Hi all,
I'm getting quite concerned about my 24 month old general attitude and behaviour. My concern also stands in the context that he was about 4 months premature and so I'm always on red alert for mental health issues.
He seems miserable in a nutshell. Constantly whining and crying, and I mean constant. He hates playing- gets angry if we try and initiate, never plays if we don't.
If we talk to him there is a 50% chance he will tantrum. If we praise, encourage, speak, play with, suggest activities he will almost always shout, apparently distressed and either throw to the ground or run off. This has been the case since he could vaguely jndrsrand us months ago. Before that he spent about 90% of his day crying.
He just seems constantly anxious, angry almost all of the time. Is the shouting and running away (not laughing/smiling, but genuinely fearful) normal? Is it time to try restraining / force cuddling/ telling him that its 'rude' or attempting some kind of intervention? Now we just ignore or smile and talk amongst ourselves or do something else so as not to punish what might be a serious turmoil.
If we try and show him a new toy, or if we act as though we're really interested in something he shows no interest at all. It's almost like he doesn't learn socially and it scares me :(
Reassurance? Anyone think I'm right to be concerned? Any similar experiences?