Headbanging

[janetsplanet]

DD2 has dyspraxia and is getting assessed for ASD. she is 7. yesterday wasnt a very good day. kids winding each other up, but mostly it was DD2 being a pain again. swearing at the others, threatening to bust their nose etc.
bedtime is a nightmare as she likes to sleep with DD1. DD1 doesnt always like this (shes 12) so at times says no. this caused DD2 to have a huge tantrum. she wanted to sleep on the landing, so i told the others to just step over her and ignore.
Then DD2 started headbanging the floor. She has never done this before and im certain it was for attention so didnt even bother going to check on her till she had calmed down.
The thing is, how are you meant to deal with headbanging. am i meant to hug her, try to stop her, or let her get on with it.
this morning she woke up fine and in a good mood. all was ok. then this afternoon i just felt so sad and emotionally drained, not knowing how to deal with it. i think she only gave up last night because DD1 slept with her

MY ds has been head banging when stressed for years (ASD& Dyspraxia) we try to ignore it but have had to stop him when against a brick wall when were out and a glass door on a few occasions usually i find offering a distraction works best anything ive even made up a silly lie like oh look at that weird bird out the window just to get him up off the floor to come and see what it is even the temporary distraction works for me then id get DS story book out and start reading maybe even tell a silly joke to get DS giggling, your DS sounds like was doing that as a way of feeling in controll my ds used to do it daily at school when especially stressed out. basically i think its better ignored but to a degree you cant stand by watching till her heads bleeding so (as ive never had any advice from the proffeshionals on this , although they all know he does it) i devised the distraction idea myself be interesting to hear what others say as ive never asked on MN about it before to see what others are doing.

DS used to be a headbanger, the advice I was given was to ignore it. I found it really hard but it did work.

Ds went through a stage of doing it. We'd move him to somewhere "soft" if he wasn't already (as he'd do it on the floor) and ignore him.