You said that your child is extremely afraid of one or more things.
Your child may be afraid of one of the following things or situations:
Dogs
Snakes
Heights
Storms
Airplanes
Elevators
Shots
Seeing blood
Something else
Only children with the most extreme fears have a problem called a Specific Phobia.
You said your child acts in some of the following ways when s/he comes in contact with
a feared object or situation. These are symptoms of a Specific Phobia.
Intense fear
Crying
Tantrums
Freezing"
Clinging to an adult
Avoiding the object/situation
Gets very upset when s/he has to be near the things s/he fears
Your child may be unable to do the things s/he usually does each day, because
s/he is so afraid. His/her fears may be causing problems with his/her friends.
They may also be causing problems with how s/he gets along with you or other
adults. Your child may not have any of these problems, but may be very upset
about having this fear. Your child may only be afraid when s/he has to go near
the thing s/he fears.
Specific phobias are very common. Women are more likely to have them than men.
They often start in childhood. Children often have these same fears as they get older.
Adapted in part from National Institute of Mental Heath (NIMH) website, the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Primary Care (DSM-PC)
(1996), and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders: Fourth Edition (1994).
Ways to Help your Child with a Specific Phobia:
Know that children who are scared won't face things if they are not
forced to do so.
Children who are fearful need to act confidently before they can feel
more confident
"Systematic Desensitization" is a way to help your child face what
he/she fears.
This is a series of small steps starting with the easiest
and working up to the most difficult.
When doing this, children need a lot of support from their
parents. They need a lot of praise and rewards for even a small
amount of progress. They need to know that their parents have
confidence in their ability to overcome the fear. They need to
know that their parents would never let anything hurt them.
Steps:
Begin by reading or watching a movie about
the feared object or situation
Have your child pretend to be the feared object
or situation
Set up your child to view the feared object or
situation from far away
Gradually come closer to the feared object or
situation with support of the parent
Gradually back away until your child is experiencing
it himself
Most people need help from a doctor or a child therapist with these steps
