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Vol. 8, Spring 2005
Children with High Anxiety
by
Martie Kendrick, M.Ed.
The University of Maine
The University of Maine
Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies
Teachers and parents want to relate in caring and meaningful ways with
children, including those who exhibit challenging behavior. Sometimes it
is difficult to understand the things a child does, or the reasons why
a child is disorganized or upset. Understanding the role anxiety
plays may help parents and teachers effectively respond when a child is
struggling to cope with new or stressful situations.
Children may exhibit high anxiety states for a number of reasons. For
some children, it is the result of traumatic experiences.
Hyper-vigilance, increased sensitivity to environmental stimuli,
generalized anxiety, and emotional reactivity are common responses to
trauma in early childhood. Children with developmental delays and
neurological differences may also exhibit similar characteristics, even
if they have not experienced trauma.
If a child is experiencing high anxiety, for whatever reason, his or her
body is telling the child that he or she is not safe. Our job as parents,
teachers, and caring adults is to help the child regain a sense of safety
and comfort. All children do not respond to the same interventions in
similar ways. In fact, something that calms one child may have the
opposite effect on another. Therefore, to effectively support a
child with anxiety, we must know the child well and develop a
caring relationship with him or her. The child-adult relationship is
the foundation upon which all interventions are built.
Following are some things to consider when supporting children with high anxiety.
Do a reality check:
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How is your relationship with the child?
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Are you able to attain attention/engagement?
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Do you know which toys or activities the child enjoys and is motivated by?
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How do you/can you have fun with the child?
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Where and when is the child’s affect positive?
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What calms and comforts the child? Incorporate these things into the child’s day; know the child’s personal signs that anxiety is building and intervene before a meltdown occurs.
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Identify the stressors. How can the child be supported around these activities or times of day?
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Relationships can be enhanced by following the child’s lead, considering the child’s preferences and motivations, and interacting with a high degree of social responsiveness.
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Take note of the child’s anxiety level upon entering the room: children’s neurological status may fluctuate daily or hourly. Adapt your supports to meet the child’s need.
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A high level of structure, consistency, and predictability in the environment and routines may initially be a necessity for the child to feel safe. Be alert for times when flexibility can be added or built into the day or situation. It’s important to avoid the conditions that perpetuate social and cognitive inflexibility. Many children are predisposed to interacting, learning, and behaving in inflexible ways due to the very nature of their disability or behavioral condition.
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Offer “manageable” choices throughout the day to support the child’s self-determination and flexibility
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Use times when the child is more relaxed/more highly regulated and thus more available for learning to teach strategies for coping with stress.
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Try relaxation strategies such as deep breathing; counting to 10; finding a quiet place; holding a squeeze ball or sensory “fidget;” listening to music with headphones, etc. Remind children of these alternatives if anxiety starts to mount.
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Some children will respond more favorably to physical activity than quiet spaces. If this is the case, consider offering more outside time or a vigorous activity space within the classroom (i.e. a mini-trampoline with handlebars).
Due to their volatility, children with high anxiety are still quite
dependent on external controls, including daily routines; environmental
structures and cues; and teacher/parent supports. It is important that
teachers and parents recognize that high anxiety can quickly lead to
emotional crisis in children. Children are unlikely to respond to adult
interventions at this point. Demanding compliance, talking at, setting
limits, or restating the rules are not appropriate interventions for a
child living in perpetual fear. Adults need to engage areas of the
brain that correspond to the child’s emotional state. Interventions that
may be effective with a child in a high anxiety state include demonstrations of
empathy; soft, calm voice; slow, deliberate demeanor; and relaxed body
language.
Teachers and parents want to understand and have strategies that support
the complex needs of all children. Responses that are caring and
individualized for each child can lead to better outcomes for all.
Resources:
Bailey, B. (2001). Conscious Discipline (Rev. ed.). Oviedo, FL:
Loving Guidance, Inc.
Lott, D.A. (1998). Brain Development, Attachment and Impact on Psychic
Vulnerability. Psychiatric Times [Electronic version], 15(5), 130.
Prizant, B.M., Wetherby, A.M., Rubin, E., Laurent, C., & Rydell, P.
(2004). The SCERTSTM Model: Enhancing Communication and Socioemotional
Abilities of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Baltimore, MD:
Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Schore A.N. (1996). Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self: The
Neurobiology of Emotional Development. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence
Earlbaum.
Sheridan, M.K., Foley, G.M., & Radlinkski, S.H. (1995). Using the
Supportive Play Model: Individualized Intervention in Early Childhood
Practice. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
© 2005 The University of Maine Center
for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Maine's University
Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and
Service
5717 Corbett Hall Orono, ME 04469-5717
Phone: 207/581-1084 (V/TTY) Toll Free 800/203-6957
Fax: 207/581-1231
ccidsmail@umit.maine.edu
http://www.ccids.umaine.edu/
