Flinching

**TinyTinker** · 13-01-2016, 01:26 PM

I have a 21mo f/t who flinches when you move things round her, approach her or reach out for things or to wipe her face etc - she flickers her eyes, her shoulders go up and her head down. she does this a lot. The other day she was pulling out a load of tissues from the box on the table, when I saw her I quickly went over to take them away (before she took anymore out) and she flinched so badly and almost had her arms up to protect her face!

should I record this or just monitor to see if it continues - have had her since nov 15.....is there any conditions this indicates etc?

**Ripeberry** · 13-01-2016, 02:33 PM

I don't think it's a 'condition'. I would monitor it as any child who does this 'could' have been hit from above at some time or another. As a child, my mum used to whack me a lot from above and over time I developed a 'flinch' just as you describe. Took me years to grow out of it. This raises red flags for me

**clareelizabeth1** · 13-01-2016, 04:22 PM

It would raise alarm bells for me. Not many children or animals do his unless they have been hit repeatedly. My ds has been elbowed in the eye (by accident) only the once and apart from the pain no flinching. Whereas my dog we rescued was hit with tea towels by his previous owner and developed a flinch whenever anyone picked up material. When we first got him we could t even do the washing with him in the house. Flinching is definitely a learned behaviour from many encounters not just from an odd accident