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Back to School Jitters
By Nina Bronk Kellner
As the summer, along
with sleeping late, lounging by the pool, and going to camp, winds to a close,
life begins to take structure again. The days before the beginning of a new
school year are characterized by both the joy of buying fresh, clean school
supplies and new school clothes as well as by the apprehension of going back
to school. Usually, with these back-to-school jitters, parental support and
getting back into the school routine are enough to dispel any lingering uneasiness.
However, a child sometimes
experiences more than just normal apprehension. They refuse to go to school
or have trouble staying at school once there. Refusing to go or to stay at
school has serious consequences on developing socialization skills, self-confidence,
coping skills as well as education. While school-based anxiety differs among
age groups, it affects about 3 to 5% of all school-age children and usually
has to do with separation anxiety, fear of a teacher or peer, and anxieties
over school performance and making friends.
Parents and caregivers
can help children develop coping strategies that will help them not only deal
with school anxieties but also with other times of stress. One way to teach
children that time will ease the anxiety and fear is to expose anxious young
children to school in small degrees, increasing exposure slowly over time.
Eventually, this will help the child realize that there is nothing to fear
and that nothing bad will happen despite their feelings that it will. Other
ways to prepare your anxious child include:
-
Speaking
to your child about his/her fears because encouraging verbalization of the
fears will help reduce them;
-
Emphasizing
the positive aspects of going to school, like being with friends, learning
a favorite subject, and playing at recess;
-
Arranging
a one-on-one with the child's new teacher in an informal setting away from
the classroom; and
-
Meeting
with the school guidance counselor for extra support and direction.
Remember, while the
fear of going to school is treatable and curable, getting control of the fear
does take effort on the part of both the child and parent. Finding and getting
to the bottom of a child's fears and then working to dispel those worries
will serve the child in countless ways throughout their lives.
Common school fears
to look for include:
-
Being separated
from caregivers
-
Riding on the
bus
-
Eating in the
cafeteria
-
Using the school
bathroom
-
Being called on
in class
-
Changing for gym
-
Interacting with
other children or teacher
-
Being picked on
by peers or older children
When is it time
to call the doctor?
According to Dr. Daniel
Pine, a psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health and a member
of ADAA's Scientific Advisory Board, "parents of a child not making it
to school, or even missing just one day, because of anxiety, should speak
with their child's pediatrician or consider getting an evaluation by a mental
health professional." Physical and emotional signs of anxiety in children
manifest in many different ways. If you think your child may have an anxiety
disorder but are unsure of what to look for, start by answering the following
questions. Make sure to discuss your answers, and other issues, with your
child's physician.
- Does your child seem out of step
with peers?
- Has your child's eating habits/appetite
(sleeping, general mood) changed?
- Has your child's schoolwork suffered?
Are his/her grades falling?
- Does your child seem to have
less energy? Has his/her activity level changed?
- How are your child's relationships
with family and friends?
- Does your child show signs of
aggressive behavior?
- Has your child regressed to behavior
of a younger child?
- Where is your child on age-appropriate,
developmental milestones, such as speech and language?
-
Catch a Falling
Star, Gayle Grass
-
Helping Students
Overcome Depression and Anxiety, Kenneth Merrell
-
Helping Your Anxious
Child: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents, Ronald Rapee, Ph. D., Susan Spence,
Ph. D., Vanessa Cobham, Ph. D., Ann Wignall, M. Psych
-
Freeing Your Child
from Anxiety: Powerful, Practical Solutions to Overcome your Child's Fears,
Worries, and Phobias, Tamar E. Chansky, Ph.D.
-
What to do When
You're Scared & Worried: A Guide for Kids, James J. Crist
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