School and Anxiety
| January 7, 2010 | Posted by Brenda under ADD |
Does your child put up a huge fuss about going to school? Not the usual kind – most kids don’t want to go to school now and then. I’m talking about a real issue here.
I once had a friend whose son had ADHD. Shortly after he started high school, he began making excuses why he couldn’t go that day. It got to the point that he made himself physically ill. He and his mother spent months working with professionals to get him to a comfort level so that he could return to school. At the root of all the trouble was anxiety.
My youngest daughter Caitlin had a similar reaction to high school, although not as severe. Hers actually centered around an audition she had to do to get into the dramatic arts program. She was still in middle school at the time, but had to go to the high school to audition for the coming year.
She was terrified to walk past the kids lined up at the bus stop waiting to go home. Yes, the kid who had no fears about going onstage and performing was terrified to walk past some 9th graders. She managed to do it, though, because the audition meant that much to her.
Kids, especially those with ADHD, can get anxious around a new experience, like going from elementary school to middle school, or middle school to high school.
Kids with ADHD – more prone to anxiety – may certainly be more anxious than a child who does not have anxiety or ADHD and they are more likely to develop those anxieties at times when it seems as though everything is fine.
As parents, we can’t be there with our kids throughout the day. They have to navigate school by themselves, which is as it should be. But that means that we have no real idea of what goes on in their day other than what they (or the school) shares with us. An event that someone else wouldn’t think twice about can affect them more than we realize.
If your child suddenly starts protesting doing something that has always been a normal part of their life, you certainly need to take a closer look and to decide whether or not anxiety is a part.
Start small, by talking to them. Be gentle and compassionate and coax what you can from them. That may be all that’s needed. If that isn’t enough, you may want to go to the school and talk to the teachers, maybe even some of your child’s friends.
If the anxiety persists, however, you may want to involve a professional.
Above all, be sure to take swift action. Anxiety is miserable to live with and it can affect learning. Treat it seriously and as soon as possible.
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Great post Brenda. Couldn’t be more timely on my end. Anxiety became school avoidance, which in turn became school refusal, for my 12 year old son. For parents beginning to see signs of anxiety in their kids – don’t underestimate how “real” this can become for your child. As Brenda states, seek help early on if it persists. Thanks again.
Unfortunately chest pain and nervousness go hand in hand 80% of nervousness sufferers report sharp chest discomfort during their nervousness attack.
Not a bad post, I’ve retweeted it on twitter for you
No need to thank me!