What is the difference between normal separation anxiety and separation anxiety disorder children?
Separation anxiety in infants is a normal developmental phase which occurs when the child begins to understand that he or she is a separate person from the parent. Separation anxiety disorder occurs much later in childhood and interferes with normal school and social activities. What symptoms do separation anxiety disorder children exhibit? Children with separation anxiety experience unreasonable fears about separation from a caregiver or parent. They feel that something will happen to them or their parent during the separation. Physical symptoms such as headache and stonachache are common, as well as refusal to go to school or to sleep alone. How are separation anxiety disorder children diagnosed? Separation anxiety disorder is normally diagnosed through the behavioral symptoms. There are no laboratory tests for diagnosing separation anxiety disorder, although blood tests or X-rays may be ordered to rule out other causes, such as an illness or reaction to a medication, which may be re
