Self injury has go to be the most difficult thing for any parent to deal with. No one should ever have to watch the person they love the most, especially a child, cause pain to themselves. Self injury can come in many forms, but Seth's form of choice has always been headbanging. He has done this for as long as I can remember, it started at around 8 months of age. Pinpointing why has been rather tricky.....It is a mix between frustration and sensory input. Most of Seth's life, his head has had a bump and a bruise. Some days he will headbang up to 10 times and some days one time or none at all. If Seth has no way to headbang because he is in his carseat, he will find objects to hit his head with. He has used a toy car or even his own shoe. When that fails him and he is left with nothing else, he will bite himself as hard as he can. This has made me realize that pain gives him some kind of release, he feels as though he must to it when he gets upset, frustrated or loses control in a meltdown. I just got a helmet for him 2 days ago, he hates it...hopefully he will get used to wearing it. I just wanted to share a little bit of my son's struggle with self injury. It is rare that I meet another parent dealing with something similar...I understand, I get it, I live it. If you need advice, support or just an ear to listen....send me a message. You are all in my prayers.
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