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My Child Is Always Anxious

My Child Is Always Anxious

Name: Mother

Comments: My son is almost four and he still doesn't speak properly, he knows words for certain things but cannot make complete sentences well enough for his age. I guess he'll catch on as he gets older but what concerns me the most is his lack of patience. He always is anxious for everything and can't settle down. Is this normal? Should I be worried?

Anxious Is Child My

Hi Mother, since you mentioned some development problems: Did you get a diagnose for your son from a professional? It seems to me that his anxiety can be caused by several factors. I need to know more information in order to give my opinion but I could say that you should seek a child psychologist that can evaluate him for autism since anxiety is one of the most common characteristics of the condition. Remember every autistic child is different.

If he is not autistic, you could also search for OCD and Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Disorder (SID) which I think could well fit into your son's situation. Keep in mind that all these conditions can be within the autistic spectrum as well as on their own. What happens is that kids who are in the spectrum or those who have a sensory integration problem are often "overloaded" quickly by light, noise, talk, smell, or anything related to senses hence they throw a tantrum, they're impatient, etc. Is he a good eater? Kids with SID tend to have eating issues, they're also afraid of escalators. Lots of them are wrongly diagnosed as autistic. These kids tend to have excellent memories and they want everything exactly the same way every day hence they do not accept changes quickly.

There is a book called "Too loud, too bright, too fast, too tight: What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World " by Sharon Heller that describes how overloaded people with this condition gets. They feel very confused and frustrated, it physically and mentally hurt them. The book is mostly for adults but you could search one for children.

You could also look for a diet change since they say changes on diet can help them with the anxiety issue.

He still very young but as he gets older, you will see indications where you will get an idea what possible could be wrong with him and act accordingly. LOTS and LOTS of patience is needed since it is not his fault.

All the best.