Is this normal 3 yr old behaviour

[worriedforfriend]

Posted in sn but not everyone may see it on there.

My friend's 3 yr old ds is overly anxious IMO.
Whenever he sees anyone but his mum he goes ballistic. Hates people and other children. So if in a park and another child approached he would scream the park down.
Hates fans and cries when the bells go off in the nearby church.
Speech and communication seems fine with immediate family.
It is getting to the stage that I cannot see friend as her ds hates seeing other people.
Just doesn't seem normal.

That does seem really strange. My 3 yr old will talk to anyone, and does. It's a bit embarrassing sometimes, depending on what she says.
The church bells thing is the wierdest. Has he got siblings or is she expecting?

Sounds like the opposite of selective mutism which is caused by anxiety. I'd suggest she get a health visitor to visit.

Would not be normal for my 3 yo, certainly...

how does your friend react to this behavior? i.e. does she pander to it and take him away from the children/stop people visiting etc?

IMO it's not normal behavior, but it's possible that he's done it a couple of times, (kids can be funny at that age) and has learned that it gains him a lot of attention and what started out as a bit of sillyness when he had an off day perhaps has developed into a genuine phobia without actually realizing iyswim.

How does your friend feel about this? has she asked for advice from gp/hv? If she's not prepared to accept there might be a problem there's not really much you can do.