haircuts | Autism PDD
Mason has a really hard time getting his haircut...I'm sure there are plenty of other kids out there that have this problem...how do you deal with it??
For Mason it's easier to keep his hair short because when he has an EEG it just helps the techs attach the wires easier and it goes a lot quicker...well we have an EEG planned next week and I want to get his haircut but it is such a nightmare.
I have tried social stories...I prepare him in advance with pictures, we even have a book about it. But EVERYTIME we would go, it's a nightmare...screaming, kicking...half the time they aren't even able to finish...so I bought a clippers and tried doing it myself, but it's just as bad...most of the time my DH ends up holding Mason down while I just try to shave it. I've tried distracting him with books or a gameboy and even snacks while he is getting it cut and NOTHING works! So then I end up letting it grow out as long as possible so I don't have to deal with it and I know that only makes it harder to cut.
I know he is very sensitive around his head and EEG's are very difficult too...but this is something that needs to be done...how can I help him? any thoughts?? Thanks!
Have you tried a really firm head massage, first? Maybe tugging on his hair a little, in a massaging way, too?
T gets Wilbarger and then a firm scalp massage, 20 - 30 min before shampooing, and it helps.
For some reason haircuts do not bother her ... never have. Shampoong, though, she FLIPS OUT. Hits me, and screams.
All I can say is that hopefully it will get better. Both of my boys have had years of nightmare haircut problems, hair washing, fingernail clipping. My 8 yo just took his first haircut at the hair place in years. Prior to that, I had to do it at home, with the buzzer, and it only happened a couple of times per year. We have some great long hair pics of N with what my 16 yo neice told him with was "cool hair, like all the guys in high school have". lol. This home haircut normally involved him starting out fine, but by the end of the haircut, us holding him down on the floor, and him screaming and crying until we were done. The hair cut place was totally impossible, I can't imagine anyone who would have done it for us through his screaming and crying.
But this last time, it was a dream. He sat there so good. My 10 yo son, who has lots of sensory issues used to be the same way, and is so much better now.
By the way, no amount of distraction, bribery, or anything else helped us either.
Our haircuts consist of me putting B in a headlock and my mom holding his hands down so I can buzz it. I'm planning on doing this next week because quite frankly he's starting to look like a hippieI have tried just using the scissors because I thought maybe the sound of the clippers was making the situation worse, but that didn't help either.
UGH!! I am hoping this improves soon! He has had a handful of times that didn't seem as bad as usual and I try to figure out over an over what I did differently, but can't seem to figure it out...hopefully he will just get over this soon...washing his hair used to be the same way, but now he is a lot better with that...he OT swimming helped him with the water. It's still difficult, but definitely better.
Thanks all...I will keep trying! We are taking dd tomorrow for a haircut...it's been about a year since her
last (& first) one. Yes, it has taken me that looong to get the nerve back up!
Hoping it goes well, we are doing a nice short bob, dd screams when
you wash or brush her hair. Hoping shorter hair=less screams. Wish us
luck!!
Niki--hope the eeg goes well. We have quite a time for all of dd's...aside
from the long hair (I agree--shorter hair better, for that!), her head sweats
like nothing I've ever seen (nor the eeg tech for that matter!). Anyway, we'll
be thinking about ya & hoping Mason is ok w/ it.
Thanks smith...I know he doesn't have to have the haircut before the EEG it just seems to go a lot quicker when his hair is really short...one tech did comment that it is easier with the short hair but she mentioned girls get EEG's too and we don't require them to shave there head, lol.
He absolutely hates the air compressor too!!! Next week is just short term monitoring so usually the paste is enough to hold the leads. Mason has never been sedated for his EEG's only his MRI's...do you think sedating him, they will still see seizure behavior appropriately...I'm just thinking the diastat that we give him is a sedative to stop seizures...if he is having seizure activity but is sedated for the EEG they might not get a proper reading?? did they ever mention anything like that to you?
Niki,
you're right, the sedation will probably interfere with the results, but it's that or no eeg. Surprisingly, even his 20 min eeg came back abnormal, and that was with sedation.
We go back in Sept for a veeg, and they're going to sedate again. I wish we could do it without sedation, as I'm concerened about not finding all the info we need. Unfortunately, behavior doesn't get much more difficult than my sweet child. He sees the best Epi at our children's hospital, so I'm not overly concerned that even if we don't find abnormal activity this time he will still continue trying to figure out what's wrong with Zach. Zach is his "interesting case" for his students.
Good luck on the haircut.
I had this problem but it did get better and all the sudden no tantrums at all. Hang in there i know it tough!! like many others we have this problemwe found a place where you can watch t.v. while they cut the hair (cool
cuts 4 kids in our neck of the woods) and he has to sit on my husbands
lap and he still doesn't like it but he is getting better every time we go.
NO CLIPPERS! scissors only!!
we still have to hold him down for the nails but the hair cut is getting
better. the key was having him sit in my husbands lap and having my
husband talk to him about the movie on the screen the entire time.
the other thing that helped was going and watching dad get his own
haircut.
L
[QUOTE=bonus367]like many others we have this problem
the other thing that helped was going and watching dad get his own
haircut.
L[/QUOTE]
Yep -- we line up all three kids AND Dad at the barbershop and Dad goes FIRST!
Funny you guys talk about the scissors being better. My son hates the scissors, he is afraid they are going to cut him. He prefers the buzzer as the lesser of two evils.
LOL, Mary, on your other son wanting the head lock.
We have joked a few times about cutting his hair once he's sedated for the eeg or whatever other test they were doing.
I know it's not ideal to sedate for an eeg but there's no other way they could get all the leads placed on my ds. He just had a sleep study done, without sedation, but they could only do the five leads needed for the sleep study and we had to forgo the eeg that had been scheduled with it. The air compressor terrifed my ds.
For my son, who has thick coarse hair, it isn't the noise the bothers him, but the hair falling on him. He wouldn't wear a cape either. He acts like the falling hair actually hurts him, and in some ways, I guess it does.
Last time we went, we watched The Wonder Pets before hand. When we got there, I asked him if he wanted to wear a Wonder Pets cape (they wear little superhero capes) and he was thrilled with that idea. SO, the rule is - his hair must be wet before cutting to eliminate the dry hair flying everywhere and he must wear his special super hero Wonder Pets cape.
Don't get me wrong, he still hates it and I end up with the flop sweats from holding him in place and struggling through the whole damn thing... but it's a small improvement.
Last time, the woman in the next chair asked me "WHAT in the world is wrong with him?" She had a very rude tone. I was mortified. I am not brave enough to say what I really wanted, so, I said "He has autism. He also has alot of hair. It's a bad combination." She was quiet after that.
Lachlan hates hair cuts so I do them myself at home with clippers. We keep it short so haircuts take less time when he does need one.
He screams, cries etc, but this has gotten better by doing the following things:-
I try to always keep one hand on his head (deep pressure) and have him suck a lollypop (to reduce sensitivity) and I get it over and done with as fast as I can. I can pretty much do his hair in about 2 minutes all up.
I also keep a wet fash washer handy because Lachlan hates having the hair fall on him.
Good Luck, I know it's not easy!
Mysh
Thanks all....I think with Mason it's a combination of the noise from the clippers, the hair falling on him and just the touching...my DH actually came up with this tonight, so we might try it this weekend when we try the haircut...
Mason loves music and my oldest son has an Ipod...We don't let Mason use it because obviously it is way too expensive to let him play with, but my DH thought maybe if we let him use the Ipod while cutting his hair it would sooth him and also keep the noise to a minimum?!?!? Maybe the calming of the music will let the other things slide...he just LOVES music! It's funny how he is so sensitve to touch around the head and ears but he will put the earbuds in his ears?!?
I will let you all know how it goes! If this works I am going to use it for the EEG too...Thanks for all the help!
My son is a NIGHTMARE with hair cuts! We have tried everything from suckers, toys, bubbles, movies, talking about it before hand, kidz kuts, sitting in my lap, scissors, clippers, etc. He cries to point of vomiting every time! I get the clippers done for him because at least it is even and faster- scissors take forever!There's a chain of salons called Kidz Kuts that recently opened near my house. The place is really nice for kids. It has all kinds of games and toys, special cars or character chairs for them to sit in while they get their hair cut. They can also watch their favorite kid show to distract them (they have Barney videos for example). We took my son their for his first professional cut and it was a miracle how he sat there so quietly! It also helps that their clippers are silent. No buzzing!
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