How to Understand Repetitive Behaviors from Blind or Visually Impaired Children

There's no one, easily defined reason why blind and visually impaired children engage in different types of repetitive behavior, especially since this type of behavior is usually seen with other disabilities such as autism. [1] Some doctors state they do it because a child with low vision doesn't get a lot stimulation from the environment, as most sighted children do. Since they can't see everything a regular sighted child can, they start to seek stimulation from within themselves. [2] Others say it has to do with the fact that many visually impaired children don't socialize as much as sighted children do. You can help your child to avoid engaging in these type of behaviors with plenty of patience, encouragement, and the provision of lots of physical activity. This article shares a few common behaviors blind and visually impaired children may participate in, as well as some ways to help them.

Part 1
Part 1 of 2:

Understanding the Behaviors

  1. You may notice that your blind or visually impaired child will flap their hands over and over when they're excited, and then will slow down as they calm. They may do this repeatedly every few minutes, and may even seem to do it for no particular reason. [3]
  2. A lot of blind or visually impaired children will press and poke their eyes on a daily basis. Most do it often when they are upset or tired, finding it a calming method to relax themselves. [4] Others will also do it if their eyes are painful. Talk to your child's eye doctor or eye care specialist to ensure there's nothing serious going on with their eyes before redirecting the behavior. [5]
    • Take caution to ensure your child is not harming themselves when doing this behavior. Pressing or poking your eyes too hard can cause serious eye injury. You may need to redirect the behavior if it's starting to cause harm to your child. [6]
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  3. Rocking and bouncing are also common behaviors in blind or visually impaired children. Some professionals state that rocking is a response to a need for vestibular stimulation, an inability to move freely because of over-protection from parents or guardians. Failing to encourage movement, constantly letting your child stay at home all day, and even restricting their movement can lead to your child bouncing and rocking. [7]
    • Some children with a visual disability may also bounce and rock if they're excited, and start to slow down as they calm. For some children, the behavior will increase the more excited they are. [8]
  4. Spinning is a common behavior for blind and visually impaired children. Just like bouncing and rocking, spinning is a way to express freedom and joy. Your child may spin because they enjoy the feeling of air going beneath their arms. Sighted children also spin because it's a fun activity, but blind and visually impaired children do it often, especially if they're not introduced in other spinning activities such as merry-go-rounds, tire swings, etc. [9]
  5. Light can be extremely stimulating for some visually impaired children. If your child is able still see some light, they might enjoy looking out a sunny window or staring at a lamp that's on. They might also flick or wave their hands around their eyes so the light can form patterns while they are staring at it. [10] [11]
  6. Your blind or visually impaired child may rapidly and repeatedly shake their head back and forth, even though they're not trying to communicate and say 'no'. [12] Your child may also bang their head against the floor or wall to express distress. They may do this if you can't clearly understand their needs, or if they're trying to communicate with you and you're unable to understand them. [13]
    • Headbanging can be dangerous, particularly if it's done against the wall or floor. [14] Ensure you find ways to redirect your child to avoid this, or place pillows beneath them and allow them to head bang on them.
    • Headbanging and head shaking may also be done if your blind or visually impaired child has head pain. Talk to your doctor about it to ensure there is nothing wrong with their health. [15]
  7. Children with visual disabilities are all different and may engage in different types of repetitive behaviors, some of which may be considered harmful or socially unacceptable to others. Some children will do these behaviors for no particular reason and they could mean nothing at all. Others may do these behaviors to express excitement, joy, frustration, the desire to communicate clearly, or distress, or because they feel restrained or aren't getting enough physical activity and playtime. [16] Some other common repetitive behaviors include:
    • Chewing on objects
    • Sniffing or smelling the air or certain objects
    • Screaming out of nowhere
    • Crying or whimpering out of nowhere
    • Grinding on their teeth
    • Pulling or twisting their hair
    • Clapping
    • Arm waving
    • Twirling
    • Foot kicking
    • Throwing objects
    • Sucking on hands or fingers
    • Rubbing or wiping movements
    • Repetitive vocalizations
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Part 2
Part 2 of 2:

Helping Your Child with Their Behaviors

  1. You may be concerned about your child's behavior, since it may not look "normal" to you, but it's important to remember that your child has a visual disability and they're not going to behave in ways that you would expect of a sighted child. It's discouraged to try and completely stop your child's repetitive behavior, since they have a reason for what they're doing (even if you don't know what it is), and just because your child's behavior doesn't look "normal" doesn't mean that it should be stopped. It's okay for your child to behave differently from other children as long as it's not hurting anybody or disrupting people.
    • The repetitive behavior should only be redirected or halted if the behavior is harmful (such as biting, hair-pulling, striking out at others, or jabbing at their eyes) or disruptive (such as screaming during tests in school, flapping when going through airport security, or touching people without their consent).
    • A blind or visually impaired child's repetitive behavior is often compared to the stimming behaviors seen in autistic people. Stimming behaviors in autism are only redirected if the behavior is harmful; treat your blind or visually impaired child's repetitive behaviors the same way as stimming would be treated in autism.
  2. Every child should have at least 60 minutes of physical activity, including your blind or visually impaired child. [17] If your child is more active, they may reduce the amount of harmful repetitive behavior they engage in. [18] Having low vision should not stop them from playing and doing different types of physical movement. Ensure your child gets 60 minutes of physical activity everyday. You may wish to do 30 minutes of activity inside and then the rest of the 30 minutes outdoors.
    • Exactly what games you pick may depend on your child's interests, skills, and level of vision, as well as how much support you can provide them. Depending on how much sight they have, they may be able to participate in activities like playing ball games, jumping rope, climbing, or jumping on a trampoline or yoga ball. If you have safety concerns about those, try other activities like swinging, swimming, or running with assistance, instead. [19]
  3. Pretend play can build many development skills for your blind or visually impaired child. It can build their motor skills, self-esteem, social roles, and emotional roles. [20] They'll also be able to bond with you as you play together. This can help reduce the amount of harmful repetitive behavior from your child. Ensure your child gets at least 30 minutes of pretend play everyday. Examples include:
    • Pretending to be a doctor
    • Being a teacher and teaching a class of stuffed animals
    • Having a tea party
    • Pretending to own and manage a grocery shop
    • Making a castle out of a cardboard box
  4. Try attending different playgroups where blind and visually impaired children can meet and play with one another. You may want to set up play dates for your child to meet other children just like them. This can help them feel like any other sighted child by building friendships and playing with others. [21] [22]
  5. Provide your blind or visually impaired child with a schedule and stick to it. Provide plenty of activities, outdoor time, and playtime before quiet time. If you introduce the activities that require the most energy first, your child will most likely run less of a risk of being disruptive during quiet times such as reading, nap time, eating meals, etc. [23] [24]
    • The goal is not to stop the repetitive behavior during quiet times, but to help the child avoid potentially harmful or disruptive behavior during those quiet times.
  6. Try introducing a different variety of hobbies to your child such as sports, dance, art, music, singing, crafts, and more. This can help distract your child from engaging in harmful repetitive behavior. You may even want to bring your child in a class or club for blind and visually impaired students to help support their hobby. [25]
  7. If the behavior is dangerous and harmful to your child (e.g. headbanging on the floor, yanking on their hair, grinding on their teeth, etc.) or is considered distracting and socially unacceptable in public places (e.g. flapping hands during a test, throwing objects at a playgroup, etc.), you may want to redirect the behavior. Find ways to help your child switch the behavior. For example, if your child keeps sucking on their hand, you may want to give them a chewy bracelet. Other examples include: [26]
    • Headbanging on a pillow instead of the floor.
    • Spinning on a tire swing instead of spinning inside the house.
    • Bouncing on a yoga ball instead of bouncing on the bed.
    • Chewing on a rubber necklace instead of grinding your teeth.
  8. If your child begins to engage in a harmful behavior, you can remind them what their body parts are doing once they begin the behavior. For example, if your child starts to jab at their eyes, you can ask, "Where are your hands?" [27] This can help them understand and recognize when they are doing the behavior, and know when they need to redirect or stop it.
    • If it helps, you may want to consider creating a 'secret word' with your child and say the word when they start doing the behavior. This can help avoid embarrassment in a public or social place. For example, when your child starts biting their hand, you might say, "Watch out, Batman" to remind them of their behavior. [28]
  9. Never yell or punish your child for their repetitive behaviors. Your child is not behaving this way just to make you annoyed, they're doing it for a reason, even though that reason might be hard to figure out. [29] If you do start to feel upset, take a break and come back later to your child. Have someone else watch them while you take a cool-down break. As important as your child is, you need to take care of your well-being, too.
    • Your child is not engaging in repetitive behavior to cause trouble, and they're not going to behave in the same ways as a sighted child. Punishing them for repetitive behaviors could be compared to punishing them for having a disability, since the repetitive behaviors are associated with blindness and visual impairment.
    • Redirect harmful or disruptive behavior, rather than punishing the child for it.
  10. It's important to make sure that your child's repetitive behavior doesn't harm the people around them, too. You could say, "There's a little boy in the ball pit who looks scared because you're waving your arms too close to him. If you step back, you can wave all you want, and he doesn't need to worry about you accidentally hitting him". Understand that for younger blind or visually impaired children, it can be quite hard to understand how other children feel about his behavior. This type of feedback can be hard to soak in for your child so know they might not be ready to accept it. [30]
  11. When your child redirects themselves from doing a harmful or distracting behavior, offer them plenty of praise and attention on how good that is. You might say, "Good job playing with your light-up toy instead of poking your eyes, that was a better activity to do" or "Nice job not screaming when you played with your friend today, you did a wonderful job!" This encourages them to keep up the behavior and avoid the harmful type. [31]
  12. Some children with a visual disability might do repetitive behaviors if they're in physical pain. If your child cries frequently out of pain and complains about certain body parts hurting while engaging in repetitive behavior, immediately schedule an appointment with their doctor and visual therapist to ensure there is nothing serious going on. [32]
    • Your child may also continue the behaviors if they struggle communicating with you about their needs, or if you struggle to understand them. If this is the case, try talking to their visual therapist about it to consider speech therapy or some other method to help make communication clearer for both you and your child. [33]
  13. Your blind or visually impaired child may still continue harmful behaviors even after trying several techniques and methods. It will take time for your child to fully stop or redirect their behavior, and that's okay. Your child has a disability, and every child out there is different. Yours won't always seem and look like other children you come across. Love your child for who they are spend and spend as much as time with them as possible. [34]
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      Tips

      • Avoid discouraging the repetitive behaviors when your child is upset and distressed, especially for behaviors such as eye pressing or poking. If it's not causing any harm to your child, leave them to be until they're calmer and not as upset. Discouraging the behavior while they're frustrated can be emotionally hard for them. [35]
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      • Ask family members and friends to avoid encouraging the behavior your child does as this will make harder to stop when they get older. At the same time, tell them to avoid teasing your child as this can be very upsetting. [36] Instead, suggest them to distract your child by playing with them.
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      • Try bringing your child to many fun places to let out all their energy such as the park or carnival.
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      References

      1. ↑ http://www.wonderbaby.org/answers/how-make-sure-if-blind-child-not-autistic
      2. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      3. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      4. ↑ http://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/spring02/blindisms.htm
      5. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      6. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      7. ↑ http://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/spring02/blindisms.htm
      8. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      9. ↑ http://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/spring02/blindisms.htm
      1. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      2. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2227138
      3. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      4. ↑ http://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/spring02/blindisms.htm
      5. ↑ http://thinkingmomsrevolution.com/thinking-moms-guide-to-red-flags-head-banging/
      6. ↑ http://thinkingmomsrevolution.com/thinking-moms-guide-to-red-flags-head-banging/
      7. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      8. ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/children/
      9. ↑ https://nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/fr/fr17/Issue3/F170308.htm
      10. ↑ https://mommypoppins.com/newyorkcitykids/25-exercise-games-indoor-activities-for-kids
      11. ↑ http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/creativity-play/importance-pretend-play
      12. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      13. ↑ https://nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/fr/fr17/Issue3/F170308.htm
      14. ↑ https://nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/fr/fr17/Issue3/F170308.htm
      15. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      16. ↑ http://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/spring02/blindisms.htm
      17. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      18. ↑ http://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/spring02/blindisms.htm
      19. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      20. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      21. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      22. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      23. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      24. ↑ http://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/spring02/blindisms.htm
      25. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235
      26. ↑ http://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/spring02/blindisms.htm
      27. ↑ http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/social-life-and-recreation-iandt/repetitive-behaviors/1235

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