Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Symptoms or Indications of Separation Anxiety Disorder in Children

Advertisement
Advertisement

It is common for your growing child to feel eager when you say farewell. Despite it can be complex, separation anxiety is a natural stage of child development. With the knowledge and these coping approaches, separation anxiety can be released and must decline as your child grows. However, if anxieties escalate or are persistent fairly to get in the way of school or other exercises, your child might get affect the Separation Anxiety Disorder. This state may demand professional medication, but the parents also can assist the children on this.

In early infancy, screaming, animosities or being clingy are normal responses to the separation. Separation anxiety can be seen before a kid’s first birthday, and may be seen again or stay till a child turn four years old, the excitement level and stage of separation anxiety fluctuate remarkably in different children. A slight distress on separating from parents is natural, though the child is older. Stay patient and consistent to ease your child’s anxiety of separation and setting boundaries in a gentle way.

Some children, nevertheless, undergo separation anxiety that never move away though parents try their best. Recurrence of separation anxiety is seen in these kids while they are in primary school or after. If the same continues in the children by disturbing the daily activities of the child in a huge level, then it is called Separation Anxiety Disorder.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Symptoms or Indications of Separation Anxiety Disorder in Children
Advertisement

Symptoms or Indications of Separation Anxiety Disorder in Children

There are 2 different kinds of symptoms when it comes to separation anxiety disorder: Anxiety & worry symptoms and Denial Symptoms. Separation anxiety disorder is considered a serious psychological issue and the stage of child’s extreme level of distress when the kid is away from the primary caretaker and is not a natural level of development. As normal separation anxiety and separation anxiety disorder are similar in many of its indications, it is complicated or difficult to try to point out whether your child just requires time and recognition or possesses serious issues.

The chief distinctions within normal separation anxiety and separation anxiety disorder are the severity of fears that your child undergoes, and if these worries retain him or her off the regular school life. Children having separation anxiety disorder shall grow worried simply by the feeling of being distant from parents, and will complain of illness to avoid going to school and mingling with friends. When signs are severe, these stresses turn up to a disorder.

General Symptoms of Separation Anxiety Disorder: Worry

Anxiety and Worries are the first general symptoms of separation anxiety disorder. Children with separation anxiety disorder seem invariably troubled or terrifying of detachment. Many children are confused with one or more of the following:

  • Worrying that something unfortunate will befall to the near and dear ones. The commonest worry a child having separation anxiety disorder encounters is the anxiety that something bad will happen to the loved one when he is not there. For example, the kid feels that parents may get hurt or turn sick.
  • Worry about a permanent separation yields on the children’s minds by an unforeseen event. They may fear that once separated from the parents, something may keep the distance to keep the separation. For example, they fear of getting kidnapped.
  • Fantasies regarding separation. Issues with separation anxiety difficulties frequently get terrific dreams on their fears.

General Symptoms of Separation Anxiety Disorder: Denial

Denials and Illness is the second kind of symptoms of separation anxiety disorder. Separation anxiety disorder influence child’s regular activities. Children with this disorder usually:

  • Refuse to go to school. An unreasonable fear haunts them to go to school and would like to stay at home always.
  • Display disinclination to go to sleep. Children turn when they suffer from Separation anxiety disorder as they don’t like to sleep. It may be since the fear of becoming alone or of nightmares on separation.
  • Complain of physical discomforts such as a headache or stomach pain. When the time of separation arrives. At the time of separation, kids with this disorder often say that they fell sick.
  • Stick to the caregiver. Children with this disorder do not let you move out of the home and they always cling to you by holding your arm or legs.

Helping Children Who are Suffering from Separation Anxiety Disorder

Once the symptoms are confirmed, the parents can step in and help their children who are suffering from separation anxiety disorder. Make your child safer by taking successful measures when they suffer from the disorder. Implementing a sympathetic atmosphere at the residence to make the child feel relaxed, and changes with the school let the symptoms to reduce. Your empathy of curing the disorder will let the environment better.

Helping Tips for Getting Rid Of Separation Anxiety in Children

The following helping tips for separation anxiety disorder will let you initiate constant and supportive surroundings for children.

Advertisement
  • Gain yourself about the complete knowledge of the disorder so that you will be able to explain and support the child. When you discover about how your child experiences this disorder, you will be able to sympathize with his or her conflicts.
  • Provide value to the feelings of your child. When parents listen to child’s aspirations, they feel comfortable and it is a tremendous healing effect that settles the disorder.
  • Open up with the child about the problem. Share their opinions and feelings instead of not thinking about it. Be positive and provide well managed results by speaking gently so that the child survives the separation in a perfect way.
  • Predict difficulty of separation. Keep the children ready to handle the outside situations like school, meeting the friends etc. When your child can separate with one parent easily, let them handle the situation for better results.

Helping Tips for Children with Separation Anxiety Feel Supported and Protected

  • Make a constant design for the day. Children with this disorder can predict the things well. So, let them know the changes in the schedule prior to them.
  • Frame limits. Children must be educated to know that the household needs must be followed though their parents understand their anxiety.
  • Propose choices. When the child gets a chance of choosing his choice, he feels good and comfortable and can be able to interact well with the parents and family members.

Helping Tips for Supporting Healthy Detachment and Self-Confidence in Children

  • Staying calm through separation will be a good helping tip and if your child observes you are cool; he or she can stay calm too.
  • Guide the child’s cooperation in exercises. Prompt the child to engage in healthy cultural and bodily activities.
  • Assist the child to get back to school when they are absent for few days. Children start believing themselves and the parents if they feel comfortable even after separating from the parents.
  • Compliment the efforts of your child. Use the shortest of achievements to get positive reinforcement like in the tiny acts like going to sleep without worrying you, a positive report from the school.

When to Go for Professional Treatment for Separation Anxiety Disorder in Children?

Being patient will make them comfortable and helps in partly getting rid of the Separation Anxiety Disorder. Professional guidance and medication can be given to few people when the separation anxiety is very high.

To predict the need of the treatment needed for your children, go for the intensive symptoms or the “red flags”. When these efforts do not work, the professional mental therapist must be consulted. Your child may suffer trauma too. If it proves positive, the child must be taken to trauma specialist.

Red Flags to Indicate Separation Anxiety Disorder in Children

If you notice the following symptoms, they are considered as “red flags” and your efforts may not be enough and there will be a compulsion of meeting the professional therapist to get rid of the separation anxiety disorder.

  • Age-inappropriate clinginess or outbursts.
  • Constant criticisms of physical illness.
  • Dis-engagement from friends, family, or companions.
  • Declining to go to school for many days.
  • Obsession with excessive fear or offense.
  • Extreme fear of moving from the house.

Professional Treatment and Guidance for Separation Anxiety Disorder in Children

Professional treatment by child psychiatrists can really benefit the children who are victims of separation anxiety disorder. Child psychiatrists and psychologists, or pediatric neurologists can identify and handle separation anxiety disorder in children. These qualified clinicians combine knowledge from the surroundings like home, school by a clinical visit to examine the disorder. Remember that children with separation anxiety disorder regularly have physical infirmities which do not need to be medically estimated.

Specialists who are trained in diagnosing the symptoms and behaviors can address the anxious thoughts, and assist the children coping up with the strategies, and nurture the problem solving. The techniques followed by the expert medical experts can include the following activities in identifying the disorder.

  • Talk Therapy: The foremost therapy to reduce the separation anxiety disorder is to let the child express their feelings. Talk therapy lets the kids tell about their feelings and this lessens their burdens. When people lend their ears to them truly, they feel elevated and comfortable.
  • Play Therapy: Play is a common mode of bringing out the thoughts of the kids and expressing their feelings in a playful way.
  • Counseling for the Entire Family: Parents get instructions on how to deal with the children with Separation Anxiety Disorder and the same can make them aware of the techniques to eliminate the disorder sooner than expected.
  • School Based Counseling: Children suffering from this disorder of separation anxiety can go for the school based counseling to enhance their social and academic behavior.
  • Medicines: Medication is the way of relieving the separation anxiety disorder in the children when the level of disorder is too high. The medication is a combination with the therapy only.
Advertisement
Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:November 2, 2021

Recent Posts

Related Posts

Advertisement