Self Injurious Behaviors

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I am reaching out because I am at a loss and want to know more about SIBs. Please help if you can!

I am currently working with a child that is a 6 year old male. Up until recently they were displaying no SIBs and in the past 3 weeks, SIBs are occurring at school and when we work with them. It could be just saying the wrong answer or giving an answer to a question they don't expect or in today's case, their toy piano wasnt working. They were throwing themselves on the floor and then proceeded to bang their head on the wall. I put my hand to block and then mom came and they calmed down.

Anyone have some advice on what to do when they want to self injure themselves and also why? I want to know and understand why someone causes harm to themselves and to that extreme of hitting their head against the wall? At school they hit their head on the marble floor and bumps and marks appear.

I am reaching out to you guys because I am really looking to understand why these things occur and what I can do to help.

Thank you so much

Maybe the self injurious behavior is the only way they can express themselves emotionally. I'm just guessing. In my case, I used to cut myself with a razor whenever I felt like getting more attention from people or whenever I felt bad about myself, to replace the emotional pain with physical pain. I also used to scratch up my arms with my finger nails for the same reason. I guess it was also a cry for help. I hope this was helpful.

Sometimes, the behavior just feels good. It's a type of stimming. In the pool, I'll sometimes slam my knees into the side of the wall, because the impact feels good. It often leaves bruises, and I try not to do it to often, but I still do it sometimes.

I used to hit my head in walls as a stim when I am having a meltdown. Two years ago, I used to cut my wrists almost every week, and come home with the urge to feel the pain of spilling my own blood. I still have scars on both my arms to attest for it.

when I was young i'd bang my head against a wall as I could not articulate what I was feeling, and the headbanging took my mind off of what was bothering me. the only "solution" that I can think of, is prevention- to "shrink-wrap" kids like how I was, to prevent us from self-injuring.

What is stimming?

Stimming
Self-stimulatory behavior, also known as stimming and self-stimulation, is the repetition of physical movements, sounds, or repetitive movement of objects common in individuals with developmental disabilities, but most prevalent in people with autistic spectrum disorders. It is considered a way in which autistic people calm and stimulate themselves.

Ah, thank you, I have never heard it shortened to stimming before. I obviously know about self-stimulation but didn't want to assume in case it was something different!

you're welcome obviously there are many different kinds of stimming.

Sorry to hear about this boy, I hope a solution is found to help prevent him hurting himself soon. I'm at a loss advice wise, I also self-harmed as a child and the pattern continued on and off right up into my twenties. Self-harm always felt like letting air out of a balloon that was threatening to burst; it balanced things out and took away the nervous energy. I think regular exercise and having an antidepressant that actually worked over those last few years were the biggest factors that accumulated to build a new place that helped divert my thoughts away from what was definitely in part, an addiction.