The first step is to talk to the child’s pediatrician, but parents should follow their own intuition that “something is wrong”.
- Is the child just shy or does she have symptoms of SM and of Social Anxiety?
- Is the child showing fears that are typical for her age, or are these fears so strong that they consume the child’s well-being?
- Is the child sad, or is the child showing symptoms of depression?
- Is the child having a bad day with emotions or are they having frequent episodes of difficulty in modulating her emotions?
- Is the child showing regular temper tantrums and defiant behaviors of a typical 2-year-old or is the child showing symptoms of Oppositional Behavior Disorder?
- Is the child not developing like other children her age in emotional, social, educational areas?
When a child is showing symptoms that are impairing them in many levels, such as social, emotional, educational, and when these symptoms are interfering with the family life, then the child should see a child psychologist. The sooner you treat the symptoms, the more effective is the treatment and the higher the probability success of therapy.
