The answer is C, normal reaction. Separation anxiety begins around 1 year and peaks at 18 months-- it is normal for a child to have anxiety about being separated from her parents. Crying for 10 minutes after being dropped off at daycare is not excessive, and having days where the separation is even more distressing for the child does not necessarily mean there is a disorder. The physician should explore the parents’ guilty feelings and then discuss normal development, with emphasis on separation anxiety being natural. B, Separation Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed when the patient’s anxiety far exceeds what would normally be expected at their developmental stage. This includes excessive worrying about separation or death of guardians, inability to sleep alone or be left alone, reluctance to go anywhere where separation occurs, nightmares about separation, and even more symptoms of excessive concern. Children can be diagnosed with A, generalized anxiety disorder, and medical students should recognize that children often present with somatic symptoms (headaches, stomachaches) accompanying their anxiety. This child is somewhat young for that diagnosis and appears happy otherwise. No stressful event has occurred nor are symptoms of PTSD present.

Publication reference : Beesdo K, Knappe S, Pine DS. Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Developmental Issues and Implications for DSM-V. The Psychiatric clinics of North America. 2009;32(3):483-524. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2009.06.002.
Reference URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3018839/