Separation anxiety is an occurrence that usually happens with young children, usually starting about a year old up to about two years of age. There is also another form of separation anxiety which occurs during school age children. The manifestations of this disorder are often tears and tantrums on the part of the child when the parent or parents of the child is out of sight. Separation anxiety can be selective in the sense that not all children feel this and that not both parents can be the object of a child’s anxiety.
Causes Of Separation Anxiety
This disorder is caused by the realization of the child that his parents are not constantly at his side. At this time, around a year or so old, the child realizes that some things, parents included, still exist even when they are out of his sight. This realization enhance separation anxiety. The child has no assurance that the parent or parents will return or he feels that the absence of the parent has been too long before and will feel anxious when the parent tries to go again. Separation anxiety when the parent is not there is a phase in toddlers that resolves itself as the child understands that his parents return after a few hours and when he or she perceives time.
Separation anxiety can also be caused by trauma to the child such as losing one parent or relative, the upheaval of attending school for the first time or any emotional or psychological trauma like being uprooted from a familiar place. These events are followed in school age children when they are suffering from separation anxiety. Separation anxiety in preschool is most common due to the new routine of school and new faces of teachers and classmates.
Treating Separation Anxiety As A Disorder
Treating separation anxiety can require some patience on the part of the parents. Reassurances are the best way to console your child regarding this disorder and it is best to keep to one’s word when a certain time is set to pick up the child. When child starts to be clingy and displays a rage or bad temper it is advisable to become firm. The situation should improve after two or three weeks. If the separation anxiety does not improve after a few weeks, scrutinize your child’s reaction to the separation. There may be other reasons such as school bully or a strict teacher, causing separation anxiety other than anxiety.
