What Causes Fear Of Loud Noises And Darkness In A Child?

Posted on Fri, 4 Dec 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 4 Dec 2015 Answered on

Thu, 24 Dec 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I have a question about my 5 years and 5 months old son who is sensitive and freaks out about variety of noise/sound. Like a smoke/house alarm, public toilet flushing continuously, and he is afraid of dark, so he tries to cover his ears whenever he goes or passes to an area that is dark. He is scared of dying. And also scared of fire even when i cook fried foods and the oil splatter, he freaks out with the sound. He is smart...academic wise he is in but he is shy to try something new when it comes to classroom activities. How could we help him overcome all of these.
Asked by Me , 4 minutes ago

Answered by Dr. Diptanshu Das (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Your child might need interventions to be able to cope properly

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.

I have gone very carefully through the details provided. First of all, your child needs to be developmentally assessed using ASQ (Ages and Stages Questionnaire), XXXXXXX Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-II) as well as M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers). It is only based on these assessment that the exact problem (if any) can be identified. I would strongly insist you to visit a developmental pediatrician and to get the child evaluated. Based on the findings your child might need suitable interventions and supports to be able to cope properly.

With proper interventions your child should be able to fare well.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar