Should you start worrying about your child at a certain age?

Last updated on: October 14, 2012 at 11:18 pm by Natasha Helfer

Should you start worrying about your child at a certain age? 2012-10-14T23:18:01-05:00 Natasha Helfer

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This was a question asked regarding the latest post on childhood masturbation:

Is there a certain age where you would start feeling concern if they are continuing in the practice?

Yes. I would start feeling concern if the child continued to find it a non-issue to masturbate in public places from first grade on (especially if calling attention to themselves and even being teased by other children does not have an impact on the cessation of the behavior). When a child is unable to pick up on social cues, they may be showing signs of a childhood developmental disorder (i.e. autism, asperger’s, etc.). I remember seeing a lot of self-stimulation behavior when I was a pre-school teacher around nap time. I believe this is somewhat common in kindergarten classes as well where they have a set aside time to rest and lie down. Many children use self-stimulation as a soothing technique. However, once in first grade the opportunity to self-stimulate is significantly decreased. Children become more aware of others around them and start to become teased for socially inappropriate behavior by other children. If your child does not respond to these cues in a public setting by the ages of 6 or 7, then I would encourage you to visit with your pediatrician about the behavior in question.

As far as at home in a more private setting, I would not be concerned. The teachings you want to teach to your child regarding masturbation at the age of becoming a young woman or young man (12) then becomes your prerogative as the parent.

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