GENERAL BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS: FEARS AND PHOBIAS
All children go through phases where they have fears. This is a perfectly normal part of development. Fears and phobias are most common during the toddler and preschool years, and are usually transient. As the child becomes older the fears become more realistic and appropriate.
Fears and phobias seem to peak at about 3 years of age. Children of this age may exhibit fears about a whole range of things. The most common are fear of the dark, of insects, of monsters, animals and so on. As a child’s cognitive ability and imagination expand, so do his fears, so older children may be afraid of ghosts, or of going to sleep in case they do not wake up.
Sometimes fears and phobias may be grounded in an actual situation. For example, the child may have been frightened by a dog, or a friend or relative may have been sick or died, or a television program or movie may cause ongoing anxieties in the child who is unable to differentiate reality from fantasy.
Occasionally a child’s fears may be evidence of deeper underlying fears and anxieties, or of emotional problems that need specific attention, especially where the fears are significantly interfering with the child’s everyday life. These children represent a small minority, and it is important for parents not to overreact.
In most children, these fears and phobias are transient, disappearing as the child gets older or else becoming relatively trivial so as not to interfere with the child’s activities. For example, many adults have phobias such as a morbid fear of spiders or snakes.
You can reduce the impact of these fears by recognising that they are a normal part of development, by not overreacting, and by handling them in a sensitive and reassuring manner. A night light is often helpful for children who are afraid of the dark. Allowing the child to play with a young puppy or with a friendly and gentle older dog may reduce his fear of dogs. Reassurance about the child’s safety is always important. Avoid ridiculing or dismissing the child’s fears, which are very real. In reassuring him, be careful that you do not unwittingly reinforce the child’s fears: for example, by agreeing that the dog is aggressive and scary. There is a fine line between making the child feel better and making the fears even more real in his mind.
It is rarely necessary to seek medical advice for the normal fears and phobias of childhood, unless they are having a negative impact on other aspects of the child’s aay to uay lire, or unless it is reit mat tney are manitestations ot deeper psychological problems.
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