Why is my three year suddenly displaying aggressive behaviour..any advice please?

[Argybargy18]

Hi there, my 3 year old daughter has asd and she always been passive, independent and just a really easy happy child.

But in the last few months she has become aggressive and angry and bangs her head on the floor, as well biting others.

She doesn’t bang her head repeatedly but it’s still quite a disruptive act and she has a permanent bruise on he forehead because of it. Which is so sad to see.

There are no obvious changes that have seemed to trigger it..but maybe there is something I am missing.

I would be really appreciative if anyone can share any similar experiences of similar changes in your child’s behaviour and how you managed it.

Thank you

It's a tricky age. How is her communication? What happens immediately before the aggression? With kids this young the best thing to do is probably just remove the trigger.

My DS used to "suddenly" bite other children at soft play at that age. I didn't realise until I started really paying attention that he was becoming overstimulated and overwhelmed way before the actual biting. I learnt to recognise the early signs and started removing him before he lost control.

The head banging can be from frustration but equally it can be just a sensory seeking behaviour. If it's sensory seeking then you can try to replace it with something that leads to a similar feeling for her, but which isn't damaging. Maybe a small indoor trampoline?