My son is doing relatively well lately, but he still has moments when he will suddenly punch a wall.
Has anybody found a good wall-covering that can stand up to this? We are on a pretty low budget. Thank you in advance!
We have discussed that! I wonder how it would affect resale value?
You can perhaps buy him a punching bag , My son had one when he was younger for boxing
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What about those interlocking foam squares they use in playrooms and exercise areas. Might be a bit easier on the knuckles than diamond plate! Not sure how youād afix it to the walls.
A few gross of yoga mats might work too.
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I have repaired a few holes with the metal plates.
Something you could consider is to hang panels of pegboard. I think that is pretty sturdy and then could be removed at some later time. Engineer some kind of way to hang instead of actually adhering to the wall.
I never had luck in convincing my son to use something that was specifically provided for punching.
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Maybe cork wall coverings, theyāre sold in squares and sheets or acoustic panels which are thick egg carton style foam panels? Just a thought. I also like the punching bag idea. Iām thinking of things less damaging to his fist as well as the walls.
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Iām trying to figure out how to protect windows too.
Acrylic or polycarbonate sheets work for this, fairly easy to cut. Would also add insulation value. Itās a bit like having internal storm windows.
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We replaced the window in our front door with a sheet of clear plastic. I forget what itās called, but they will cut it to size at Loweās.
Do you mean plexiglass? I think thatās the same kind of acrylic that @Maggotbrane mentioned.
Iāll check Loweās, and Home Depot. Thanks.
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Thank you for all the comments and suggestions. I mentioned to my husband that a lot of people seem to have dealt with this. He gets really frustrated and thinks we should be finding a residential program for our son. I still want to keep our son at home at least until heās 18. It just depends on whether we have already hit the low point, or if things might get worse.
If we find a good solution to the wall-punching problem, Iāll post an update!
I believe so. Plexiglass is a brand name for acrylic sheets, I believe. Polycarbonate is a more generic family name for Lexan which is a tough, almost ābulletproofā plastic developed by GE. One problem with very tough āglassā is the frame often fails before the āglassā. Donāt ask me how I know 
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polycarbonate is the strongest of the Plexiglas familyā¦ you will know by the priceā¦
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Iāve never thought of covering the walls in my sonās room but considering heās 6ā8", nothing would probably work. I have, although, become pretty adept at repairing sheetrock myself. Thereās got to be a positive side to all the crud caregivers go through, so Iām getting pretty good at home repairsā¦Best of luck in finding something that will help!
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The last window that was broken was a window I had had installed by a company. When I explained the situation, they replaced the window without any charge.
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Itās the kitchen walls that get most of the damageā¦something about the kitchen sets things off.
I have found a few ideas on Pinterest.
It is doors for my son - both room doors and cabinet doors. Walls and a couple of windows have also taken their fair share.
Home Depot or Loweās sells rolls of outdoor thin carpeting very cheaply that you can use carpeting adhesive to attach to walls. It comes about 36ā wide. It also makes the room more soundproof.
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Also, my son did this when we would have reactions to food allergies and sensitivities. So many things set off the behavior - MSG!!! High Fructose Corn Syrup, Agave (it has a higher fructose content than HFCS), Caffeine, Too much nicotine, certain vitamins especially B3 but many others. My son is High Functioning Autism as well as Schizoaffective. Avoiding these triggers and
switching to Clozapine with his Depakote stopped the behavior. Good luck.