Hi everyone my name is Bill and I'm new here. I looking to see if anyone has experience with toddler anxiety. My wife and I can't seem to pinpoint what's wrong (if there is anything actually "wrong") but our 2 year old boy, born Feb 11th 2020, seems to have an issue with strangers, and even some relatives.
So here is an example of what we're dealing with.
My wife, our 2 sons,(2y and 7m), and I will all be home, playing in the living room, and then our friend will stop over for a few minutes. This triggers a reaction in our 2yo of hitting, anger, and is usually followed by hard crying, to the point of vomiting.
Another situation, but the same reaction, we'll be at a birthday party and he will be settling in at the house we're at (takes him a while to settle in) and there will be kids playing and he will be playing with them in some instances, and suddenly someone will laugh while telling a joke or funny story. The laugh triggers this emotional reaction too.
No a few other details, he doesn't seem to have sensory issues like noises or lights. We've been to the mall and to arcades and what not. He doesn't seem to bother him.
From what we can tell, the 2 things that lead to this are a small ish space like our living room and a stranger/relative laughing, or attempting to engage with him.
At 18 months he was screened for autism. He showed no signs of any autism related issues. According to our pediatrician the big sign of autism would be our toddler seeming like he is in his own world, and he just isn't like that. He is great at interacting with his brother, and he is incredibly observant of his surroundings and is always engaging us with big trucks driving down the street, playing catch, etc.
So my question, have any other parents out there dealt with this type of "anxiety" and how did you deal with it? Did you kid(s) out grow this?
So here is an example of what we're dealing with.
My wife, our 2 sons,(2y and 7m), and I will all be home, playing in the living room, and then our friend will stop over for a few minutes. This triggers a reaction in our 2yo of hitting, anger, and is usually followed by hard crying, to the point of vomiting.
Another situation, but the same reaction, we'll be at a birthday party and he will be settling in at the house we're at (takes him a while to settle in) and there will be kids playing and he will be playing with them in some instances, and suddenly someone will laugh while telling a joke or funny story. The laugh triggers this emotional reaction too.
No a few other details, he doesn't seem to have sensory issues like noises or lights. We've been to the mall and to arcades and what not. He doesn't seem to bother him.
From what we can tell, the 2 things that lead to this are a small ish space like our living room and a stranger/relative laughing, or attempting to engage with him.
At 18 months he was screened for autism. He showed no signs of any autism related issues. According to our pediatrician the big sign of autism would be our toddler seeming like he is in his own world, and he just isn't like that. He is great at interacting with his brother, and he is incredibly observant of his surroundings and is always engaging us with big trucks driving down the street, playing catch, etc.
So my question, have any other parents out there dealt with this type of "anxiety" and how did you deal with it? Did you kid(s) out grow this?