Problems of Self-Regulation in Children: A Longitudinal Case Study of a Child from Infancy to Adulthood

Parents and professionals have often puzzled over the importance of early regulatory problems in young children and their impact on the developing child. Most normal young infants show irregularities in negotiating sleep cycles, digestion, and self-calming which usually resolve around six months of age. However, some infants and children show persistent problems in sleep, self-consoling, feeding, and mood regulation (i.e., fussiness, irritability) which don’t resolve and may continue through life. As the infant grows into the toddler and childhood years, problems often become more evident. Difficulties with self-consoling, sleep, eating, attention, sensory processing, intolerance for change, a hyper-alert state of arousal, and mood regulation (i.e., irritability, anxiety and depression) often occur. Children experiencing these symptoms have been termed regulatory disordered [1-3]. When the regulatory disorder persists over time, the child may become diagnosed with disorders including bipolar or mood disorder, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, eating or sleep disorder, attention deficit disorder, and sometimes, post-traumatic stress disorder. Since children with these behaviors are commonly observed in clinical practice, it is important to understand the symptoms underlying the regulatory disorder and how early problems with self-regulation impact later development, adaptive behaviors, and interpersonal relationships.