What could cause a child to be distant, wary of other people, and needing their own space?

They think the outside world, that they've seen on tv and heard about, is an exciting and huge place, and so they aren't interested in and dislike the environment and people around them. They don't know how to interact with people, and have prematurely developed sexual tendencies towards the opposite sex. The child is very young, around 4. What can cause these symptoms?What could cause a child to be distant, wary of other people, and needing their own space?
assuming it's not autism or aspergers (since the child exhibits sexual tendencies - an active bid for affection - unlike the majority of autism cases i've heard of), the child could be suffering from a mixture of abandonment issues, neglect and inappropriate attention.



if a child often feels rebuffed when s/he seeks affection or care, this could cause the child to withdraw. likewise, if the child suffered the abandonment of a loved one (typically a parent, but not always) s/he would also be wary of befriending new people, so as not to suffer similar pain in the future.



i remember showing sexually-charged attention to boys when i was young. we didn't know what we were doing, but i remember declaring five boys in my class were all my boyfriends and running them like a harem. (i was a very bossy kid.) i think i picked it up from watching my mum go through short-term relationships, boyfriend after boyfriend. i remember having to restrain myself from getting attached to any of these nice guys cause in a few months they'd be gone and a new one would take the old one's place. they never said goodbye to me when they went. it hurt a lot at the time, but eventually i got used to it. i think that's always been the root of my distant nature.



it basically boils down to an unstable family dynamic, where a kid can't count on some people hanging around. it hurts. and the pain stays long after everyone has left.What could cause a child to be distant, wary of other people, and needing their own space?
This question is impossible to answer without an entire family background and medical history. No eye contact - could be autism, could be abuse or the child could just be shy and will come out of his/herself later on...the list is endless. As for the sexual tendencies you need to be more specific - yes there could be sexual abuse - but impossible to tell without further information.
Personality disorder!
I was like that when I was small. I have a slight touch of Asperger's Syndrome. I think I'm learning better as I get older. The reason why people like the child you refer to and myself are distant from the outside world is because a lot of people just do not understand those with Asperger's Syndrome as they are shallow minded.
i dont know i have a 4 year old daughter and when me and her farther was in the deep heat of seperation she did witness some domestic violence that made her a little quiet and confussed and a bit wary of men and loud noise shouting ecti have worked very hard to put our lives back on track and she is a different person lovely bubbly full of life child .. but when you mention sexual side of things it is very concerning as a child at that age should know very little of sex i think anyway. i suggest keep a close eye on the family and seek profesional advice in the local directorieor because the truth is the sick world we live in today is that a lot of sick peadaphiles i pray she is not a victim good luck ..tough question that .