Sensitivity to sound can definitely be associated with signs of disabilities and possible deficiencies but most of the time it is just children being children and a normal stage of development.  They are learning so much about the world every day and their imagination is going wild. We will never know exactly what a lot of the young ones are thinking when something becomes very scary, but conversations with older children show that they have amazing imaginations and simple things such as a fish in a fish tank or a stuffed toy on the floor can suddenly become extremely scary.

Whilst we cannot stop it and it’s a natural part of development, it is how we react and deal with it that is important.  Comforting your child is the first step, and then talk with them about what is scaring them. Jodie, above utilises a common yet very effective strategy of inventing a ‘monster spray’ to get rid of the monsters or other fearful things that maybe under the bed. Not all children know what monsters are or like them, so adapt this strategy to your child. It may be the family pet who the child adores who they may see as a protector, so you could say ‘George (the family dog) will scare whatever it is away from you and your bedroom.  In my professional work, I’ve often used a magic wand to get rid of scary things in the bedroom.

The key is to give your child power and control of the situation with your guidance.  Acknowledge their fear and give comfort, work out what would make your child feel in control – i.e. using a ‘monster spray’, the family pet scaring the ‘scaries’ away’, holding a special toy that will frighten the scary object away’. In the case of thunder you could say ‘Santa is making his toys’ as my husband was bought up to believe or that a special toy or the family pet will protect them. As in this case the ‘monster spray’ is not going to be helpful as we obviously can’t control the thunder. DVDs can also be helpful, for example my daughter was petrified of Santa, however through watching a Wiggles DVD with Santa in it, she now loves looking at Santa from a distance (something she would not have done 3 months ago). Even now after Christmas, she loves looking at pictures of Santa, so who knows what next year might bring – we may even get closer to him!

As it is a stage of development, we cannot avoid it and what works one day may not work the next, however be creative, stick with it, give constant reassurance and never expect your child to ‘get over it’ or deal with on their own. You are their secure attachment base.

I recently worked with a parent in relation to her daughter’s (2 years, 9 months) fears. The little girl was terrified of stuffed animals and people dressed up in costumes. These included her stuffed animals around the house, Dora at the shopping centre, a man dressed up as a camel at the Carols by Candlelight and the list went on. She was so frightened that she was presenting with physical symptoms that resembled a “heart attack/fit”.
I provided this mum with some practical ideas on how to combat her daughter’s presenting fears and this was the feedback I received:

“Just wanted to thank you for the advice you gave me for my daughter regarding her fears. Today she was playing happily with a noisy stuffed toy that she has been previously too scared to even walk past! That is major progress in our book and in only a few days since receiving your advice. Thank you”.

So if you would like further assistance dealing with your child’s fears or any other parenting concerns, please consider seeking some personalised advice from us – see Beta Kidz Consultancy for further details.