Recognize the Issue
It’s natural for your young child to feel anxious when you say goodbye. Although it can be difficult, separation anxiety is a normal part of development. With understanding, patience, and coping strategies, it can be managed. Between the ages of 8-14 months children develop separation anxiety, a normal developmental stage that has evolved to keep us safe. By the age of 2, children typically resolve this fear and learn that their primary caregiver may be out of site, but is still there.
Even after the child has mastered their separation anxiety it can return during times or stress, change or illness.
You may notice the following behaviors if your child is struggling with separation anxiety:
- Intense fear of being separated from caregiver
- Nightmares
- Difficulty attending school or being anywhere without caregiver
- Excessive fear that caregiver will be harmed
- Difficulty sleeping alone
- Physical complaints
Understand the Possible Causes
Support Services: What do you do?
If anxieties about separating from parents or caregivers is persistent and interferes with the ability to attend school or engage in other social activities it is important to get it assessed and treated.
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