The appearance of fright can be associated with a reflex of caution. This is a kind of protective reaction of the body. As a rule, the restless behavior of the child does not last long. But there are times when the fright is lingering. It all depends on the atmosphere in which the child grows. If parents conduct a strict upbringing, raise their voice on the baby, beat him, then this can cause a fright, provoking a persistent neurotic disorder.
What is a child’s fright? How to treat it? This will be discussed in this article.
The main signs of fright
They will show signs of fright in a child:
- bad sleep;
- frequent fading;
- startle;
- dilated pupils;
- rapid breathing and palpitations;
- retraction of the head into the shoulders;
- increased irritability;
- sleep impairment;
- nightmares;
- frequent crying in a dream;
- fear of loneliness, darkness or any object;
- hysterical manifestations;
- poor appetite;
- trembling limbs.
The child is afraid of something, often asks for his arms, behaves capriciously, restlessly. The kid may demand that his parents go to bed with him and turn on the light in the room. He will often wake up during the night.
The main causes of neurotic disorder in a child
Determine the cause of this phenomenon in an adult child, as a rule, is not difficult. But how to explain a baby’s fright?
Can provoke a fright in a child:
- loud screams or jarring sounds;
- large animals of a frightening appearance;
- natural phenomena, for example, lightning or thunder;
- stress
- the appearance of a stranger;
- overly strict education;
- various diseases of an infectious nature;
- somatic diseases.
It is very important for a child at any age to remain in a state of security. Even in kindergarten, children are recommended to be taught gradually. In the early days, mom should be around. So the baby will understand that there is no reason for excitement.
Fright in preschool children is often associated with a tense conflict situation in the family. The constant presence of the mother in a bad mood can adversely affect the condition of the child.
A child is afraid of punishment, shouting, fear of loneliness, dark rooms and fairy-tale characters - all this is the result of improper upbringing and indifferent attitude of parents to the emotional sphere of the child.
To the exact same result, however paradoxical it may sound, excessive custody of parents who narrow the circle of communication of their child can prevent the development of such qualities as independence and activity.
Consequences of fright
A child grows up, his life experience becomes richer, and fears can go away on their own. But it happens that they remain for a long time and eventually become even brighter.
The strength of a fright depends on the suddenness of a frightening phenomenon, a negative experience in the past, and repeated injuries. Some respond to fright with a tantrum, some start to have panic attacks. If the child has already started talking, then he may start to stutter or the child may stop talking altogether. Sometimes fear is not forgotten for too long, then the child may become isolated in himself, and this will cause a deterioration in learning ability.
The fright received during the day gives rise to nightmares, causing groundless fears and aggressive behavior. So fear and aggressiveness can become character traits.
Fright in a child, whose signs are numerous, doctors do not stand out as a separate disease. The danger lies in the fact that strong fear can become a trigger for the development of phobia - a stable sense of fear of an object or phenomenon.
Persistent fears can provoke a disease of the cardiovascular system. Severe mental trauma can lead to urinary incontinence, stuttering, and nighttime walking. Therefore, children with the presence of fear should be shown to a neurologist, speech therapist, to make a cardiogram of the heart.
The main methods of treating the disease
How to overcome a child’s fright? How to treat pathology? Someone trusts recipes of traditional medicine, someone prefers to turn to a pediatric neurologist. In any case, the child should be next to his mother, who can calm him down.
How to cure a fright at home? A calm atmosphere should prevail in the family, the baby should sing lullabies, often pick it up, stroke the back, arms and legs. This will help the child relax, and he will stop whimpering. All these methods are effective for very young children.
How to relieve fright from a teenager? The exact cause of this reaction should be established. After that, you can choose the appropriate treatment method. In case of fear to a certain thing or person, you should bring the child closer to them. Everything must be done here slowly. It is necessary to convince that this object does not pose any danger. After that, the feeling of fear will leave the teenager.
What to do if a child is afraid of visiting a doctor’s office? It is necessary to convince the child that it is much better to treat the disease in the early stages than to launch it and suffer for a long time. At the same time, a conversation with a teenager should proceed in a friendly and calm manner.
Fright often accompanies the start of school attendance. In particular, this phenomenon is observed in cases where the parents set their child an impossible task, they are oriented towards the highest result, and constantly strive for high goals.
The totality of fears can be removed only by the friendly atmosphere created by educators. In this case, an important role is given to the cooperation of teachers and parents, who together can outline common approaches to removing the level of anxiety in a child, help him to realize his social status.
The use of folk remedies
How to eliminate a fright in a child? How to treat this phenomenon, no doctor will tell you exactly, since there are no specific treatment methods. Only when there is a strong manifestation of fright, psychotherapists prescribe medications. And the parents are tormented by the question of how to cure the child of fright and whether it is possible to do anything at home.
A large number of ways to relieve fear offers traditional medicine:
- A common way. Immediately after the fright, you should drink a glass of sugar-sweetened water.
- Prayers are used. Prayer from fear “Our Father” in conjunction with holy water is a very effective force. The child should drink water three times a day in three sips. In the morning and in the evening, wash yourself with this water while reciting a prayer. Also an effective prayer from the fright “Virgin Mary, Rejoice.”
- The strongest folk method is an apple with incense. For this purpose, a hole is made in the apple, into which 2-3 g of incense is placed. After that, the apple is baked in the oven for half an hour. The first half of the apple is eaten in the morning, and the second in the evening.
- Coffee with mint. To prepare the broth, ground coffee is poured into the pan. Fresh mint is added there. The mixture is poured with water and placed in a water bath. After boiling, let the child breathe the steam. Such inhalation will help relieve nervous tension. It is suitable for both adults and children.
- Milk with honey and lemon balm. Fresh milk should be boiled, add lemon balm to it. Allow to boil in this state a little more. After that, cool the milk and add a spoonful of May honey to it. Give the child drink half a cup five times a day.
- Pouring cold water. The procedure is carried out three times a day. The water temperature should be 10 degrees. The first days pour feet over the knees, after which you can pour over the whole body. The duration of treatment is 10 days.
The use of herbs
Is it possible to overcome the fright of a child with herbs? How to treat, prompt reference books of traditional medicine. The recipes use herbs with a calming effect. On their basis, baths or decoctions for drinking are made.
- To prepare the collection, 50 g of angelica root, 100 g of chamomile, 50 g of hop 100 g of nettle leaves 50 St. John's wort, 50 g of heather, 50 g of lemon balm are taken. Herbs are mixed. A teaspoon of the mixture is brewed with a glass of boiling water. Infusion is drunk half a glass in the mornings and evenings.
- An effective collection that helps save a child from fright and from neurotic disorders in adults. 4 parts of heather, 3 parts of dried mash, 3 parts of motherwort and 1 part of valerian are taken. The mixture is poured with two liters of boiling water and infused for two hours. During the day, five sips are drunk every hour.
- Take one teaspoon of roots bought. It is poured with one glass of water and boiled for 10 minutes. Drink before a meal in a quarter cup.
- A great method is to take a bath with needles or chamomile, which have a sedative effect.
Preventative measures
To avoid the risk of fear, you should try to talk more with the child about his fears, explain to him that there is no reason for fear. It is also useful to temper the child, to let him walk barefoot on stones and grass. Clay is an excellent way to strengthen nerves. It can be replaced with ordinary plasticine.
Treat the child with love, show care, affection and patience towards him. Then he will not have fears.
Stuttering from fright
What can cause stuttering in children? The causes and treatment will be described below.
It is clear that any child may be afraid of something. What are some children starting to stutter from, and some not? Can fear cause a similar disturbance in an adult? Is it worth waiting for the illness to go away without treatment?
Psychophysiological basis
Many speech therapists note that a problem such as stuttering occurs in people with a certain type of nervous system.
The factors predisposing to the appearance of stuttering include:
- weakness of higher nervous activity, which is accompanied by increased anxiety, irritability, tearfulness and vulnerability;
- genetic background;
- frequent infectious diseases;
- asthenic condition;
- organic disturbance of the central nervous system;
- psychological pressure (the child is afraid of punishment, condemnation).
Stuttering from a stressful situation can occur in an adult and adolescent, and the underdeveloped speech apparatus of the child is sensitive to various negative factors.
The above reasons do not at all indicate that the child will immediately become a stutter under the influence of fright, but the likelihood of such a flaw in childhood is high.
How to deal with a phenomenon such as stuttering in children? The reasons and treatment will be explained only by the doctor. Parents should seek help from a specialist. Many believe that such a speech defect will sooner or later pass on its own without the intervention of a professional. This view of the existing problem is fundamentally wrong.
Undoubtedly, there are cases when stuttering from fright goes away on its own, but this happens extremely rarely. Moreover, in the future, any stress or new fright can cause even greater problems with speech, getting rid of which will become problematic. Therefore, it is advised to consult a specialist.
General recommendations
General recommendations for the treatment of stuttering include:
- Compliance with the daily routine;
- creating a favorable psychological atmosphere in the family;
- strengthening the overall health of the baby.
Speech therapist classes
Classes provide an opportunity to free the speech of a stuttering child from tension, eliminate incorrect pronunciation and instill clarity, rhythm and smooth articulation.
First, the child performs tasks together with a specialist, then proceeds to independent exercises in an oral story. The consolidation of the acquired skills takes place in daily communication with other people. The degree of difficulty of the exercises is selected in accordance with the development of the child's speech.
Breathing exercises
Such activities help to make the voice natural and free. They have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system as a whole. Exercises contribute to the training of the diaphragm, make it participate in the process of voice formation, learn to breathe deeply, which contributes to the mobility of the vocal cords. This treatment is complemented by relaxing techniques.
Massage
As a rule, acupressure is used. The course of treatment by this method is selected in accordance with the complexity of a particular case. During the procedures, the massage therapist has an effect on certain points of the body. The first results of treatment may be noticeable after the first session. Precise massage helps regulate the nervous system.
The use of computer programs
Using this method has a high degree of efficiency. The method helps to synchronize the auditory and speech center of the child. The baby pronounces the words into the microphone, and the program automatically delays speech for a split second. The child listens to his pronunciation and tries to adapt to it.
The baby's speech becomes smooth. Using the program, specific situations that arise when communicating with other people are played. For example, emotions such as anger, surprise, discontent are included. The child must answer the microphone. Then the program itself evaluates its response and advises what should be improved.
The use of medicines
This method is auxiliary, which is included in the complex of the general course. The child may be prescribed medications for seizures, tranquilizers. drugs are also prescribed that help neutralize blocking substances that interfere with the proper functioning of the nervous system. Various nootropics are prescribed.
If necessary, drug treatment is supplemented with sedative infusions. For example, a motherwort broth is used.