Fall 2007
Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Volume 5 Issue 1
Anxiety Disorders and Children
We all have experienced occasions when we
feel anxious or worried, like the first day of school as a
new teacher or taking exams in college. Did you know
that anxiety disorder is the most common mental
health condition in children and adolescents? Anxiety
disorder is a medical condition that causes people to
feel persistently, and uncontrollably worried over a
long period of time. Anxiety disorder may result in
feelings of considerable distress in a variety of settings,
such as school, with friends, at home, at church and
during recreational activities. This disorder may
significantly effect your students ability to engage in a
variety of activities.
Children with anxiety disorder are often
preoccupied with worries about their success on
classroom assignments and their ability to gain the
approval of others. In addition, students with anxiety
disorder may experience persistent thoughts of self
doubt that they are unable to control. Many children
with anxiety disorder consistently criticize themselves.
In your classroom, a student with anxiety disorder may
appear to be inflexible or excessively worried about
conforming to the school rules. Many times children
with anxiety disorder appear to be shy when in reality
they are preoccupied with worry.
2. Social Anxiety Disorder- Students with Social
Anxiety Disorder experience intense fear in social
and performance situations. Children with Social
Anxiety Disorder are not just shy. They experience
symptoms such as sweating, racing heart, stomach
ache, dizziness and crying.
3. Selective Mutism- Children who refuse to speak in
situations where speech is expected or necessary
might be experiencing selective mutism. It is
important to note that students school behavior
may be in sharp contrast to their home behavior.
A child may be selectively mute at school but at
home the same child may be talkative and even
boisterous.
4. School Refusal/Avoidance- School refusal is
diagnosed when a child refuses to go to school on a
regular basis or has a problem staying at school
once he/she is there. It is usually marked by
certain fears related to school such as being
separated from caregivers, riding the bus,
interacting with classmates or teachers or being
picked on by peers or older students.
*Based on information from the Anxiety Disorders Association of
American, www.adaa.org
4 Types of Anxiety Disorders
According to the Anxiety Disorder Association of
America students typically exhibit 4 primary types of
anxiety disorders: Separation Anxiety Disorder, Social
Anxiety Disorder, Selective Mutism and School
Refusal/Avoidance.
1. Separation Anxiety Disorder – Children with
separation anxiety disorder have difficulty leaving
their parents to attend school. It is not uncommon
for these children to have fears regarding their
parents health and safety when they are not
together.
The following is a list of characteristics a child with
anxiety disorder may exhibit at school:
 Excessive worry and anxiety about a variety of
matters
 Repeated seeking of teacher approval
 An inability to explain worries (children may not
understand why they feel so anxious)
 Inability to stop the worry
 Difficulty transitioning from home to school (late
arrival times, long and tearful drop offs, and crying
during school)
 Refusal or reluctance to attend school
 Avoidance of academic and peer activities
 Self criticism and low self esteem
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Difficulty paying attention and concentrating
Other anxiety disorders (social phobias, separation
anxiety, or panic disorder)
Side effects from medication (thirst, excitability,
sleepiness)
There are many ways that schools can support
students with anxiety disorder. Meetings between the
parents, teachers, counselors and nurses may help in
developing successful school and classroom
accommodations to meet the students’ needs.
Some possible accommodations to be considered in
a school and classroom setting are:
 Establish check-ins on arrival to facilitate transition
into school.
 Accommodate late arrival due to difficulty with
transitions.
 Allow extra time for moving to another location or
activity due to student difficulty with transitions.
 Identify a “safe place” where the child may go to
reduce anxiety during stressful periods.
 Develop relaxation techniques, such as deep
breathing, to help reduce anxiety at school.
 Provide the student alternative calming activities,
such reading or listening to music, to distract the
child from physical symptoms.
 Above all, teach the child the importance of prayer
and encourage him/her to pray to help reduce
anxiety.
 Encourage small group activities.
 Provide assistance with peer interactions.
 Encourage the child to help develop interventions
for themselves.
 Reward the child’s efforts and successes.
*Information adapted from publication provided by Massachusetts
General Hospital, School Psychiatry Program and Madi Resource
Center, www.massgeneral.org/schoolpsychiatry
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:3
Did You Know?
Anxiety-based school refusal affects 2 to 5 percent of
school-aged children. It is most often found in children
between the ages of five and six and ten and eleven.
School refusal is common during times of transition,
such as graduating from elementary to middle school
and middle to high school.
*Based on information from Anxiety Disorders Association of America,
www.adaa.org
Resources
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
www.adaa.org
Nonverbal Learning Disorders
www.nldline.com
National Mental Health Information Center
www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov
Selective Mutism Foundation, Inc.
www.selectivemutismfoundation.org
Transition Reminder
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Elementary/Middle Grades
Call parents of students with special needs to
discuss student’s adjustment to the new grade
Review student files to obtain
accommodation/modification information
Meet with parents to adjust the transition plan if
necessary
High School
Talk with the resource teacher or counselor to
discuss any concerns you have regarding the
student
Review student files to obtain
accommodation/modification information
Upcoming Training Opportunities
Student Improvement Team Training
October 11 & 12, 2007
Shawnee Mission's Indian Creek Tech Center
To register go to www.studentimprovementteam.org
*37th Annual Learning Disabilities Assoc.
Conference
November 9, 2007
Marriott Hotel, Overland Park, Kansas
For more information go to www.ldakansas.org
*Making Sense of Sensory Processing Disorder
October 25, 2007
Capper Foundation-Easter Seals, Topeka
For more information go to
www.capper.easterseals.com
*This is not to be considered an endorsement of these in-services,
merely a listing of upcoming in-service opportunities.