childhood anxiety

kaydensmummy

hi im just wondering has anybody else experienced my situation
my child gets so anxious when his routine is broken for example he started preschool this year and i had to sit with him for 3 months (advised by preschool leaders and baby nurse) untill he was into the routine of going to school then i was able to leave him but if there is a change at school as in a new child , trip out ect he goes into total melt down and i have to go and collect him ,if i say were going to the shops but not be specific as to which one and i take a different route he panicks and constantly asks where were going if we go to a clinic or docs or places he repeats mum mum mum to ensure im around he wont take to new people visiting even family if he hasnt seen them in a while and hides away he follows me everywhere and has to be reasured about where im going and what im doing even down to going up stairs he will only relax around myself , his father, his siblings,1 of his nannys and 1 of his cousins my other children were never like this and im going stir crazy any advise or personal experiences would be greatly apreciated

Moonbeam

Have you had him assessed by a doctor?

kaydensmummy

hi yes i brought him to doctors and was told he would grow out of it and that its seperation anxiety but im thinking of maybe a second opinion just wondering if others have experienced it and how they delt with the issue

Sleepy

Not trying to alarm or diagnose but that level of anxiety about a routine being disrupted sounds an awful lot like my friends kids who are on the autism spectrum. Did you discuss that possibility with your GP / explore the possibility of getting him tested etc?

Greystoner

It could of course be a sign of asd, but also sounds familiar to me. My son is similar at age 5. He has improved a little, but still has melt downs, usually in public places where there is alot of stimulation. For some reason he freaks out the worst when in a situation where he has to be touched; being measured for shoes or going to a doctor is a major ordeal. I did consider that he could be asd, but have since ruled it out. I have read so many books, but at the moment I am reading 'The Highly sensitive child' and it is him to a t.

Does your son get stressed in stimulating environments like shops, or out of routine? When my little one started pre-school,he hid under tables for a few weeks until he got used to the teacher and then he loved her. Then when he started junior infants this year he used to curl up in a little ball at my feet on the playground and I eventually worked out that he was overstimulated and couldn't cope with all the children running round, and the general noise etc. He is a different child at home and in places that he knows well and feels 'safe' in.It could be that your son is also 'over-sensitive'?

I don't know what age they can assess asd, but if you have concerns about that then ask your gp. If you think it could be over sensitivity, there is loads of information on the web. 15-20% of children are highly sensitive so it is pretty common.

You may think that your child is the only one that acts like they do, but have a look around and you will probably see others doing the same! (I think we all tend to focus on our own kids so much that we don't see others!)

kaydensmummy

hi sorry its been a hectic few weeks thanks for all the replys its apreciated im going to go back to doctor and have a word again