Rocking Behavior in Children

Reader’s Question

I was wondering what advice you could recommend to a parent of a 9 year old girl who has rocked since she could sit up. Whenever she is sitting down in the car, at the dinner table, in the classroom and just about anywhere, she rocks her body back and forth. I find that this is becoming more inappropriate as she’s getting older. She claims she can’t stop. When she’s busy she doesn’t rock but given any opportunity, she starts to rock. I’m worried that this behavior is becoming socially unacceptable and also worried that this is distracting to her and others. I believe this behavior prevents her from doing more productive types of things. Any advice on how I could get her to break the habit or at least decrease the behavior? Thank you.

Our Consulting Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

Rocking is a rhythmic, self-soothing behavior that is seen in many children. It’s often viewed in a group of self-soothing behaviors such as hair-twisting, finger-drumming, fingers-in-mouth, etc. As you mentioned, when actually engaged in an activity this behavior is seldom seen.

It sounds like the behavior is dramatic enough to bring her to the attention of others. The fact that she says she can’t stop is another issue as most children do this rather unconsciously, that is, they aren’t aware they’re rocking until it’s brought to their attention. I think what I’d recommend at this point:

• Consult with your pediatrician. Sometimes this behavior may be linked to an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as the child has an internal motor that’s running too fast.
• Talk with her teachers. Is this a problem in the school? Does the teacher notice any pattern — morning is worse, after lunch, etc.
• Also consider the anxiety level of the child. Is she a worried, fretful, hypersensitive child? If so, anxiety reduction treatment may be needed.
• Is this behavior more common in the home, school or both? Is there a pattern? If present in all settings, that’s more evidence for an internal cause such as ADHD. If only present in one situation, that says something else.
• Consider the stress level of the home. These are self-soothing behaviors and as such, the child must have a need to keep herself calm. What’s the noise level? Is the home full of loud voices, arguments, etc.? This may be the case if the behavior is present in the home but not in the school.

I support your feeling that the behavior will become more socially inappropriate as she matures. If the behavior appears linked to anxiety or stress, referral to a mental health professional is recommended.