7 year old afraid of a lot of things?

Question

My son is 7 years old and seems to be scared of a lot more things than other children his age. I have 2 other children too. He is scared of all bugs, loud noises, being alone in a room, clipping his toe/finger nails, putting on stuff like antibiotic ointment, brushing his hair, cutting his hair, and the weirdest one is Q-Tips. He WILL NOT let us clean his ears. We have tried and he screams, cries, thrashes around and kicks us. He really acts like we are trying to kill him! I am surprised we have not had the cops come over to see what is going on. We have tried talking to him about it and tried helping him see by doing it to us or his siblings, and we have even tried discipline. What can we do to help him and what on earth is wrong with him?

Answer 1

That sounds psychological. Is he developmentally impaired at all? That could play a role. He may also have paranoia because he has several irrational phobias. Ask him why he's scared of the things.

Answer 2

cool

Answer 3

I read your letter to my 8 yr old grandson.  The first word out of his mouth was counseling.  He goes to one at his school and it's been very helpful to him.  He also suggests that your son tell his favorite teddy bear why he is so afraid of Q-tips.

Answer 4

He could have something called "Sensory integration Disorder". You can read more about it here.. I would talk your pediatrician and ask what he thinks.

http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Ato...

I think my son has a mild form of it as well. Certain clothing really bothers him. He is afraid of loud of unknown noises. He won't go on amusement park rides (he's getting a little better as he gets older). I could go on and on but anyway he has alot of the same symptoms. My son also has a learning disability and anxiety. He's just turned 8 and in second grade.

Answer 5

the more he hears adults say, "he is scared of____", the more it is going to ferment in his mind- hey! they associate me with this particular fear. they are right. i am going to live up to it. on the other hand, if he hears people saying, "he's brave. he's getting so much better. he's becoming such a brave boy", then he's going to want to live up to that as well.

he's at an impressionable age, so be positive. he probably hates Q-tips because he's had a previous experience where you dug into his ear too hard and it hurt him. same thing with clipping of the nails- if you get too short, it hurts.

i was afraid of all animals, dark, bugs, and everything else you can possibly imagine at that age. it's a phase! be supportive. don't force him into anything- it will scare him more.

Answer 6

This sounds like it is phycological, talk to your pedi about it

Answer 7

He could be autistic, you should get him tested for it.

Answer 8

You may want to have him professionally assessed. If there has been no preceeding events to create these fears, your son may be showing (for example) symptoms of autism or asperger's syndrome where in they need to create their own pattern of behavior for them to feel calm & safe. Plus they can be extremely hypersensitve to external stimuli which can feeling overwhelming for them. I definitely would not turn to discipline or punishment to address these behaviors as he probably doesn't have control over his "freaking out". The best way to approach it is to work with a professional who can not only assess your son's status but can also advise you on how to work with your son to create the least amount of choas in your home and to help your son be able to learn how to communicate his feelings and needs freely and to help him build self-esteem. Good luck with tending to your son's needs. There is a ton of information on the web for these conditions. If you google you should be able to easily find it.

Answer 9

take him to a doctor or something. give him rewards. YOU are the parents. r your other children oldeR? if they are, he will want to be like them, so say "earcleaning time!" and clean their ears and give them rewards; he will feel left out. good luck!

Answer 10

Definitely sounds like sensory issues.  I would ask your pediatrician for an evaluation.