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Head Hitting and Self-Injurious Behaviors

I see a lot of articles written by neurotypical people trying to explain head banging and other self-injurious behavior in autistic children, and I want to offer my own perspective as an autistic adult who still engages in these behaviors.

There are a number of reasons and circumstances that lead to self-harming behaviors for me, despite my efforts to avoid doing them.
  1. Sensory input needs not being fulfilled: Sometimes, self-injurious behaviors feel good. I like the pressure of hitting my head or the tingling sensation of scratching my skin, even though I don't like pain. I seem to process these sensations differently than neurotypical people. I've been able to reduce these behaviors by finding similar sensory inputs: body brushes instead of scratching, weighted blankets and lap pads instead of hitting, deep pressure therapy, etc.
  2. Too much being demanded: When a task or person places demands that cause distress that exceeds my normal coping skills, these behaviors result.
  3. Too much sensory input: Sensory overload throws me into "fight," "flight," or "shut down" mode and can result in self-harming actions.   
There are other reasons and ways that I or another autistic person might self-harm, but these are the ways tied specifically to my autism. I hope this helps others understand more. 

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