Could this have been a night terror

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Could this have been a night terror

Posted by searching on February 15, 2005 at 23:30:53:
I would like your opinion. I have a friend whose son, an 11 year old, was found outside either asleep or unconscious after the dad woke up to find their outside door wide open and the son not in his bed. They had been searching for him when his brother found him laying spralled out flat on his face on the ground. It took him awhile to wake him up and he immediately began crying and shaking. It was very cold outside and they do not know how long he was out there. He was not curled up in a postion to keep warm. He was found behind a shed in the wooded area in their back yard. After they got him into the house he told his parents a man with a mask and a gun had come into his room and woke him up and whispered to him to get on a shirt. Then he put tape on his mouth and made him walk to the door. He said the man hit him in the stomach and on the head. He didn't remember anything else. They called the police and the police told him if he didn't tell the truth he would lock him and his dad in prison (great way with kids-huh) then they told him he had only dreamed it all (again-great with kids-not). They checked the area for evidence but couldn't find any. The only key to that door other than the inside keys, was kept in a shed and when they went to look for it, it was missing. They took the boy to the doctor, the doctor said it was possible it was a night terror, the boy had also been running a fever from a virus but not a high fever and had taken medicine to bring it down before going to bed. When they came back home, they found the key they had been looking for on the chest in the parents bedroom. The dog threw up all day, and they wondered if the dog had been drugged and that was the reason she had not barked if indeed, there was a real abduction. Both the dad and his brother who lives next door, get up very early in the morning to go to work, before five, and start their cars to warm them up, so they also wonder if getting up and turning on lights may have scared the abductor away, if there was one. The parents did some research and found that you don't usually recall what the night terror was or remember what happened to you when you sleep walk. They are not sure if he dreamed it or if this really happened. The son has never had a problem with his sleep before this and he doesn't have a habit of lies nor is he a problem child. He is a great kid, athletic, and always pretty happy and even tempered. I don't know that they would have even thought this was a dream type episode if it had not been for the policeman who suggested it. What advice would you give them?

Follow Ups:

Re: Could this have been a night terror paf 07:00 2/25/05 (0)

Re: Could this have been a night terror Charlie 16:20 2/17/05 (1)

Re: Could this have been a night terror searching 17:34 2/17/05 (0)

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Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.