Do 3 yr olds get seperation anxiety if not had it before???????

[Nemo2007]

Ds is 3.4yrs and the past week has been playing up completley.Screaming when taken to bed, waking numerous times in night to just want us to sit there. He has also crept into our bed the past 2 nights to sleep. He is fine at playgroup etc but from 6pm-6am he has been really restless, crying lots and thinking up any excuse not to go to bed/be away from us.

Yes. I don't think its so much separation anxiety as greater imagination. Haven't got any advice. But I do think its really common.

It is driving me insane..he is screaming again now and I have been downstairs 5 minutes.

Is it a nightmare or some kind of fear? can he talk about it?

I think it is more likely something like that, than separation as such?

no nightmares or anything he just keeps saying he wants us there, in middle of night he says he is cold, he wants a drink, he needs a cuddle, he heard a noise,he needs a wee..anything really

sounds like he's afraid of something.
We had this stage just recently. DS turning 3 this month.
He loves all stories involving wolves, monsters, ghots, dragons, etc.. Does not fully understand it all thus gets scared.
A friends suggested we watch shrek and monsters inc. Worked really well as ogres, dragons and monsters are rather cute and funny. Much less scared now. I think they need to visualize rather than imagine what they might find fearsome. Takes the drama out.
Anyway this method worked well with us.

YEp sounds normal. I think like madameplatypus said it is more down to an active imagination appearing rather than seperation. He may be feeling fears but not sure what they actually are enough to verbalise them.