18mo old head banging when frustrated

Just wondering if anyone else has any experience with this. My son is 18mo old, and has developed a head banging habit when he is frustrated. His expressive language is not at all where it should be, yet his receptive skills are advanced. In other words, he understands so much, but is unable to communicate verbally what he wants, or feels. I'm thinking it has to do with that.
Wondering if anyone has any advice on how to handle this. He is getting evaluated for speech services next week, but I'm interested in hearing suggestions on behavioral modification.

Thanks so much

Re: 18mo old head banging when frustrated

My son who really only started saying mama at about 18 mos he also had much better receptive skills. He used to hit his head with hands when he was frustrated. I would pull his hand away and tell him not to do it. I never had him evaluated for speak and now at 28 months can string 2 or 3 words together. And he "grew out" of hitting his head.

I will say that when I would ask him to stop doing it he would.

Re: 18mo old head banging when frustrated

My son did the exact same thing. He started around 15 mos old. I used to get upset because I was afraid he would hurt himself. I was also worried that there was something wrong with him (lol). He is a good boy but he seemed to do it most often when he was frustrated and /or overwhelmed. He would sometimes bang his head so hard that he would have a bump and bruise on his forehead.

What I did was take the pack n play out of storage. Whenever he would get frustrated to the point of head banging, I would calmly pick him up and place him in the pack n play, telling him "no bang your head". (I know bad English lol!). I would then leave him there til he calmed down. Oftentimes he would be rigid when I picked him up to place in pack n play but I would move him anyhow since it was the safest place for him. He couldn't harm himself as he could if he banged his head on the wall or floor. I would then just leave him alone and he would work it out himself (without hurting himself!)

He is 2 now and MUCH better. He quickly learned that he can get upset but that he can NOT bang his head. He still gets frustrated but he no longer hurts himself. Honestly I think it's just the way some kids handle frustration. When he gets frustrated it comes quickly but ends just as quickly.

Hope this helps!

Re: 18mo old head banging when frustrated

Re: 18mo old head banging when frustrated

Have you tried teaching him sign language? Children who know sign language usually are less frustrated because they are able to communicate if they are not able to communicate verbally.

Re: 18mo old head banging when frustrated

Comprehesion exceeds expression, so if you know he is understanding you I would try not to worry it sounds like he is doing this out of frustration that he cannot express himself with words