Get me outta here!

8.03.2019

AUTISM AND SCHOOL ANXIETY: 13 TIPS TO HELP ASD KIDS COPE IN THE CLASSROOM

Children on the autism spectrum are more likely than their ‘neurotypical’ peers to experience anxiety, and when you consider all of the things a child with ASD copes with on a daily basis – communication challenges, sensory processing sensitivities, an inability to express their own emotions and understand the emotions of others, difficulty with transitions, poor impulse control, and problems with self-regulation – it’s hardly surprising that autism and school anxiety tend to go hand in hand.

Of course, it can be difficult to distinguish if the behaviors and reactions a child is exhibiting in the classroom are a result of their autism diagnosis, anxiety, or a combination of the two, but for the purposes of this post, we’ll focus on autism and school anxiety: what it looks like and how to help.

Autism and school anxiety

We’ve all experienced anxiety at some point in our lives – on the first day of school, during a job interview, when we’re getting ready for a first date, while giving an important presentation at work – and most of the time, these feelings are completely normal. Sometimes they’re even helpful as they ensure we prepare for important events in our life, and keep us safe in dangerous situations. But when anxiety lasts longer than it should and/or begins interfering with our daily functioning, an anxiety disorder could be to blame, and individuals with autism tend to struggle with anxious feelings more than others.
Unfortunately, anxiety and autism can be difficult to diagnosis as not everyone experiences the same symptoms, and some suffer more than others. As a general rule, however, kids with anxiety tend to exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:







0 Comment:

Post a Comment