Anxiety

How do we support children with Anxiety?

Severe anxiety can also be a key element in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This sees a young person excessively preoccupied by certain thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive actions (compulsions).

Other signs of an anxiety disorder can include difficulties with concentrating or sleeping, frequent crying or tantrums, plus negative thoughts. A child may also reveal their anxiety by setting themselves hard-to-achieve expectations for schoolwork, homework or sports performance.

Because anxiety can also be a ‘normal’ part of life, however, it can be difficult to obtain a diagnosis even when it manifests in a form that constitutes special educational needs (SEN). Anxiety behaviours – particularly ‘bad behaviour’ – can also be confused with other conditions, such as Oppositional Defiance Disorder.

Being immersed in worries can mean a child is distracted in class, which can then be mistaken for a condition like ADHD. Learning problems caused by anxiety-induced issues can also lead to a child being mistaken as having some kind of learning disability.

Matters are made more complicated by the fact that children who are anxious don’t always know that their feelings are due to anxiety. They just know that they don’t like how they feel – but don’t know how to make the feelings stop. Anxiety’s varied expressions therefore mean a careful assessment of needs should be made.

What you can do?

How you help a child suffering with severe anxiety will depend on how their problems manifest. If a child is struggling to complete schoolwork, teachers and parents can work together to ease anxiety levels in various ways.

Including:

• Promoting relaxation techniques, and ensuring a child takes regular breaks
• Allowing students extra time to do work
• Providing manageable daily schedules to help to work through tasks
• Modifying or reducing workloads
• Checking assignments are clearly explained and written down in an easy-to-grasp form
• Encouraging school attendance through things like reduced timetables or modified class schedules

Talking approaches

Talking to a child showing signs of severe anxiety can also be very useful. Here are some suggestions:

• Ask your child what’s worrying them
  Focus on listening and providing emotional support, and reassure them that you can work together to make things better. You can find our tips on starting a conversation with your child here.
• Talk to them about changes that could be madeThis could be at school, home or in their daily routine to help them feel less worried. This could involve spending time with particular friends, listening to music, reading, playing sport, drawing, playing a favourite game, or watching a favourite film or TV show.
• Reach out to their school as early as you canThis will help to avoid things building up. Work with their teachers and pastoral team to come up with agreed strategies to help improve the situation.
• Start a 'worry journal'Something that your child can carry around easily, where they can write down a worry as it appears to get it out of their head. For younger children, you can create a ‘worry box’ where you can help your child write down their worry to post into the box. Once in the box, the idea is that the child can then try not to give the worry any more thought for a specific period. Then, at a good time, you can take out the worry to discuss with the child.