Looking for advice caring for toddlers
Hi all!
I’m not a parent but I am a frequent respite provider for two children with autism (4.5y/o F, 2.5y/o M). Both children are non-verbal. Since they came into care in February, the little girl has been hitting herself in the face when she’s upset to the point of causing bruises all along the sides of her face and sometimes black eyes. She also rocks herself so frequently that her hair quickly becomes matted in the back from rubbing on the couch/chair, etc. (I’ve tried different hairstyles to prevent this such as pigtails but would love suggestions if you’ve dealt with anything similar). Foster mom has bought splints for both arms to prevent her from hitting herself in the face but even with them on she continues to hit her hands together or hit her legs. She actually has not been formally diagnosed with autism yet but as a pediatric nurse myself I am 100% confident she will be diagnosed at her upcoming pediatrician appointment on May 21st. We have her in speech therapy as well as early intervention. She has many different fidget toys which she likes but they rarely work to distract her/stop her from hitting herself. I’ve tried noise cancelling headphones but she has not been a fan so far. We try to gently prevent her from hurting herself but it typically only makes her more upset. Another thing she does is when she gets upset, she will take any toys her brother has and try to hurt him. It almost seems as if she is resource guarding at times? Like she collects a bunch of toys near where she is sitting and will become very upset if anyone touches these toys. She also has a really hard time sleeping. She sleeps in a crib still as she won’t stay in a bed and wakes up multiple times through the night rocking/hitting her back against the crib. She mainly only eats Eggos, French fries, tater tots, as well as strawberry yogurt tubes, chocolate chip bear paws, apple sauce pouches.
Her little brother has recently started to also hit himself in the head. I really want to be able to nip this in the bud before it is such an established coping strategy as it is for his sister (if this is possible). He will also see a pediatrician, but his referral wasn’t urgent like his sister’s.
I’m mainly looking for advice from anyone who has dealt with anything similar/suggestions on how to better support these children. I’m open to any feedback or recommendations. Thanks so much!