaware of his surroundings or
unresponsive to you, then that would be a
real concern. But this really does look
like a regular temper tantrum to me.
I hope he grows out of this soon. When he
is a little older, you might even be able
to introduce him to something a little
less damaging to your nerves.
http://www.mamashe
alth.com/child/headbang.asp
