Why does my preschooler purposely bang his head?”

Head banging is surprisingly common. Up to 20 percent of babies and toddlers bang their head on purpose, although boys are three times more likely to do it than girls. Head banging often starts in the second half of the first year and peaks between 18 and 24 months of age. A child’s head banging habit may last for several months, or even years, though most children outgrow it by age 3.

I opened with this small excerpt because, a case of head banging changed my perspective about one of my students. This persistent behavior was/is very scary. My first thought was a referral for Infant Mental Health but, something in me told me to research the child’s behavior and this site assisted my efforts to understand the child and to help the family find a new approach to redirect and curtail the child’s actions. Looking for specific triggers and adjusting my daily classroom routine to accommodate the child was minor. Ultimately, the lasting outcome is a loving child that was misunderstood for a very short period of time. I am wiser and more knowledgeable after this experience and I will never forget the impact that it has had on my life.

 http://www.babycenter.com/0_head-banging-why-it-happens-and-what-to-do-about-it_63575.bc