6 yr old child hitting their head or face

[dianar]

why would a healthy n very smart 6 year old hit his head or punch his face when upset-mad?

[iNow]

I don't have advanced training in this stuff myself, but long story short, it's because there is some sort emotion they're experiencing that they don't know how to deal with appropriately.

 

If possible, get a qualified professional to help out. It could be serious, or it could just be something they saw on a cartoon one day and decided to do. You can't find out from people on an internet forum who have never met the kid.

 

Best of luck.

[Kyrisch]

Wasn't a thread discussing this very behaviour still getting responses just a short while ago?

[tomgwyther]

Anger can manifest itself in many ways, one of the most obvious is to feel hostile towards one environment.

Most people feel hostile when they're angry, especially when that anger is triggered by something over which one has no control.

e.g hitting the computer when it wont work as a primative way of gaining supremacy over it even though punching your PC monitor doesn't help at all.

Or shouting abuse at the driver who pulled out in front of you on your way to work.

 

it my be possible that the act of physical violence towards ones self has it's roots here.

Perhaps because the object of aggression is himself (as opposed to the computer or the car in the example) he feels it's his face which should be hit, the physical stimuli of doing this is very apparent too.

 

Anger is also often associated with a sense of guilt from lack of control, i.e rather than break his toys or lash out at another person, the aggression is directed back inwards.

 

I would definatley recommend speaking to a qualified professional about maybe finding other ways in which he can vent his anger and frustration.

As iNow said, seeking help via an internet forum (albeit a good one) is probably not the best course of action.

[carolwalenga]

do not have advanced degree---contact a certified behavior analyst--someone with lots of experience in behavior modification--in TN contact Dr. George Zuykowtynski's office--they can refer you

[NIN]

Does your child do it alone, or only when you or other people are around? I would assume that such an action would be done partially for attention. Kind of like a baby crying for a bottle, the child could possibly want you or someone else to know how angry he or she is.

[atomXY]

The whole hitting the computer deal when angry is a good analogy of how some hit themselves as a way of directing their anger towards themselves over something gone wrong.

 

I would suggest talking to him first (which you've probably already done)

before you see a behaviorist. If your child persists after your attempt to speak to him then seeing a behaviorist would probably be advisable.

[bob000555]

Take the child to a doctor right a way hitting his head and or face, along with the mention that he is very bright at age six, can be an indicator of autism. Its likely not anything so serious but better safe then sorry.

[CHEWY]

why would a healthy n very smart 6 year old hit his head or punch his face when upset-mad?

 

Multiple reasons:

 

1) He observes individuals who hit themselves in the face when angry or upset and if parents or cartoons do it, then it must be the "common" thing to do.

2) Doesn't know how to handle anger. The anger or problem isn't from the toys or whatever the stimuli is but rather from himself. Or, it may be somehow better to hit onself than break a toy.

[Vivayoda]

My 6 year old son hits himself and punches himself in the face when he hurts himself(like accidentally smacking his hand hard on my bedpost), or if he is frustrated and angry. He has shown other symptoms of ADHD and autism, so we brought him to a behavioral specialist. He is undergoing evaluations. Hitting oneself is autism related. Behaviors of ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder and sensory processing issues do overlap, making exact diagnoses difficult. I am relieved, however, that the doctor said that hitting isn't necessarily indicative of self harm tendencies pr mental illness. 

So much research on ADHD, ASD, and SPD is happening as we speak; I am always learning something new. All I can do with my son is practice appropriate and safe ways to express frustration and anger. I stopped telling him that hitting himself is "bad" bcs he takes that as "I am bad". And that's bad! So we just keep learning. And it is good.