Why does my 2 year old stiffen up?

It happens because of damage to areas of the brain and spinal cord that control muscle movements. While babies need to contract their muscles to move their bodies and sit upright, muscles that are continually contracted are less flexible. Often hypertonia affects a baby’s arm, leg, and neck muscles.

Is it normal for my baby to tense up when excited?

Ever since he was an infant, he’s always shown excitement by tensing up his arms and legs and usually opening and closing his hands or flapping a little. I’ve brought it up at every well visit and each time his pediatrician has assured me that it’s normal and some kids just do it to show they are excited.

What do toddlers do when excited?

Toddlers will take to hand flapping when they’re anxious, excited, and even upset. Children suffering from autism flap their hands as self-stimulatory behavior also called ‘stims’. Other such behaviors occasionally seen in kids with autism comprise spinning and rocking.

Why does my son flaps his arms when he gets excited?

Arm flapping can become a habit when your child gets excited, even after he learns to talk. Children with autism flap their arms more often as a type of self-stimulation and in a more repetitive way than a normal child who flaps their arms occasionally out of excitement.

What does it mean when a child flaps their hands?

Along with a disinterest in people, unusual preoccupations, odd speech patterns, problems understanding social cues and difficulty controlling emotions, hand flapping can be a cue that something isn’t right with your child.

What does a 2 1/2 year old do when he’s excited?

2 1/2 year old tip toe walks, flaps his arms or clenches his fists, and vibrates his entire body when he is excited. What gives? My 21/2 year old son displays many symptoms of the sensory seeker.

Is flapping of the mouth normal in children with sensory processing disorder?

My child has mild sensory processing disorder, the sensory seeking kind, but the neurologist has said that the flapping and open mouth is actually a stereotopy. The definition is “a movement without purpose”. He said, that while it looks odd, it is actually harmless and is not that uncommon in typically developing children.