Why Does He Rock His Body?

Discussion Stereotypies are “…patterned, repetitive, purposeless, involuntary movements that are also rhythmic and continual and tend to change little over time.” They occur at all times of the day, and can get worse with stress or heightened emotions including happiness. Stereotypies more often occur in children with developmental disabilities (up to 61%), sensory impairments (e.g. blindness) or social deprivation. They can be present more often in patients with autism (up to 88%). They can be seen in ~7% of normally developing children too. Their onset is before age 3 years and tend to improve over years, but often persist into adulthood. Examples of simple stereotypies including thumb sucking, nail biting, leg shaking, and teeth grinding. Complex motor sterotypies’ examples include hand flapping, arm waving, opening/closing of the hands or finger wiggling, orofacial movements and mouth opening. Primary complex stereotypies occur in patients without an underlying neurodevelopmental condition whereas secondary occurs in those with other such conditions such as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. Co-morbid diagnoses that can occur with sterotypies include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, tics, developmental coordination disorder, and learning disorders. Learning Point Body rocking is a stereotypie that can be seen in different situations including: Self-stimulation, helps with boredom Self-soothing, helps with concen...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news