Ways to help elementary school child w/ fear of closed doors??
Question: My son FREAKS out whenever someone shuts a door. He could be playing in his bedroom w/ his sister or a friend & if they shut the door, which doesn't even have a lock, he will freak out!! I can shut the bathroom door when I use the bathroom, but NOT ALL THE WAY. If I run to the car to get something, he will stand in the doorway & hold the door open. He even has little panic attacks in his music room at school because they shut the door. He keeps asking me if I can have them leave the door open, but I can't hardly ask them to do that! What can I do to ease his fears of shut doors? Anything?
Answers: The schools should be able to accommodate him if he is OK with the door being cracked then talk to his teachers. my sons teachers are very willing to work with him and his problems. you may also need to take him to therapy. has he been through any trauma involving closed rooms?
If this problem becomes too interferring then you can get help from a behavioral therapist. I had problems like this when I was little and what worked for me was positive reinforcement. Slowly introduce him into a room with the door closed. Start out with it for only 30 seconds...you could give him a small reward aftwards. Associate having the door closed with a happy experience. Slowly do this longer and longer. Each child is different and this may not work. The important thing is to be persistent. Don't give up on it. If you work on it now, it will be easier to help him with his fears than if it continues for years and becomes a habit.
Whe did he start having this fear? Try to figure out with him a solution that works for both of you. And as for the school they should be able to leave the door open a little. It couldn't hurt to ask.If they say no then find another arrangment. Good luck I hope your son gets over his anxieties soon but he is young and things should calm down for him. :)
Maybe ask the teacher to sit him by the window with it cracked that may help.
yea that is odd but normale phase of children you need to let him know nothing will happen or maby he is closterphobic he needs to see some one posibly about it
Hi,
It is normal for kids to have panic attacks when they are forced to be in the situation of their phobia.
There are many root causes of phobias, and most are also the cause and effect of kids who have anxiety attacks.
Kids develop their phobias when subjected to situations that scare them and that they feel that they can't control.
I get the sense though that either your son experienced being left behind a closed door that he couldn't open when he was younger...perhaps by a babysitter, or, that he witnessed someone being put in that situation.
There are specialists trained and experienced to treat cases of various phobias with the proper approaches for therapy treatment.
I strongly recommend that you have your son referred by the family doctor to see a therapist for CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) or, a psychiatrist, who can effectively deal with him getting over his phobia of closed doors.
You need to (and i'm sure you want to) deal with this phobia situation. If not addressed and treated properly, it is just controlling everyone else also... by them having to accomodate it.
I've attached some info sites below for more info.
best wishes from kenab
go have the child evaluated from a good institution... they may put him on meds..
but at this time .. he needs to be in order to get threw life every day..
I do not believe in medicating a child for long periods of time.. but short term.. would help him see.. how life should be..
he is in a totally new routine..
it is all new.. and he is needing help..
he is reaching out.... someone needs to hear this child's cries..
good luck, my friend.
Answers: The schools should be able to accommodate him if he is OK with the door being cracked then talk to his teachers. my sons teachers are very willing to work with him and his problems. you may also need to take him to therapy. has he been through any trauma involving closed rooms?
If this problem becomes too interferring then you can get help from a behavioral therapist. I had problems like this when I was little and what worked for me was positive reinforcement. Slowly introduce him into a room with the door closed. Start out with it for only 30 seconds...you could give him a small reward aftwards. Associate having the door closed with a happy experience. Slowly do this longer and longer. Each child is different and this may not work. The important thing is to be persistent. Don't give up on it. If you work on it now, it will be easier to help him with his fears than if it continues for years and becomes a habit.
Whe did he start having this fear? Try to figure out with him a solution that works for both of you. And as for the school they should be able to leave the door open a little. It couldn't hurt to ask.If they say no then find another arrangment. Good luck I hope your son gets over his anxieties soon but he is young and things should calm down for him. :)
Maybe ask the teacher to sit him by the window with it cracked that may help.
yea that is odd but normale phase of children you need to let him know nothing will happen or maby he is closterphobic he needs to see some one posibly about it
Hi,
It is normal for kids to have panic attacks when they are forced to be in the situation of their phobia.
There are many root causes of phobias, and most are also the cause and effect of kids who have anxiety attacks.
Kids develop their phobias when subjected to situations that scare them and that they feel that they can't control.
I get the sense though that either your son experienced being left behind a closed door that he couldn't open when he was younger...perhaps by a babysitter, or, that he witnessed someone being put in that situation.
There are specialists trained and experienced to treat cases of various phobias with the proper approaches for therapy treatment.
I strongly recommend that you have your son referred by the family doctor to see a therapist for CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) or, a psychiatrist, who can effectively deal with him getting over his phobia of closed doors.
You need to (and i'm sure you want to) deal with this phobia situation. If not addressed and treated properly, it is just controlling everyone else also... by them having to accomodate it.
I've attached some info sites below for more info.
best wishes from kenab
go have the child evaluated from a good institution... they may put him on meds..
but at this time .. he needs to be in order to get threw life every day..
I do not believe in medicating a child for long periods of time.. but short term.. would help him see.. how life should be..
he is in a totally new routine..
it is all new.. and he is needing help..
he is reaching out.... someone needs to hear this child's cries..
good luck, my friend.
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