Anxiety

At any stage in the school year and at any age, children can find going to school difficult.

Signs may include feeling sick or complaining about stomachaches or headaches. They may get angry or upset. They may refuse to get dressed and ready for school.

Not all children will outwardly display their anxieties in the school environment.

Some of the reasons a child might be anxious include:

• Sensory, e.g. noisy classes, light, smells

• Unstructured times, e.g. playground, break and lunch

• Bullying/ peer pressure/ problems with friends

• Struggling with school work. For example: A child may be experiencing learning difficulties such as dyslexia which make them feel like they are no good at school. This can lead to behaviour that says: “it’s better to mess about and have fun rather than be shown up for finding schoolwork difficult”.

• Transition periods, e.g. starting a new class, school, lesson/ activity, leaving the home environment

Avoiding things that make your child anxious

Some parents find their children’s distress at going to school so hard to bear they keep them at home, to avoid daily upsets. It may seem like a solution, but doing this will confirm your child’s fears about school and can make the problems much worse. It is really important to address these issues with the school and work together.

In the short term avoiding things that make your child anxious will make your child feel better but is not a long term solution.

Here are some things that can really help: 

1. Tackle it early – the longer anxiety about school persists, the deeper it becomes. Seek professional help from your GP. 

2. Talk to your child, listen to their fears and respect their feelings. Acknowledge how they are feeling.

3. Try out practical strategies that help them to be in control of their anxiety. For example:

   • make a ‘worry box’ where at a certain time each day they write down their worry, post it in the box, close the lid and don't worry any more about it that day.

   • Use ‘worry dolls’

   • Support the child in engaging in anxiety-reducing activities like sports, a creative hobby or a club.

   • Model appropriate ways to tackle anxieties and stresses in your life.

4. Talk to the school – make them aware of what is going on and agree on strategies to make things easier. This could include things like a flexible start time, being greeted by a familiar adult, a buddy, and regular check-ins on progress. 

5. Try to reduce your child’s fear of failure and disappointment. Help them to have realistic expectations and to recognise that failure, mistakes and disappointments happen to everyone and it’s ok. Highlight your own mistakes and errors.

6. Address their learning needs and access appropriate support.

7. Make sure their routines are consistent, including time for regular meals, homework, bedtime and fun.

The goal is not to eliminate anxiety but to help your child manage their anxiety.

Guide to anxiety in autism

https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/466039/Anxiety-in-Autism-A5-guide.pdf

#anxiety in school

#anxiety in autism

Sarah Winstanley, SaLT

Communication Lincs Ltd …. because Speech Therapy Matters