Introduction
Behavioral disorders include a variety of more or less pronounced behavioral disorders and are usually diagnosed at elementary school age. The children fall out disturbingly and thus prevent themselves and others from learning. In order to prevent this, a diagnosis at an early age would be advantageous, since early support and therapy could prevent problems later at school and at work. While this works well for kindergarten and preschool children, it is much more difficult to diagnose behavioral disorders in babies.
What is normal, at what point does one speak of a behavioral disorder in a baby?
Exactly this question is the crux of the discussions about conspicuous behavior. In the past, conspicuous offspring were referred to as “problem children” or “writing babies”, whose behavior was “already growing out of it”. In most cases this is true, because in every family there are restless babies who develop normally during their childhood.
Where “normal” strenuous behavior of a baby stops and behavioral disorders begin is very difficult to determine in such an early childhood. In retrospect, parents of children with behavioral problems report that their child was already particularly demanding as a baby. However, since a baby can only express any kind of displeasure by crying, whining, not wanting to sleep etc., a psychological cause only comes into question when acute illnesses and other disruptive factors have been eliminated and the behavior persists. However, since it is not yet possible to make a precise diagnosis of such small children with certainty and therefore no specific therapy can be recommended, the detection of behavioral abnormalities in babies has no medical significance (yet). and What is a developmental abnormality?
What are the symptoms of a behavioral disorder?
In general, the children concerned stand out through conspicuously disruptive, demanding and otherwise unpleasant behavior, especially when interacting with peers or when confronted with authority and tasks or duties. Fears and insecurity are also observed. Typically, behavioral problems are therefore observed at school age, since these symptoms can only be observed after a certain age and in certain situations.
In retrospect, many parents describe that their children already as infants and toddlers were noticed by increased crying, eating disorders, sleeping problems and similar behavior. These correlations have been investigated for several years and have been partially confirmed. However, since only a small number of “strenuous” babies later develop behavioral disorders and there is no specific therapy for children of this age, it is advisable for parents to be patient and to approach the behavior with love and understanding. After all, regardless of the cause of the symptoms, a good parent-child relationship and a high child’s self-esteem contribute to the successful treatment of a possible later disorder.
