5 year old couldn’t calm down

Momofrr · 13/05/2024 12:54

Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 21:53

Can anyone please help

Just spend almost 3 hours trying to calm our Dd down, not from upset/temper tantrum, just trying to basically help her to stop/calm herself. She was laughing uncontrollably at times, repeating words, shouting out then laughing, making noises etc. It was awful, Dh was getting cross at one point as she just wouldn’t stop, she then started crying and saying she couldn’t help it, we both held her really close in bed and just tried to sooth her, U.K. stop the movements, shouting out etc. She fell asleep about 20 minutes ago, very late before. She has sometimes gobd into these zones (don’t know what else to call it) before and it comes and goes and is very hard to control, then will go for months being completely fine. It felt almost like Tourette’s, something she couldn’t control, but it’s not a regular
thing, just happens ever so often. She’s often a hyper type of child always on the go and lots going on in her head.
Just lay here feeling exhausted and worried. She says she doesn’t want to go to school, we’ve had some issues that I’m going through with with the teacher, could it be anxiety? I just don’t know 😢I honestly felt like she needed to be given something, she just could not calm down
Please can anyone help at all?

Hi! Oh my goodness my 5 year old is EXACTLY the same. Were you able to determine what it was? This is unsettling and I can’t find information on this. I hope things are better for you. Thank you.

Momofrr · 13/05/2024 12:50

Hi. Just wondering if there is any update as to what might have caused this? My son is the exact same way. Thanks kindly.

TheCatterall · 25/10/2023 23:34

@Gooddaysthenbaddays i have no idea what it could be.

but the fact it’s happened several times indicate it’s something that needs investigating by a trained medical professional rather than us armchair experts and Dr Google. Im not being mean - it literally could be a hundred and one things.

keep a log of what happens. How long for. The time etc.

The situations around its occurrences - tired/excited/ before bed/after school pick up etc.

push with a GP/health visitor… keep asking for help until someone agrees to look into it. Don’t be brushed off.

Kitcatmouse · 25/10/2023 23:21

@Gooddaysthenbaddays

i don’t think it would be unreasonable to discuss with GP.
the way it’s been described just made me think of a condition children get called PANDAS which happens after a Strep infection. But it’s a very sudden change in behaviour and not very common!!

Original poster

Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 23:16

@Kitcatmouse Not unwell yet…unless she’s coming down with something, tired though. She had this a couple of times but for a shorter time, the last week or so

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Kitcatmouse · 25/10/2023 23:08

was she unwell before these episodes happened? Did she start suddenly or always been present?

Original poster

Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:55

Looking up autistic meltdown and it doesn’t sound like that

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Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:50

@Ponche She does have trouble regulating herself sometimes too, worse when she’s tired. For example, having to leave a friend neighbours house can cause an angry meltdown, particularly if she’s tired, but again, not all the time

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Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:49

@Smartiepants79 Sorry, I meant seizures seem to last a very short time, from what the articles say I think 🤷🏻‍♀️This went on for ages tonight, she couldn’t stop. I shouldn’t have given her a bath and just gone straight to bed, she sometimes gets ‘Sillier’ I don’t know how else to put it after being in tbe bath/water

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Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:46

I’ve definitely thought about adhd over the years…for example if we do some colouring, she’ll start off ok and concentrating, then she’ll sometimes just do a big scribble deliberately, she also sometimes just randomly do things like get up and clap near the dogs face (this is very recent, lots of clapping all of a sudden) She struggles with control at times, for example, if we’re baking and h ask her not to touch something, she literally can’t stop herself and does it constantly. But then other times, she can sit for ages doing sums or pretending to write books etc..we just get different phases of this, it’s strange

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Smartiepants79 · 25/10/2023 22:44

Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:34

I don’t think it’s seizure as seems to last a very short time

Seizures only last for a very short time.
Seconds or a minute or two at the most.

Original poster

Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:42

@Ponche I’m not sure as it could be months and nothing really (well, not like this at all)

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Ponche · 25/10/2023 22:42

Autism/ADHD can commonly present differently in girls and be missed. I would maybe write down a list of things that concern you and things that seems a little off and then write down how often you notice them/they happen and also maybe trigger points.

Ponche · 25/10/2023 22:39

Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:28

@Ponche I have wondered this before and it happened more last year or I thought I saw more signs of it as it were, but then to go large periods of time with not many symptoms (not sure is the right word) would that be typical?

I’m not quite sure about that bit either and this is all new to me too but from what I’ve been reading, some children seem ‘completely fine’ at times or in different environments (eg. at school) but they’re actually masking/holding it all in until it gets too much and they explode.

Does it seem like transitions are triggering her- getting dressed, leaving for school/coming home, stopping play to
have dinner, going for a bath, going to bed?

Original poster

Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:37

@TheCatterall What do you think it could be?

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Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:36

@BananaHamster No, it was much more than that

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Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:34

I don’t think it’s seizure as seems to last a very short time

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Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:34

@CyberCritical Yes, that was my first thought, so I was holding her close and trying to almost get her to focus by talking about our dog or what we did today. I tried the singing but she didn’t want me to, but it was v v difficult to get her to calm, just random words were being said then she’d laugh really crazily and then want to get up or say she was hungry or even hit herself
Dh said after she fell asleep it was like she’d taken something (obviously hadn’t) but that complete hyper, crazy behaviour

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TheYearOfSmallThings · 25/10/2023 22:34

I would try leaving her in her room on her own to calm down. Being the focus of your anxious attention and reassurance may not help her calm down, whereas having no audience at all might sober her up.

mynameiscalypso · 25/10/2023 22:32

Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:25

@mynameiscalypso Yes, she’s been like that before, but the way she couldn’t stop shouting out words etc..is that normal/typical?

DS will shout out words and make random sounds (or sing) very loudly but I think it's a conscious thing with him because he finds it funny (especially when we don't). I sort of liken it to hysterical laughter when you get the giggles and just can't stop. But as other posters have pointed out, there are probably enough signs with your DD that it might be worth seeking medical advice.

BananaHamster · 25/10/2023 22:31

Sounds like she didn't want to go to bed so played up so she didn't have to go to bed.

Chalkdowns · 25/10/2023 22:30

Couldn’t she just be wound up from a long and demanding day? I would be inclined to try not to worry about this if you can. She’s a child, they can get hysterical and tend to grow out of it as they learn to self regulate

CyberCritical · 25/10/2023 22:30

DD has had a few episodes like this over the years when she is very tired, often it's when she's coming down with something and is more tired than usual.

The only thing that really helps is to not engage with any of the behaviour. So speak calmly and quietly, no joining in with the silliness or giggling, try to encourage her to sit calmly. When she was very little I'd quietly sing a nursery rhyme, as she got a little older I'd count quietly and try to get her to join in, the act of a steady calm repetitive or simple rhyme or count would calm her.

Then once she had calmed it would be a bath or reading a book or colouring, something that made her comfortable and allowed us to do the activity together but without getting excited again.

TheCatterall · 25/10/2023 22:30

Go to the GP. Get medical advice. Don’t let them fob you off.

Original poster

Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:28

@Ponche I have wondered this before and it happened more last year or I thought I saw more signs of it as it were, but then to go large periods of time with not many symptoms (not sure is the right word) would that be typical?

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