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Original poster

5 year old couldn’t calm down

43 replies

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?

OP posts:
Tailfeather · 25/10/2023 22:26

My friend's son has laughing seizures when he laughs uncontrollably and says random words, but his eyes roll back, so it's obvious that he's not with it.

Sorry you're having this worry, OP.

Original poster
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?

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Original poster
Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:24

@Mariposista It has happened before and a few times within the last week, but this was much more and lasted longer. She had complained of being tired

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mynameiscalypso · 25/10/2023 22:24

When my DS is super tired at bedtime, he gets a bit like this too. Many not for the length of time you mention but he can have up to an hour or so of hysterical laughter, poo jokes, jumping off the furniture etc and he can't seem to stop it. Eventually, it burns itself out. I don't suspect that he's ND at this stage, more that he's still trying to work out what different feelings mean. So feeling tired should mean that he wants to go to bed. But actually it presents itself in hyperactivity.

Original poster
Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:23

@Jellycats4life I’m not sure, nothing specific had happened, she does get very hyper at times. It was getting near bedtime and she wanted to go outside and play and was asking me to play and we said we’ve just sat down after dinner, now is relaxing time before bath etc. Nothing in particular happened, she had it the other day when I was trying to get her dressed for school, it’s like some sort of extreme silliness and very frustrating, it didn’t last as long as tonight though

OP posts:
Mariposista · 25/10/2023 22:23

If it was a one off, could she be unwell?

Original poster
Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:21

@ItsmeImtheproblem200 To this extent though? It was really quite bad

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Original poster
Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:20

@Smartiepants79 There was nothing particular that started making her laugh, just her saying silly words..poo etc repeatedly, then laughing and just too much. Then saying she was hungry, wanting to get out of bed, just not settling, but it’s the shouting out and noises

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ItsmeImtheproblem200 · 25/10/2023 22:19

Sounds like a kid who got hyper.

Jellycats4life · 25/10/2023 22:19

It could be a kind of autistic meltdown for sure. There’s some crossover between autism and tics - my son always has some sort of verbal stim/tic going on and it’s often hard to tell the difference. You mention hyperactivity too, so possibly ADHD. These things are all linked, they aren’t necessarily separate disorders.

What are the triggers for these episodes? I’m guessing some sort of extreme overwhelm?

Original poster
Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 22:18

@Heelenahandbasket What would/could cause that?
She’s fantastic socially, very outgoing, lots of fun, always wants to play, never stops.

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JosieRay · 25/10/2023 22:13

I can’t really offer any advice other than to say that I remember a thread on here some months ago and that rang a bell. I think that the little boy concerned had similar episodes of uncontrollable laughing and that it was investigated by the doctor. It might be possible to search for it. I’ll have a look and see if I can find it.

Smartiepants79 · 25/10/2023 22:09

Can you pinpoint something that started it all? Something that made her laugh and loose control? Uncontrollable giggles etc does happen with children. Can take them a while to stop..
If there was no obvious trigger my only other suggestion is possible seizure activity. Look up emotional focal awareness seizures. I’m not sure they really fit though as they don’t tend to last very long.
Has it ever happened before?

Heelenahandbasket · 25/10/2023 22:09

Hard to say but as an outsider it sounds like an autistic meltdown. How is she socially?

Ponche · 25/10/2023 22:07

Sounds tough OP. Do you think it could maybe be autism/ADHD? Hope you don’t mind me saying that.

My 3yo is non-verbal and possibly has autism and sometimes she makes noises, repeats vocalisations, laughs randomly. She is also always on the go. Sometimes awake for a few hours in the night and bouncing around. But this happens most days, not just every so often.

The not wanting to go to school makes me
think there is something deeper going on.

Original poster
Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 21:56

At school the teacher said she was tired today and then when we went on a short dog walk after school, we went back as she was tired. Can it be just this though? Seems crazy

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Original poster
Gooddaysthenbaddays · 25/10/2023 21:55

*To stop, not U.K. 🤷🏻‍♀️
*Very late for her
*Gone into these zones

Sorry for all the typos

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