My bright, sensitive six year old son has been experiencing a lot of anxiety lately. At school he picks apart erasers and eats the pieces and was "caught" eating crayons as well. The kids made fun of him and he felt terrible. He feels the need to seek approval often, of teachers and of myself and husband; ie. if the class is reprimanded he gets up and asks the teacher if he was the one making trouble, if he is in trouble and if everything is okay. My son has always been a bit restless, he has a hard time sitting still, gets bored easily in school, but manages to get it under control. He doesn't have many friends and tends to play alone on the playground. He went to a football game with some of the guys from his class and got very upset that no one would give him the ball and then stood around picking his hands and almost sucking his thumb (which he never does). He has a very hard time keeping his hands to himself, always hugging friends and putting his arm around their neck. I feel like any correction I do regarding these behaviors just elevates his anxiety. He told me he has no idea why he does these things. I don't know what to do to improve the behaviors without upsetting him more. I don't know what's "normal behavior" anymore. he has great teachers and we work together, they let him hold a hacky sack in his hands now so that he won't be tempted by erasers. It's just every day, each morning I am confronted by this negative, defeatist attitude from my son. He's too smart for me to smile and say "hey, cheer up!", etc. He tries to figure out everything, every motivation, punishment, etc. I'm at my wits end sometimes and get angry, which he takes so much to heart. He's into every detail, so that if i change my mind on something or change a way of doing things he reminds me of the exact day and statement I made about something. Sorry to ramble, but I need advice I suppose. Are these behaviors "normal"? Should I be alarmed? Thanks.