Separation Anxiety Disorder in Kids
Many children go through a phase in which they show anxiety and restlessness in the presence of unfamiliar people or situations. A baby may be unsettled by a new babysitter. A four year old may cry persistently during the first few days at kindergarten. These are perfectly normal situations and reactions.
One in every 25 children experiences some form of separation anxiety which can often be allayed by allowing the child to have a period of adjustment to his new situation. However, a child five or older who demonstrates unremitting resistance to camp, school or daycare for an extended period of time (3 weeks or more) may be suffering from separation anxiety disorder.
What is Separation Anxiety Disorder?
This is a condition in which the child becomes physically agitated over the thought of being separated from his primary caregiver or home. It is not confined to children. Adults can experience separation anxiety as well; it is known as “agoraphobia,” or fear of being separated from a safe person or home. “Agora” in Greek means marketplace and the word “agoraphobic” refers to people who are terrified of leaving home for the market.
What are the Symptoms of Separation Anxiety Disorder?
- The child complains of headaches or stomach aches. Sometimes he or she throws temper tantrums.
- The child has an irrational fear that something bad will happen if she leaves the house or caregiver.
- The child shows unusual concern about being kidnapped or taken away.
- The child fears that the caregiver might die.
- The child fears being alone, even in a separate room.
- The child has nightmares of being separated.
- The child cannot fall asleep unless caregiver is nearby.
What Can Be Done about Separation Anxiety Disorder?
If the child’s anxiety is so excessive it interferes with normal functioning at home and at school, it is wise to consult professional help. Cognitive Behavioral Therapies provide a framework in which children can learn about their fears and how to deal with them.
In essence, Cognitive Behavioral Therapies help children identify negative thoughts rather than external events, as the source of anxious feelings and behavior. They also help children develop skills for self reliance and self help. They help them practice alternative responses to anxiety so that new neural pathways can replace old circuitry in the brain. Achievement of goal is predicated on the children’s ability to unlearn old patterns and replacing them with new responses.
Why is Professional Treatment important?
Research suggests that anxiety disorders in children should be taken seriously and that parents should seek professional treatment because untreated children usually perform poorly at school, have repeated absences from school, experience problems relating with peers and siblings or become alcohol or drug dependent when they grow older.
Bianca Tora is a writer interested in the relationship between lifestyle and the brain, specifically the area of emotional regulation and control. She has published a book on anger management for children. Visit her at http://www.help-your-child-with-anger.com
Unable to create directory-parent directory writable? wordpress …
Unable to create directory-parent directory writable? wordpress 2.7. June 28, 2009. I was having uploading images on one of my Wordpress 2.7 & 2.8 blogs. It gave me the following error: Unable to create directory …
Texas Parent 2 Parent Conference | Little Miss Hannah
Wow! What a whirlwind 48 hours! We are still in Austin tonight. The conference just ended a few hours ago, but we decided to stay an extra night so we.
Changes In Single Parent Travel | Single Parent Travel
Single Parent Travel Website Update As you have noticed, there have been some changes. These will be for the better; but I wanted to explain the whys the.
A Cheap Chick's Ray Of Sunshine: Free Parent Survival Kit
eBook – What Every Parent Should Know! Emergency kit checklist, including vehicle kit, school kit and more; Parent Resource guide; Friends List chart; Child Safety Tips newsletter; Child Safety Blog; 15-video Parent-Child Communication …
Users Set the Parent Menu Item to “Add a main menu item” | drupal.org
Users Set the Parent Menu Item to “Add a main menu item”. clemens.tolboom – June 27, 2009 – 14:17. Project: Drupal. Version: 7.x-dev. Component: menu system. Category: task. Priority: normal. Assigned: Unassigned. Status: needs review …