ChildBe is not intended to be used as a diagnostic tool or as a replacement for psychiatric support (e.g., assessment, medication, therapy) when needed. If your child exhibits two or more behaviors from any group listed below, we recommend consultation with a pediatric psychiatrist.

Group A:

• Worrying about germs, getting sick, or dying
• Extreme fears about bad things happening or doing something wrong
• Feeling that things have to be “just right”
• Disturbing and unwanted thoughts or images about hurting others
• Disturbing and unwanted thoughts or images of a sexual nature
• Excessive checking that the door is locked, that the oven is off, etc.
• Excessive washing and/or cleaning
• Repeating actions until they are “just right” or starting over again
• Ordering or arranging things
• Mental compulsions (excessive praying, mental reviewing, etc.)
• Frequent confessing or apologizing
• Saying lucky words or numbers
• Excessive reassurance seeking (e.g., always asking, “Are you sure I’m going to be okay?”)
• Symptoms might develop seemingly overnight with a rapid change in behavior and mood and sudden appearance of severe anxiety.

Group B:

• Avoids eye contact, and prefers to be alone
• Struggles with understanding other people’s feelings
• Has delayed language development, or remains nonverbal
• Repeats words or phrases over and over (echolalia)
• Gets upset by minor changes in routine or surroundings
• Has highly restricted interests
• Performs repetitive behaviors such as flapping, rocking, or spinning
• Has unusual and often intense reactions to sounds, smells, tastes, textures, lights, and/or colors

Group C:

• Has trouble staying focused, is easily distracted, or gets bored with a task before it’s completed
• Appears not to listen when spoken to
• Has difficulty remembering things and following instructions; doesn’t pay attention to details or makes careless mistakes
• Has trouble staying organized, planning ahead, and finishing projects
• Frequently loses or misplaces homework, books, toys, or other items
• Constantly fidgets and squirms
• Has difficulty sitting still, playing quietly, or relaxing
• Moves around constantly; often runs or climbs inappropriately
• Talks excessively
• May have a quick temper or “short fuse”
• Acts without thinking
• Guesses, rather than taking time to solve a problem; blurts out answers in class without waiting to be called on or to hear the whole question
• Intrudes on other people’s conversations or games
• Often interrupts others; says the wrong thing at the wrong time
• Inability to keep powerful emotions in check, resulting in angry outbursts or temper tantrums

Group D:

• Withdrawal from family activities and hobbies
• Change in overall attitude or personality with no other identifiable cause
• Changes in friends and/or hangouts; sudden avoidance of old crowd; reluctance to talk about new friends
• Friends who are known drug users
• Changes in activities or hobbies
• Drop in grades at school or performance at work
• Skipping school or being late for school
• Difficulty in paying attention; forgetfulness
• General lack of motivation, energy, and/or self-esteem
• An “I don't care” attitude
• Sudden oversensitivity, temper tantrums, or resentful behavior; moodiness, irritability, or nervousness; silliness or giddiness; paranoia
• Excessive need for privacy; being unreachable; secretive or suspicious behavior; change in personal grooming habits
• Loss of appetite, increase in appetite, or any changes in eating habits; unexplained weight loss or gain
• Slowed or staggering walk
• Poor physical coordination
• Inability to sleep; awakening at unusual times
• Unusual laziness; falling asleep in class
• Red, watery eyes; pupils larger or smaller than usual
• Blank stare
• Cold, sweaty palms
• Shaking hands
• Puffy face
• Blushing or paleness
• Smell of substance on breath, body, or clothes
• Extreme hyperactivity; excessive talkativeness
• Perpetual runny nose; hacking cough
• Needle marks on lower arm, leg, or top of feet
• Nausea, vomiting, or excessive sweating; tremors or shakes of hands, feet, or head; irregular heartbeat

Group E:

• Feeling down, sad, empty, hopeless, irritable most of the day or most days of the week
• Little interest or pleasure in doing things
• Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, or sleeping too much
• Feeling tired or having little energy
• Poor appetite or overeating
• Feeling bad about themselves, like they are a failure or have let themselves or their family down
• Trouble concentrating on things such as reading or watching television
• Moving or speaking so slowly that other people have noticed, or being so fidgety and restless that they have been moving around a lot more than usual
• Thoughts that they would be better off dead or of hurting themselves in some way

Group F:

• A repetitive or persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms are violated
• Often bullies, threatens, or intimidates others
• Often initiates physical fights
• Has used a weapon that can cause serious physical harm to others
• Has been physically cruel to people or animals
• Has stolen while confronting a victim, steals trivial items without confronting the victim
• Has forced someone into sexual activity
• Has set fire intentionally to someone else’s property or destroyed another’s property purposefully in some other way
• Breaking into someone’s house or car
• Often lies to obtain goods/favors or to avoid obligations
• Has run away from home (overnight) more than once (before age 13) and/or has stayed away for a long period of time
• Behaviors that negatively impact their social, academic, or occupational functioning

Group G:

• Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one (or more) of the following ways: directly experiencing, witnessing in person, learning that the traumatic events occurred to a close family member or friend, experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to traumatic events
• Recurrent and distressing memories of the trauma
• Recurrent, distressing dreams in which the content of dreams are related to the traumatic event
• Dissociative reactions (flashbacks)
• Intense or prolonged distress at exposure to things that remind them of trauma
• Significant physiological reactions to internal or external cues of trauma
• Persistent avoidance of things associated with the traumatic events (people, places, activities, objects, and or efforts to avoid distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings)
• Negative change in mood and cognitions (inability to remember important aspects of events; persistent exaggerated negative beliefs or expectations about themselves; persistent distorted thoughts about the cause or consequences of the events; persistent fear, horror, guilt, anger, or shame; decreased interest in activities; persistent feelings of being detached from others; persistent inability to experience happiness, satisfaction, loving feelings)
• Marked changes associated with traumatic events (two or more of the following: irritable behavior and angry outbursts, reckless or self destructive behavior, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, problems with concentration, sleep disturbance)
• Depersonalization (persistent feelings of being detached from — and as if an outside observer of — one’s thoughts, one’s body; feeling as if in a dream; feeling a sense of unreality of self or body or of time moving slowly)
• Derealization (persistent experiences of unreality of surroundings — dreamlike, distant, distorted)