Significant advances have been made in assessment methods and age - appropriate diagnostic criteria for emotional disorders in young children.29 - 31
Differentiation between
symptoms of individual anxiety disorders (e.g., separation anxiety, generalized anxiety) has been found as early as two years of age.6 One novel assessment tool for children aged 3 - 5, the Preschool Anxiety Scale — Revised, captures these various dimensions of anxiety
symptoms.32 In
addition, attentional bias
to threat has been identified as a possible candidate for assessment of risk for anxiety disorders.33