head shaking/"hot eyes"?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-12-2004
head shaking/"hot eyes"?
3
Mon, 03-10-2008 - 4:33pm

Hi,
My son is not diagnosed, but seems to have some features of AS. He's 5. The more I read here the more I see he shares characteristics with the kids you write about. Today he started doing something totally new, shaking his head in a semicircular pattern. I asked him what he was doing and he said giving his eyes fresh air. I said are they uncomfortable and he said his eyes were "hot". But he's not rubbing his eyes, which is what I'd expect if they were uncomfortable. I never know whether to chalk the weird things he does up to "normal" 5 year old or if it's a "sign" of autistic behavior.
Also, at the moment he is CONSTANTLY grabbing his penis, even when I ask him not to and he's telling me he'll try not to. He used to lick his lips til they were chapped, I was grateful that stopped.

Elaine

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-28-2006
Mon, 03-10-2008 - 4:42pm

Honestly, those sound like tics and tics often come along with ASD.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Mon, 03-10-2008 - 6:51pm

Hi Elaine,

It sounds to me like it could be sensory-seeking behavior. Your son has probably discovered that he likes the feel of the air against his eyes or his skin, so he is shaking his head to create that effect.

The other possibility is eye allergies, although if that were the case, he would probably be rubbing.

If you are really worried about the head-shaking, you may want to find a different way to give him the same effect, like giving him one of those little portable fans that kids sometimes use. I don't think it will do him any harm, but you would want to limit his time with it, so he doesn't dry out his eyes and leave them susceptible to infection.

If you are worried about any particular behaviors, you can mention it to his pediatrician. One of the Drs in my peds office had great ideas for helping my kids with their ASD "stuff".

As for the "hands in the pants thing": Despite all our efforts (at home and at school),my son did this so much he gave himself a couple of UTIs. This turned out to be a good thing, ultimately, because he learned the hard way that if he didn't leave his little friend alone, he would have more visits to the urologist. That cured him for awhile.

Now he is pushing 10 and it is starting up again... . This time around, I am seriously going to ask the doctor if I can put some minor irritant on his hands, like maybe lemon juice that might sting but not do any lasting damage if he puts his hands down there. It sounds harsh, I know, but he is getting to that age now that he could get into serious trouble in school for those behaviours. They are almost unconscious, like a self-comforting thing, so the only way to really cure it, it to find a way to replace or remove the "comfort" aspect, you know?

I hope this helps.

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-12-2004
Mon, 03-10-2008 - 8:01pm

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yes! That seems like it. It gets worse when he's in trouble for something. I was thinking of giving him a squishy ball to try squeezing. Obviously not the same stimulation, but might be worth a try.

Thanks for your response! It makes a lot of sense.

Elaine