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It's normal for very young children to regularly experience separation anxiety from parents or caregivers. From about a year to three years old, it's not uncommon for kids to feel some anxiety when their parents leave the room or they have to be left somewhere without their parent. However, in these cases of normal separation anxiety, you'll notice that kids can easily be distracted into not feeling that, maybe with a toy or a snack.

Kids can experience separation anxiety when they're a bit older than the "normal" age range. If they feel scared and very upset whenever they have to leave your side, and it takes a long time to calm them down, that could mean they're dealing with separation anxiety. According to the , this affects about 4% of children and is most common in kids ages seven to nine. It's categorized by extreme homesickness no matter where they are and misery about not being with their loved ones. It's also common for them to worry about bad things happening to their parents or caregivers while they are apart.

Many children struggling with anxiety exhibit negative behaviors like explosive and destructive outbursts. Everyone's response to anxiety is different, because the response is the body's way of facing or escaping danger. According to , some children may react with an "overwhelming need to break out of an uncomfortable situation." This often leads to very difficult behavior, like anger or opposition.

This can mean everything from a temper tantrum out of nowhere to problems at school, like bad grades, pushing away their teacher and acting out.

If your child has anxiety, you might notice that they are extra fidgety and have a lot of trouble focusing on big and small tasks. It's easy to assume that they're dealing with something like ADHD, but that's not always the case. says that inattentive children are often distracted by chronic anxiety.

When an adult is feeling anxious, they may be able to deal by turning away from those worries and just trying to focus on something else. Kids can't always do this. They don't know how to turn off their anxiety. So instead of trying to focus when they can't, they just don't attempt to focus at all.

Have you noticed that your child is extremely shy? Maybe they dread any kind of social situation, becoming increasingly nervous right before a birthday party. Maybe they cling to your leg instead of hanging out with the other kids on the playground. This could be more than just shyness. It could be social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia.

According to the ADAA, this is characterized by "an intense fear of social and performance situations and activities such as being called on in class or starting a conversation with a peer."

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a form of anxiety, and OCD tendencies can be seen in children struggling with anxiety, even if they haven't been officially diagnosed. in children found that kids with OCD may have recurrent consuming thoughts of impulses about certain things, and repetitive behaviors or mental acts that they perform, like washing their hands a lot or constantly checking things over and over.

A lot of parents, teachers and caregivers write off a child's refusal in certain situations as timidness. But this is actually called selective mutism, and it's a form of anxiety.

According to the , kids who have selective mutism may be motionless and expressionless, turn their heads, chew or twirl their hair, avoid eye contact or withdraw into a corner. With selective mutism, you might notice that they are totally fine, talkative and social in certain places, mostly places where they're comfortable, like their home.

It's not very strange for little kids, especially young children like toddlers, to have sleep problems. Many young children have difficulty falling asleep on their own and staying in their beds all night long without a check-in from their parents. Sleep problems can be normal, but they can also be , and that's where things get a little confusing.

have found a link between anxiety and depression in children with sleep problems. Kids dealing with anxiety might have trouble falling asleep, wake up frequently throughout the night, experience nightmares and night terrors and deal with sleep walking.

Anxiety can manifest in so many ways: it's not all about being afraid or acting fidgety. It can also show itself in . In other words, kids feel so anxious that they actually start to feel physical symptoms that mimic an illness. For example, it's not uncommon for kids struggling with anxiety to constantly have a stomach ache. Kids with anxiety might also experience frequent headaches, muscle aches and unexplained pains. It's easier for kids to express these complaints than it is for them to say, "I feel anxious."

There are average childhood fears (thinking there is a monster under the bed) and then there are childhood phobias. are more intense and irrational, and they focus on a specific object. For example, your kid might be terrified of a dog or riding a bike for no discernible reason.

Kids who have these phobias will do anything to avoid situations that may include them, and their anxious behavior can come out in tantrums, crying, clinging and stomach aches.

Anxiety in slightly older children may be a bit easier to spot than anxiety in toddlers. For one thing, no one really expects an innocent toddler to deal with something heavy like anxiety. The signs also present differently in toddlers.

According to , one sign of anxiety in a toddler is that they seem to be going through some sort of regression, which basically means that they're acting younger than they actually are out of nowhere. For example, you might notice that, even though they've been feeding themselves with no problem for months, they suddenly want and need you to feed them. Or maybe they gave up the pacifier months ago, and suddenly they want it back.

Another sign of anxiety in toddlers is that they're having problems with food, which is usually due to sensory issues. According to , they might suddenly absolutely hate lumps and bumps in their food, which may make them gag. If they have anxiety, a toddler might become a very picky eater, only eating certain things and refusing to eat foods that have a certain consistency.

It's kind of weird to think about kids being fearful for the future because they're generally optimistic, happy go lucky and innocent. They don't know enough about the negative things in the world to stress over what the future will be like. But according to the , kids with anxiety tend to be very worried about what the future holds and have a preoccupation with possible bad things happening.

Panic attacks are not very common in children, even in those dealing with anxiety. However, that doesn't mean they can't happen. According to the , signs of a panic attack in a child must include at least four or more of the following symptoms: palpitations or a fast heart rate, sweating, shaking, feeling short of breath, feeling choked, chest pain, nausea or abdominal pain, dizziness, numbness or tingling, chills or hot flashes, fear of losing control and a feeling of unreality.

Yes, it's true that most kids aren't thrilled about the idea of going to school. But an intense fear or dislike of school is often one of the first red flags parents and teachers notice in a kid with anxiety, according to the . When a child throws a fit before school every single day, isn't performing well and comes home miserable, it could be because of anxiety.