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Hi all!
Our two-year-old son, adopted from China last April (he was 16 months old when he came home), hits himself with his hands or, when he's in his crib (because it's bedtime), hits his head or hands against the crib. It seems to be for attention, but we're not sure how to get him to stop. I've tried moving him to the middle of his crib, which makes him scream louder and then he rolls to the side and starts and tries hitting his head or hand again. I've told him we love him and don't want him hurting himself. But like yesterday, when he was crying in his crib, I went in to check on him and there he was hitting his head against the crib. Any ideas on how to stop him from hurting himself? Thanks.
Gary & Nancy . . .
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Let me start by saying congrats on your new family member! I am in the matching process with older children in foser care and have no physical experience with this. That being said, we have taken many classes to prepare for our upcoming child and among them was trauma induced parenting. This exact situation as you described down to a tee was illustrated as an infant or toddler that had PTSD. If you have not done any research on this, I would now. It may not be for attention (althought it is what he needs) but instead it sounds like a terrible fail at self soothing and a survival technique. Check out RAD articles and therapy. While your child many not have either of these conditions, the skills and techniques that are offered many help your family. Again, Congrats and Prayers to you!
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