Destructive and self-destructive tantrums

amother

Amethyst

Tue, Sep 06 2016, 10:52 pm

So I'm pretty sure our son's tantrums fall outside the norm. To what degree I don't know. "Dr. Google" is a bit scary but I've been looking for ways to get our paediatrician to consider this hasn't just been the terrible twos and now terrible threes so we can get early help.

Our son is three and has always had soothing issues/attachment/emotional frustration issues. As a baby we literally couldn't put him down. He refused to sleep which I'm sure caused a whole host of issues. As a toddler he had tantrums early and while the frequency is less now (I think our average is about 3 a day) there are some concerning behaviours.

When he tantrums he regularly throws his toys. We thought with some love and patience this might pass. Instead now he just realizes that he did something wrong and hits himself. We have tried explaining to him that he's still a good boy and we love him but tonight he started biting himself.

Anybody else had something like this? Reactions, suggestions and input from your child's Doctor?

groovy1224

Tue, Sep 06 2016, 11:15 pm

My son did something similar, though he was younger. He would pull out his hair. One possibility to explore is that he may be seeking sensory input as a way of calming himself, and biting himself and hitting himself is his way of doing that. Your goal, of course, is to show him how to meet those needs without harming himself. There are just tons of methods products out there for this, from weighted vests to sensory brushes (google it- very cheap, and many kids love it) to rubber teething toys he can bite down hard on.

Consider having him evaluated for OT, so you can work with a therapist to guide him how to soothe himself in a safe, non destructive manner. Sensory seeking behavior in a high strung, emotional child is quite common, and a good therapist can work wonders.

GL!