Sensory Seeking

Yes, an occupational therapist can assist you. Usually kids with ASD do it when they are frustrated or not liking a situation. Try to watch for cues as to what is going on around him when it happens. Then, remove him from the situation or change the situation. I have worked with kids with ASD and sometimes if I'm working "too hard" with them, they will start hitting. We usually have a calm down time where they can do something they enjoy for 5 min. or so and then get back to work.

I would make an appointment with an occupational therapist immediately.

I would check my library for a book called "The Out-of-Sync Child."

My son was more of a sensory avoider - we had good luck with a weighted blanket and wrist weights (very light - .5 to 1 lb). Something about that constant pressure helped to calm his sensory system. But again, this is something I would check with an OT. I would not try these things on my own without some professional advice.

Good luck and hope you can find some answers.

I noticed you said that it drives YOU crazy, but you need to look at what the purpose of sensory seeking behavior is. He's not doing it for no reason. It's serving a purpose for him... he's trying to stimulate himself. So whatever you do to get him to stop, you have to replace the behavior with something else or you leave a void for him to fill himself.

There are many sensory toys out there. You can find them in sensory stores and there are many on Amazon too. I'm actually about to order some chewlery for my daughter. We have a lot of success with body brushing, joint compressions, chewing gum to name a few things to aid her in her daily sensory diet. She enjoys eating frozen berries, frozen french fries, and ice chips too.

She really enjoys playing in plastic bins of raw, dry rice. Before it broke she absolutely adored this sand table we had for her. One side of it held sand and the other side held water, and it came with lots of plastic "tools" to play with. It was sensory heaven for her. During the winter I filled the sand side with the raw, dry rice for easier clean up. We need to get her another one. It came with a cover and was portable too.

This is the specific one we bought: http://www.amazon.com/One-Step-Ahead-Water-Table/dp/B005E...

Try the book "Raising a Sensory-Smart Child". My sensory-seeker loved to richochet off the couches, so I made him a "pillow mountain" in a corner of his bedroom. Basically a pile of old pillows with fresh pillow cases (about 14 of them), plus a border along the wall of a fold-up covered foam mattress (so it took the corner at a 90 degree angle). He LOVED to barrel into his room and leap into the pile. I don't know if this will curb his need to whack himself in the chin, but maybe worth a shot? Good luck.

Definitely get him in with an OT if you haven't already. Some things that I would suggest are to get him something he can bite on, like the firm plastic straws that are flexible. Also, see if he likes being upside down. He can lay on the couch with his feet up the back cushions and head hanging down over the edge. Try deep pressure - pretend to make a "mommy sandwich" by laying a pillow over him while laying down (obviously not covering his head and face) and then you lay on top, diagonally (so your full weight is not crushing him). Or make a "DeShaun burrito" by rolling him up in a blanket (with head sticking out) tightly. All of these give high sensory input and are calming. Best wishes!

Have you tried these ideas? (Which one you choose may depend upon his age.) My son has strong sensory seeking behavior.

If he's really young: FIRMLY hold his head with open palms and exert pressure (don't squeeze the temple area). We used to place our open palms on my son's forehead and back of head and press a few times. If he continued with his head banging, we would repeat. It usually worked very quickly.
Now that he's older I try these:
Have him stand in front of you with his back against you. Place your open palms on his shoulders and tell him you're going to press hard. He should try to resist your push. My son loves this. It's amazing how much pressure he likes, too!
Another one: Have him face you, go palm to palm with him and both of you push hard against each other. Sort of like standup push ups.The pressure of these activities should help.
For a school aged child, you can teach him to do quick push ups against a wall for positive pressure.

Does he have an occupational therapist? If so, I would ask them. If not, he should have a pediatric occupational therapist who is familiar with sensory issues. They can do a lot. The underlying sensory issues that are leading to this behavior probably need to be addressed.

I used to work with a pediatric therapy group and the OT focused on Sensory Integration issues. The kids loved the therapy - it was in a gym environment and was just play to them - put it worked wonders!

Good luck!