An intense anxiety about being away from home or caregivers that affects a child’s ability to function socially and academically. These children have a great need to stay at home or be close to their parents, worrying excessively about their parents when they are apart.

When they are together, the child may cling to parents, refuse to go to school, or be afraid to sleep alone. Repeated nightmares about separation and physical symptoms such as stomachaches and headaches are also common in children with separation anxiety disorder.