How can you tell if your child is having an imaginary friend or if they’re being abused by someone nearby?

My son is 4. He just started preschool this month. His teacher said that he’s had imaginary friends the entire time he’s been there and that he talks to them and sits next to them in class. They are usually named after superheroes, like Spiderman or Superman. I asked if she thinks he’s okay at home and she said that he seemed nervous and that I should be careful and watch for signs of child abuse. I didn’t want to be paranoid but I’m wondering how to tell if his imaginary friends are just that, or if there’s more going on. <br><br>UPDATE: thank you all for your responses! I had a meeting with his teacher and a few other staff members today and told them about the responses I got here. They seemed to think it was probably imaginary friends and they said that they hadn’t really seen anything out of the ordinary with his classmates or the teacher assigned to watch them. I think it’s probably just that but I’m going to do a bit more research and maybe talk to a few pediatricians about it. I appreciate the help everyone gave me, even if it wasn’t the answer I was hoping for.