4 Year old just screams randomly

[BikeRunSki]

Well that's about it.

DS is 4.4 and has always been very "busy" - has trouble sitting still, concentrating on anything (even watching TV he climbs all over the sofa etc). finishing one task without getting distracted (take of one sock - play with dinosaurs - take off another sock and pants - check out what is under his bed - and so on. It can take a hour for him put his pjs on) but all this pales into insignificance compared to the screaming. My goodness, the screaming....

Whatever he is doing he'll just scream. A really shrill high pitched scream for a few seconds, 3 or 4 times. It sounds a but like a wolf whistle, except it's a scream. He'll do this all the time - several times an hour maybe - and from the moment he gets up to bed time (and actually in bed).

Is this kind of screaming normal? I know quite a few 4 year olds and none of them seem to do it. What's it all about ? Can I do anything to stop it?

He's not hurt, he is doing it for attention I am sure. I can't remember if he was doing it before DD was born 15 months ago. I can't stad it, it grates, it hurts my hearing, it's totally inappropriate (he does it at home and when we are out) and it really upsets me.

Nothing seems to make him stop it. Not asking, not telling. Not being nice, not getting cross. He does it even if he has lots of attention, he does it when I am busy with DD. Ignoring it doesn't seem to help, nor does saying stuff like "Quick get in the car, we have to go to hospital if you're that badly hurt..."

DD is a terrible sleeper and I have just gone back to work. I am exhausted (yesterday I was up for 22 hours) and I really can no longer deal with this. It makes DH very angry too and upsets DD.

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I have a DD aged 4.9 and I don't think screaming is normal at this age no....how is he at nursery or school? Is he doing ok? How is his language development?

Make an appointment with the GP and if you don't get a referral, take him for a private assessment with an educational psychologist. It may be that he is hyper-sensitive and needs special help to overcome it. Without the medics on board you won't get the help. In the meantime you are going to have to find effective ways of minimising the irritation factor and think of what might trigger his screaming in an attempt to avoid the triggers.

It must be as confusing for him as it is irritating for you.

I say just ignore it (or pretend to, very convincingly) you don't need an assessment at the doctors(!!!?!!!)
My DD did this, she did it every day while she was 3. Normally she'd last about 90 mins. It would start randomly, never connected to food, sleep, entertainment so it was very hard to avoid / corner a trigger because a trigger wasn't obvious. I tried a lot of things but in the end just ignoring it and going into another room and making myself busy paid off. Or she just got a bit older and grew out of it. Now there is ZERO screaming and she's 5.