Autism and self injurious behaviour

[Opal93]

This is probably the most scariest, stressful part of having an autistic child for me. My son self injures and laughs. If he has a giggle fit he starts biting his hand. He picks at any cuts/scabs he has and they never heal. Lately he has started pressing down on his Adam’s apple and laughing hysterically. He must have just discovered it makes a weird sensation and while it would feel horrible to most people he seems to enjoy it. It’s bizarre and absolutely terrifying. It is exhausting constantly trying to stop him hurting himself. Does anyone have experience of their autistic child self injuring and id really appreciate any advice on anything you’ve done that has been helpful.

This sounds like sensory seeking. Has he ever had an assessment carried out by an OT?

Some parents have found this helpful:

www.falkirk.gov.uk/services/social-care/disabilities/docs/young-people/Making%20Sense%20of%20Sensory%20Behaviour.pdf?v=201906271131

My eldest son's hand biting (when happy or sad) is out of control. We've tried everything but he still breaks the skin. Chew toys, wrist covers, sprain type splits, deep pressure to the hand. It's awful. I second getting an OT to assess your DS, you might find something that works for you. Good luck.

I was actually going to say Occupational Therapy. I will even be inclined to say that you should seek a private occupational therapist who has sensory integration qualifications and do some private sessions with her. I'm not an OT but it sounds like your child has got some sensory needs and the self injuries behaviour could be in response to that. How is his communication, some of the behaviours is him just communication, but he/she needs to make that communication much more functional... using speech, gestures, Makaton, AAC devices, PECS (although this is slowly becoming outdated) and hopefully you will see a reduction in these behaviours.