Some of those fears have intensified.
How can you help your child who may be displaying signs of worry or expressing concerns?
- Let them talk. Be sure you give them time to finish before you jump in with advice.
- Don't brush them off. Offer help and resources.
- Tell about a time when you had similar problems, what you did, and how things turned out.
- Hide your own anxiety--if you cry or appear upset, this will increase your child's negative emotions.
- Don't take their problems on yourself--help them learn problem solving skills
- Set up a structure to help them remember papers and homework.
- Have them attend tutorials before and after school for extra help.
- If they choose not to do their assignments, provide consequences such as a removal of privileges.
- If you need to meet with the teacher, don't go in "attack mode".
- Remember that their whole future doesn't hinge on one assignment.
- If things don't seem to improve, see the school counselor or a mental health professional.
- Remind your child of the positive aspects of their school experience.
How do you help your child cope with school anxiety?
* Remember- even with our kiddies with special needs, Anxiety very seldom has no cause. I often find that a quiet, happy personal evening with the child can get them to let you probe with gentle questions... With my 10th grader, it was the stress is living in a high-school world, but feeling much less grown up inside- she felt a desperate need to remember the love and support of home during the day. So we set up some hidden mnemonics for her to keep with her- 1st we put a little braid in one front lock of her long hair- it just looks like her personal fashion statement, but we call it her "mommy loves me" braid, and she grasps it when she is extra stressed. My Jr. high son can't do that, so we found a para-cord bracelet for him to mean the same thing. As stress escalated this year with the work load increase- I learned how to make those para-cord bracelets, and added symbolic beads for constant reminders (a smile, a clear bead to represent "breathe slow", a heart, another "breathe", and one of their choice. (pictures if you want) It helps them stay centered and move thru a panic attack on their own most of the time.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas--thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete