Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

What Are The Consequence Of An Autistic Child Beating Himself?

Our 16 year old son has autism and is non verbal. For a little over a month now, he would hit himself (several times) very hard on the chest with his hand. This happens almost everyday..when he is angry ..and sometimes for no obvious reasons to us....While we do our best everyday to stop him from doing this, we wonder and worry about the consequences to his health..What could happen to him if this self-beating continues? Would his organs -heart, lung, etc be damaged/at risk? Help us, please..
posted on Thu, 13 Mar 2014
Twitter Mon, 13 Oct 2014 Answered on
Twitter Tue, 14 Oct 2014 Last reviewed on
Report Abuse
Pediatrician,  's  Response
Hi, thanks for asking.
I can understand your concerns.
In my opinion there no physical harm in him beating his chest.
It can be either a self stimulatory behaviour or he is trying to communicate something. Or it may be an attention seeking behaviour.
I would suggest you see a developmental paediatrician who can assess this behaviour.
Also you can try alternative and augmentative therapy for alternative communication for him.
I hope I have helped you
Thank you
I find this answer helpful
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Related questions you may be interested in


Recent questions on Autism


Loading Online Doctors....
What Are The Consequence Of An Autistic Child Beating Himself?

Hi, thanks for asking. I can understand your concerns. In my opinion there no physical harm in him beating his chest. It can be either a self stimulatory behaviour or he is trying to communicate something. Or it may be an attention seeking behaviour. I would suggest you see a developmental paediatrician who can assess this behaviour. Also you can try alternative and augmentative therapy for alternative communication for him. I hope I have helped you Thank you