Behavior - Austin,TX

I urge her parents to get an evaluation. They can start with the pediatrician who will then refer them to the appropriate professionals if he thinks there might be a problem. Or they can get an evaluation through the school district because this could make it difficult for her to be successful in school.

What would concern me the most is her hurting herself on purpose. I do think this is serious and needs to be evaluated. I would make an appointment with her pediatrician.

There are many developmental issues that can be and is best addressed by professionals other than a psychiatrist. Autism is just one of several developmental issues. Hurting herself, in its self, even when combined with anger issues is not necessarily an autistic trait.

Have her tested for Autisim. Routine is very important for an Autistic child and any change is very upsetting for them so a substitute teacher could throw them into a tailspin.

My son went through a lot of this and it turned out to be anxiety related. Really take a look at her life. Is there anything funny going on at home? Even the tiniest thing can upset a child and we don't even realize it. Is it a nice, loving environment where she gets more than her share of attention from mom and dad? Is there a lot of structure in her day? If not, try that. Same time up, same breakfast, same snack time, same bedtime routine, etc. They need to know exactly what to expect to feel in control of their lives. On that note, give her lots of extra control right now. What to wear, what to eat, where your family is going out to eat. That will help her feel like her opinion is valued by the grown-ups. Be rigid about the schedule; if they aren't already in a schedule, it's hard to get things going but once you have it, it's hard to break the habit. Kids like to know what to expect. Are people rushing her? Could she feel unsafe or unsecure at her daycare (for whatever reason)? I'm not sure she needs a psychiatrist yet. Kids can be very quirky (and not all of them). My oldest has suffered from a lot of this but my youngest hasn't. They have been raised by the same two people, the same way. :) Lastly, lay off of the punishments for now. Just try it out. It's going to be hard; when she screams at someone, for example, it's hard to let that go. You probably feel as if you can't get a child get away with such a thing. However, punishing left and right is only going to cause more anxiety. Try empathy for a little while. Take her aside, hold her and try to get her talking. Tell her she is loved and you can tell she's feeling bad inside right now. Really, just resist the punishments for a little while. If you really must punish, take her to a quiet place but stay with her. Don't isolate, take things away, etc. This works for many kids but not an anxiety ridden child. If she's throwing a massive tantrum, just sit there quietly until she's pooped out and can cry no more. Don't allow her to feel alone. She's probably going to be okay but if things end up a little to crazy in time, seek counseling.

There may be something physiological going on, such as food allergies or another source, contributing to the behavior. See a pediatrician to rule that out. If strictly behavior, then check out the info below for some tips. I also would look closely at your child care doing time outs. It is not permitted to exceed 4 minutes at that age and time outs often are misused or inappropriate in any childcare setting - redirection of the child is typically a better approach. The link has more details:

http://blogs.goddardsystems.com/Cedar-Park-TX/2010/02/22/...

Use positive discipline to redirect your child’s behavior, and you validate the legitimacy of your child’s desires and shows you care and understand. Redirecting endorses your child’s right to choose and begins to teach that others have rights, too.

Children also respond to reasoning – it just needs to be put into their language.

‘Inside feet’ versus ‘outside feet’
‘Soft hands’ versus ‘hard hands’
‘Inside voices’ versus ‘outside voices’

I blogged about this a while ago: http://heyyougetreal.com/momblog/behviour-and-food/
I think it will help.

B.
Family Success Coach

I have been experiencing the scratching with my son ..I took him to a psychiatrist...he did great and still does it sometimes but much better...not many kids psy where I live but was lucky..christian based and really blessing...he was really great and talked to him at his level...good luck