Hitting/Banging Your Head

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How many of us do it? Has anybody figured out a better coping skill? How do you do it? Do you do it repetitively or just once or twice? Do you do something else that's similar?

Tough questions. In meltdowns, particularly during my teenage years, I banged my head too and once scared my classmates by that. I did it a few times.

Now, I seem to do that less unless I am under extreme stress or in full blown meltdown.
Well, I try to distract myself by holding something that I like in my hand. This depends on what you like. Some like stress ball. I can't think of anything else. Maybe someone will have better ideas.

My autism is severe I bang my head a lot either with my hands or against a surface

sometimes, most times i just scream instead

Repeatedly, usually against the floor or I hit my head with my hands.
Sometimes against a wall.
I have to be restrained if I start hitting my head now because I have a brain injury (not caused by the head banging).

I only do it during meltdowns, I hit my head with my hands, or slam it against a nearby surface. Last time I did it, I was having a meltdown in a parking lot and slammed my head several times into a metal post. I got a headache afterwards.

I don't hit my head, I tend to go for my hands.

It's not my main coping mechanism though, because I need my hands for art and I can't risk damaging them. My main coping strategy is far worse, and given the frequency with which I do it I would question its efficacy as a coping mechanism at all, though that's what it started out as. Now it's more of an addiction.

I launch inanimate objects at walls or into the trees mostly, I do self harm when I am really down but I don't smack my skull into things too much, I will sometimes headbutt doors if I need some stimulation randomly, never thought much about whether it's a problem, I don't do it often enough to bother about it.

I used to do it during meltdowns, but as I matured (and probably partially because of the Pill) my meltdowns became less violent. I've put a few dents in the wall.

I will sometimes hit myself on the head with hardcover books or the spines of paperbacks during a meltdown. I... need to stop doing that. But usually, if I can, I throw pillows and plushes and scream into them. Going for a brisk walk helps as well. Sometimes I can't diffuse the tension soon enough and I end up hurting myself though.

I thought I was alone on this.

I'm so glad I have this diagnosis... Finding out so much about it since I got diagnosed last month.

When I get upset with myself I slap my head repeatedly.

When I'm very frustrated I'll bang my head and knee together.

During a ballistic meltdown I'll bang my head against a door or wall.

Hmmnnn..I guess I'm the odd ball on this one...I use to bang or hit my head when I was really young to relieve the pain caused by mild headaches... And sometimes it's just because there's nothing else for me to do...I never did it to cause self harm...

I don't do it to cause self harm. It's a neurological issue.

Sorry...I have no idea...It was not my intention to offend anybody...its just I've never experienced a meltdown before...a shutdown maybe...but it could just easily be extreme mental fatigue.... Please understand that I'm new to this whole ASD thing...in fact its only been more or less 3 months since i started descovering more about AS and ASD...before that I'm just as ignorant as the rest of the general population...so I'm still trying to figure out which are offensive and benign comments...I know that I'm not NT..that's for sure..i also know that does not automatically make me ASD by default... I'm still learning from everybody on the forum as to what my next move is...again sorry if I offended anybody....

I banged my head a lot when I was younger. I still do it sometimes. One time this summer, I got upset while riding in a car and started trying to bang it on the glass window, which really scared my mom. I hit myself a lot in meltdowns and actually will sometimes bite my own arms. I have never hit anybody else or bitten anybody else.

I never really got into hitting my head, but I used to hit the person working with me.