At School
How can teachers support students with Anxiety Disorders?
What's Going On In the Brain?
Try This!
Dr. Henry Cloud suggests the LOG & DISPUTE method in order to combat spiralling thoughts. This method does require some higher order thinking, so it may be challenging for young students, or students who are unregulated. If you think the student is available to try this method though, have them begin by
1) LOG the negative thoughts/ feelings: have the student write down what they think will happen or what they feeling. Ex: I am going to fail this test. I won't do well enough to get a good grade. I won't be able to get into a good school.
2) DISPUTE the thoughts: have the student provide logical reasons as to why this won't come about. Ex: I got an excellent mark on my last two tests. My teacher lets me redo tests if I do poorly. My mark in the course is already high enough that if I do poorly on this test it won't affect my mark too much.
Additional Resources:
Setting Students Up For Success
Here is a useful checklist to provide some guidance as you plan for teaching anxious students:
-Meet with parents early in the year or before school starts to discuss the student' strengths, symptoms, triggers, successful strategies from home or in the community
-Discuss with parents if any medication the child is taking has possible side effects
-Talk to qualified professionals to help you learn about anxiety, and make informed decisions as you support anxious students
-Collaborate with others at your school to help meet the needs of anxious students (counsellor, child development professionals, etc.)
-Make a plan to efficiently share progress & effective strategies of anxious students with all those who should be aware (other teachers who instruct the child, etc.)
-Work alongside the student & their parents to help transition between grades
-Speak with the student to develop trust, and come up with a way for them to signal you if they are becoming distressed
-Implement a consistent routine in the classroom, and make the learning environment predictable. Warn student if changes or transitions are about to occur.
-Watch students' behaviour for signs that they are feeling anxious. Keep track of these behaviours to identify what situations are inducing stress for the child.
-Work with the student to choose strategies for reducing anxiety. Strategies may include such things as:
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moving to a quiet place
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doing relaxation exercises
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doing visualization exercises (e.g., imagining both the anxiety-producing situation and a solution)
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focusing on a sensory input like a squeeze ball
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using visual reminders, cues and/or prompts
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debriefing with a teacher or other person the student trusts
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using humour or other distractions.
-Allow the student to have movement breaks, as well as opportunities to get up and move around the class when needed
-Provide a variety of sensory tools for the student to choose from (stress balls, art supplies, quiet corner, etc.)
-Allow students to listen to music of their choice through headphones.
-Approach students from the front to avoid startling them.
Information taken from Learn Alberta:
Anxiety is not just a weakness;
it can be a strength too!
What anxious children bring to the classroom
Anxiety disorders, while they do present challenges, are not all bad. The majority of children with anxiety have an average or above average IQ. They are accustomed to looking to the future, and can envision cause & effect relationships. They can be hyper vigilant, sometimes to the wrong thing, but nevertheless they can, at times, be very tuned in. They seek clarity and want to understand what is happening. because of this, they tend to thrive in structured environments and benefit from schedules. They will likely be very invested in the timetable at school.
Areas Requiring Support
There are some areas where children with Anxiety Disorders may require additional support while at school. It is important to be mindful of these when working alongside such students. Some areas to consider are:
Perfectionism
One of the main concerns of children with anxiety is the fear that they will not be able to do "good enough". Sometimes, inadvertently, we praise examples fo student work that are error free. In doing so, we promote absence of mistakes, rather than praise the hard work and effort that went into the product. Consider showcasing rough drafts, and work in progress. Praise students for correcting their mistakes, and for working through something they found difficult. Be mindful of this when providing praise to the anxious students especially.
Uncertainty
Students with anxiety disorders tend to interpret that which is vague to be negative. They can become anxious if they do not know what to anticipate. One tool that can put their minds at ease is having the schedule for the day displayed in the classroom, so they can check what is coming up next. Routines and consistency can make the experience of coming to school much less stressful for these individuals. If there is going to be an event which is out of the ordinary such as a fire drill, guest speaker, or assembly you may find it beneficial to warn the anxious students ahead of time.
Following instruction, you may want to check in with anxious students to ensure they know what is expected of them. Being clear and explicit can help put their minds at ease.
References:
Anxiety Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/inmdict/html/anxiety_disorders.html
Erk, Robert R. (2008). Counselling Treatment for Children and Adolescents with DSM-IV-TR Disorders. Pearson Education. Pp. 216-252.
Hay, Dale F. (2019). Emotional Development from Infancy to Adolescence: Pathways to Emotional Competence and Emotional Problems. Routeledge. Pp. 53-69.
Henry Cloud: Reversing the Death Spiral of a Leader. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.whatsbestnext.com/2013/08/henry-cloud-reversing-the-death-spiral-of-a-leader/
Kaufman, Christopher. (2010). Executive Function in the Classroom, Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Mash, Eric J. and Wolfe, David A. (2019). Abnormal Child Psychology. Cengage. Pp. 356-401.
Simon, E., & Verboon, P. (2016). Psychological Inflexibility and Child Anxiety. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 25(12), pp. 3565–3573. https://doi-org.ezproxy.acnuc.talonline.ca/10.1007/s10826-016-0522-6
Executive Function & Anxiety
Because children dealing with anxiety are experiencing what Christopher Kaufman calls an amygdala hijack (2010), this means that the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain largely in charge of executive functioning, may not be capable of doing its job. During a panic attack, for example, this is certainly the case. A child experiencing a panic attack will likely display a lack of any executive function skills in that moment. However, there are a few key aspects of executive function that may be difficult for anxious students around the clock.
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Set Shifting: Anxious children are known for their love of routine, schedule, and rule-following. They may require support if they are expected to transition unexpectedly or their routine is disrupted. Giving students lots of warning to upcoming change in activity or schedule helps them take the extra time they need to prepare. Simon & Verboon (2016) also demonstrate that anxious students also tend to have little cognitive flexibility, which may look like having rigid rules, guidelines or beliefs and being resistant to changing these.
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Working Memory: Anxious children are using up some of their working memory to worry, and therefore may have less working memory space available to hold onto other information. Finding ways to download information out of their working memory is a good practice.
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Emotional Control: Anxiety is a mood disorder, and is obvious linked to struggles control ones' emotion, particularly the emotion of fear. It is not that anxious children don't want to control their emotions, but Anxiety Disorders are characterized by the inability to manage these intense emotions.