DD is genuinely terrified and shakes and sobs instantly at the sight.
Examples of things that distress her:
Swings - she's not in/on them, but just the sight of them moving a bit if someone has brushed against them
Light pull swinging a bit after being pulled
Rocking chair still moving after somone has just got up
Supermarket veg scales swingng a bit after use
Baubles on christmas tree swinging after being brushed against
The chain on a trolley that connects it to the next trolley swinging as you push the trolley round the shops
There are more, but you can see the theme. It's regular swinging motions that are happening without someone doing it.
She will scream and then start sobbing and freeze on the spot and wibbles "Swing! Swing!"
We respond by holding her and verbally reassuring her and cuddling her whilst either removing her completely from the situation or stopping the thing from swinging. But she's immensely precise about it and it is near impossible to actually make a light pull completely stationery etc so this can be hard to manage!
It seems to be getting worse, and she is definitely connecting the incidents herself too. She said once after one of these episodes "naughty light swing, naughty ball christmas tree, bad swings" which covered three different events which had probably happened over the previous fortnight, so definitely it is sticking in her mind.
is this normal? It's like a phobia. Should we be looking for help? Or if it's normal, how do you manage these things? It does now impact day to day life for us and her.