DS 3.5 scratching himself when upset - anyone else experience thisl?

[sweethoney]

My 3.5 DS gets very upset and stressed if he is told off and reacts very quickly if even the slightest thing upsets him.

However, what concerns me now is that he has started scratching himself when he gets upset (on his face, legs anywhere there is skin showing), I can't work out if he does it on purpose or does it instinctively. Sometimes, he even tells me that he is going to scratch himself.

Is this normal behaviour? I find boys so much more demanding than girls!

anyone? Does this mean it isn't normal

My DS (3) is more likely to scratch others than himself, altho he did go through a phase of scratching his head with no underlying cause - he´s stopped this now. If he tells you he´s going to scratch himself it would suggest its not impulsive behaviour, is it attention seeking behaviour to detract from the telling off and to get sympathy instead? Or it might be an alternative to the frustrated head banging that infants often do. Sorry not to be more helpful. I agree re boys being more demanding than girls, its a shock to the system...