Separation anxiety is a normal part of early childhood development in which an infant or young child becomes distressed when separated from a parent or primary caregiver, typically emerging between about six months and three years of age. Rather than signaling a disorder, this ordinary form of separation anxiety reflects healthy cognitive development, including the child's growing awareness that a caregiver who is out of sight still exists. It becomes a clinical concern only when the distress is excessive for the child's age or persists well beyond the developmental period in which it is expected.
Facts
Core ClaimSeparation anxiety is a normal developmental phase in infants and young children as they become acclimated to their surroundings. 1 Everyday Context Everyday Context Classification
Type of PhenomenonDevelopmental Phenomenon 1 Diagnostic ChapterAnxiety or Fear-Related Disorders 1 Connections
Associated With
Bowlby's attachment theory identified separation anxiety as a normal response to separation from an attachment figure.
In Branch
Sources
1. Separation anxiety disorder (Wikipedia)
Lead and developmental phase discussion
This anxiety is viewed as a normal developmental phase between the months of early infancy until age two.
Wikipedia summary: Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is an anxiety disorder in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home and/or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment.
Lead section
Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is an anxiety disorder in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home and/or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (e.g., a parent, caregiver, significant other, or siblings).
lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is an anxiety disorder in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home and/or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (e.g., a parent, caregiver, significant other, or siblings). Separation anxiety is a natural part of the developmental process.
In Group: Infant and Child Social Bonds, Lead
Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is an anxiety disorder in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home and/or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (e.g., a parent, caregiver, significant other, or siblings).
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