Young toddlers (especially shy, cautious kids) often fear loud sounds like thunder, firecrackers, or barking dogs. Around age three, fear of “bad men,” monsters, and witches often develop. One reason fears pop up at this age is because of a 3-year-old's new ability: comparing.
Common fears include fear of the dark, burglary, war, death, separation or divorce of their parents, and supernatural beings (such as ghosts and monsters). Suggestions for helping your child include: Let your child know that you take their fears seriously.
Young kids fear "pretend" things.
They fear what might be under their bed or in the closet. Many are afraid of the dark and at bedtime. Some are afraid of scary dreams. Young kids may also be afraid of loud noises, like thunder or fireworks.
Fear at this age can show up as sadness, clinginess, unpredictable behavior, dramatic mood swings, or something else entirely. As babies grow into young children and start gaining a stronger sense of themselves, the world around them may seem large and unpredictable, and some aspects of their new world are scary.
Babies and toddlers often fear loud noises, heights, strangers and separation. Preschoolers might start to show fear of being on their own and of the dark. School-age children might be afraid of supernatural things (like ghosts), social situations, failure, criticism, tests and physical harm or threat.
Years 1-3: Pre-School Jitters and Bedtime Fears
This can cause a spike in anxiety, some typical symptoms of which include crying, clinging during goodbyes. A toddler may also feel anxious before and during bedtime, and experience a common fear of the dark or a fear of being apart from parents.
Common phobias include fear of animals, insects, blood, heights, closed spaces, or flying. In children and adolescents, the identified fear must last at least six months to be considered a phobia rather than a transient fear.
It's common for children with ASD and anxiety to become extremely frightened in response to sensory stimuli. Perhaps – like many individuals with autism – your son also has difficulty telling you what's scaring him. Instead, he may show his fear with extreme avoidance of a situation.
Fear is an automatic emotion that helps our conscious be vigilant about our safety. Anxiety is a reaction to fear (or other emotion). According to NAMI, anxiety can be confusing to our bodies because we can feel anxiety from something in the past and present, which can influence our actions.
Symptoms of anxiety in children
not eating properly. quickly getting angry or irritable, and being out of control during outbursts. constantly worrying or having negative thoughts. feeling tense and fidgety, or using the toilet often.
It's one hundred percent normal for children to have fears. In fact common fears have been found to appear throughout a typical child's development. Not only is it normal to experience certain fears, they're also necessary as they can help to keep children safe from dangerous situations.
Common fears include monsters under the bed, loud thunder, going to the doctor, or dogs that come too close. Teaching young children how to manage childhood fears on their own builds independence.
It is a typical stage of development for children this age to start developing fears. It's actually a sign that their neurological system, which alerts them to danger, is developing, so it's a good thing.
Childhood fears: school years
Snakes and spiders. Storms and natural disasters. Being home alone. Scary news or TV shows.
People fear things or situations that make them feel unsafe or unsure. For instance, someone who isn't a strong swimmer might have a fear of deep water. In this case, the fear is helpful because it cautions the person to stay safe. Someone could overcome this fear by learning how to swim safely.
The 'fight or flight' response is how people sometimes refer to our body's automatic reactions to fear. There are actually 5 of these common responses, including 'freeze', 'flop' and 'friend', as well as 'fight' or 'flight'.
Increased heart rate. Faster breathing or shortness of breath. Butterflies or digestive changes. Sweating and chills.
High-functioning autism (HFA) is part of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD), children with HFA often struggle with reading body language and other non-verbal forms of communication such as facial expressions but have fully developed verbal language and no learning or other disability.
Autistic children are often strong in areas like visual, rule-based and interest-based thinking. A developmental assessment or an IQ test can identify autistic children's thinking and learning strengths. You can develop autistic children's skills by working with their strengths.
Children also develop and express typical fears during the preschool period—of the dark, of strangers, of monsters, of going to the doctor, of dogs or other animals, and more. As children get older and can use more logical thinking skills, these fears can fade.
Most fears are a normal, natural part of childhood. However, if a child is afraid all the time, or has fears that stop them from having fun or interfere with their daily life, this could be a sign of anxiety and it may be time to get some professional help.