Grandaughter

I thought at first that she might be autistic, but if this behaviour has only started recently, it's less likely.
If she's seeing a therapist already, it's hard to make any useful suggestions. Maybe someone else has ideas.

Need to try to unpick what happened at Christmas. Were there any visitors? Did she see a scary film or cartoon? Was she worried about Father Christmas going into her bedroom?
I’m sure the therapist will have suggestions. A worry monster might help or a cuddly light up toy. I’m sure they’ve tried all sorts of strategies to try to help her.

Night terrors, that stay with her after she wakes and take a while to disappear.

We had this problem with our DGD, but she was much younger.Even when we got her awake it would take 15 minutes or more to get her into the real world. I can see that with an older child this might be more entrenched.

But like others, I think the likely cause lies in some traumatic event happening just befre they started.

Thank you all.my son says it started 2 nights before Xmas,as it is my daughter inlaw has to stay with her all night and my granddaughter at most gets two hours sleep a night.The screams can happen any time a few nights ago she had almost finished tea when sudden she hated it and had a breakdown later she finished it,last week she wouldn't get in the car just started crying from nowhere,everyday at school she's hysterical going in comes out fine.
She can't explain what's happening to her it is sad to watch a beautiful little girl suddenly gone like this the therapist said she was advanced for her 6 years in lots of ways but emotionally she was age3 to 4 and couldn't express her fears.I know she will continue to go but in the meantime my family's life is shot they are at their wits end with worry for her and the effects it has on them.

Would you consider hypnosis with a fully qualified medical hypnotist?

I know people regard hypnosis with suspicion, but as your GD cannot explain what has happened, a hypnotist would be able to get past that block and also, hopefully, enable her to move forward in dealing with it.

I have had a very positive experience with hypnosis in my own life with what seemed an intractable problem, so I do urge you to at least consider this.

Thank you.My mum suggested that willjust message my son see what they thank.

If it was just as the therapist says, that she’s emotionally young for her age, that wouldn’t come on over night, it would have been like that all the way through !
When she acts like this and presumable you ask her what is wrong what is frightening her, does she give any clues!
As it started two days before Christmas had there been any talk about FC coming to her bedroom at night ! However that wouldn’t address the teatime or school arrival screams
Have you tried her sleeping somewhere else perhaps on the sofa for a few nights or anything to break the cycle of fear that she has got into
Could she be autistic and this is a phase of it showing itself.

It’s obviously not night terrors if it’s happening at mealtimes and school entrance
Personally I m not at all sure about hypnosis for a small child

I agree, hypnosis does not sound a good
idea to me. A visit to the GP hopefully followed by appropriate assessment may be needed- to rule out autism, ADHD or something similar. If a condition is diagnosed then the parents will at least know what they are dealing with. Obviously something is wrong . I hope the situation improves. Please keep posting and fingers crossed all will be well.

I agree with Shelflife, the parents and child should see a GP in order to possibly get a diagnosis of what is happening with your GD by referring her to a specialist.
A therapist is not medically trained and would not recommend hypnosis.

Has she been with other, older children over Christmas and may have seen something on social media. Plenty of stuff on there to give grown ups the heebie-jeebies, let alone a six year old girl. Like other posters, hypnosis wouldn't be my first route to go down. I wish your family all the best with her.

Has anyone in the family asked her - someone she trusts?

Thank you everyone, I will show my son your replies tomorrow. They have ordered a double bed for her and her mum will sleep with her if she sleeps that way.Mum daughter inlaw has been laying on the floor next to her as soon as she tries to leave the room she starts screaming again.My son and daughter inlaw are worn out.They took her to the doctors Wednesday who's advice was try and ware her out before bedtime and Wednesday night she said you know the doctor said to ware me out so that was a bit of a waste of time.thank you all.

Not the most constructive advice from the doctor! I feel this situation should be taken more seriously, telling her parent to wear her out before bedtime is verging on being flippant and
most certainly not helpful!
Whether this behaviour is the result of a particular condition or an emotional response to something- it needs addressing and I doubt wearing her out before bed is the answer. Her parents will be physically and emotionally worn out , they deserve to be listened to and their concerns taken seriously.

thank you they are both fulltime workers and have an 8 year old as well and no sleep has hit them so hard,my son tells me they feel broken and i worry for them as a family.This has hit us like a bolt,yet to see her during the day she is a full of fun little girl but it can change on a sixpence.

I d ask to see a different doctor hopefully one with a bit better insight That was rubbish information
I do wonder if something even just the hype and overkill of Christmas has pushed her into a mental health overload and something like autism has come into play which was a bit dormant before
I know my friends’ son went from seeming perfectly ok to violent storms just almost overnight He now at 11 has a diagnosis
What do the school say ?

My oldest grandson was the same "BlueBelle* Getting on well at school, he'd never had a day off sick and then one morning when he was eight he just collapsed at breakfast, screaming until he was sick, and there were three years of nightmare until he got a proper diagnosis and a teacher who understood him.

Has she had an infection?
Could it be PANDAS ?
Not sure if that's the right acronym.
It's a sudden onset post viral syndrome that can cause alarming and debilitating neurological symptoms.
I think she should have a neurological assessment for differential diagnosis to rule out an organic cause.

This is all very helpful,thank you.We are just going round and round trying to think what has happened to her.My son is worried my daughter inlaw is at breaking point.The counsellor said my grandaughter is picking up on her mums anxiety and it is feeding into her and making her worst.She said she has assessed her as more intelligent than an averagesix year old much smarter and more switched on than her age-but behind emotionally more like a 3 to 4 year old.It means she struggles to explain her feelings and that could be why she is struggling to cope where she is now.None of it makes sense to me.

Dawn, just a thought based on what you’ve said. When you see her full of fun in the day is she at home with the family? And you say she’s fine once she’s in school. Could it be that something has made her anxious and fearful about her family, and she can’t let herself go (eg to sleep, or perhaps leaving the rest of her family to go to school). Could she have seen or overheard something that’s made her worry about the family? It could be something that to an adult is quite trivial.

Again thank you.

Children with autism or a similar condition are often ok in school - they mask their condition/ feelings, then go into meltdown at home .

Especially girls they are professionals at masking things Shelflife

Yes that is true Bluebelle. I sincerely hope Dawns son and DIL find some peace soon and find the reason for the change in their childs behaviour.

Today again I took my granddaughter to her dance class tok nearly 30mins for my son to persuade her to get in the car.Hes brilliant with her talking about her feelings etc as therapist recommended but she was crying and saying she was sad eventually we got going end of their road she was bavk to herself and coming back just so strange you really wouldn't believe it unless you saw it.