Head Hitting in Severely Retarded Children

dren show is head banging with their fists or hands, or on a hard surface. In his review of the literature, Dean T. Collins interprets the findings of a number of investigators as follows(1). For a few children, head banging is a normal developmental phenomenon, often associated with teething or the transition from sitting to crawling. Characteristically, nonpathological head banging begins in the second six months of life, usually is preceded by other rhythmical behaviors, such as head or body rolling or crib rocking, and persits for about 17 months. It occurs three and one-half times more often in males than females.