Professional Documents
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CHILDREN
ENGAGE IN
HEAD
BANGING?
Head Banging Solutions
1. Consider padding areas that you find your child frequently bangs their head
against.
2. Use a helmet, with an MD prescription.
3. Utilize vibration. This will activate the vestibular system, and your child will
thus receive input in a safer and more functional way. Examples include, but
are not limited to: vibrating stuffed animals, vibrating tooth brushes, vibrating
pillows, vibrating small massagers, etc.
4. Have your child sit in a rocking chair at home and at school.
5. Utilize a yoga ball chair at home and at school to help them receive
vestibular input (make sure it is stable with a proper back).
6. Have your child do movement exercises that go against resistance.
Examples include, but are not limited to: resistive exercises to activate the
proprioceptive system (chin ups on a chin-up bar, lift light weights).
7. Have your child do movement breaks that incorporate rotation and head
below the level of the heart (to integrate vestibular input). An example of this
would be the yoga pose of Sunrise, Sunset. Have your child stand with feet
planted and back straight. Your child should reach up with straight arms while
taking a deep breath in. This should be followed by your child reaching down
towards the floor and touching their feet, while breathing out (its ok if your child
bends their knees here).
8. Have your child help with chores around the house that require him or her to
lift heavy objects (i.e. laundry basket or bucket of water or watering can), push
and pull chairs before and after meals, pick up items from the floor to clean up,
etc.
9. Use of a weighted hat/weighted halo to provide proprioceptive input to the
head. You can even just utilize a regular baseball cap, as this will still provide
input to the head.
10. Have your child utilize a tactile brush around the hair area at transitions
(you can buy a bathing brush with bristles at your local drug store). While many
children with ASD do not like having their hair combed or brushed, having the
child utilize a scrubby brush or tactile brush themselves will allow them control
over a feeling that may feel noxious, while providing necessary input at the
same time.