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Resources to Help a Child with Anxiety to Thrive & Succeed

The Best Way to Help Your Child with Anxiety

Discover resources, ideas, and thoughts about parenting an anxious child. Learn the impact on effective functioning skills, social & emotional development, and sensory processing integration.

Furthermore, learn how SPD & Anxiety are related within the context of parenting a gifted child and how practicing mindfulness can help mitigate some issues with the nervous system.

Learn More about Anxiety in Kids

Anxiety in Kids – What Parents Need to Know & How to Help

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Anxiety in kids is a lot more common than we adults acknowledge. So I decided to start writing a bit more about anxiety and how it manifests in kids' behavior. Believe it or not even toddlers and babies experience anxiety.

I have a child who suffers a great deal from anxiety. His anxiety manifests in OCD type behavior where he asks the same question again and again. It also shows up in explosive behavior at home. He has trouble sitting in any uncertain situation or in any lull of activity. 

Anxiety in Kids

One important point is that a child's worries are not immediately recognized by an adult. A kid's view and experience in the world vary from an adult. So, understanding anxiety in kids requires us to recognize the signs and behaviors. Furthermore, it also requires us to shift our perspective.

Anxiety in Kids – What Parents Need to Know

Kids may worry about grades, fitting in at school, or soccer practice cancellation. My son worries about how to fill up his time. In other words, one of his favorite phrases is “I'm bored” when he feels this anxiety. Most kids recover by going ride a bike or building with legos. Yet, anxious kids can get stuck.
 
Most kids’ worries come and go. In other words, kids forget their fears as they find activities to fill the void. For example, a typical child may choose a board game, work on homework, or find a friend.

Child Anxiety Symptoms

The Harvard Health Blog writes“Anxious children may be clingy, startle easily, cry or have tantrums, sleep poorly, and have headaches or stomachaches. But anxiety is not all bad.”
 
I appreciate the last part of the quote. Anxiety often comes alongside extreme intelligence and creativity, or other positive attributes. Gifted children often struggle a great deal with anxiety.
 
Some children’s anxiety is more persistent. Distraction doesn't work for these kids. Their fears distract them from becoming engaged in life. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the anxiety that will not go away and has no clear source. When a child has suffered in this way for a period of six months or longer, he may have GAD. 

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Children suffering from anxiety feel excessive worry not focussed on one trigger. Their worry may range from mild to debilitating. Also, they cannot tell that their worry is out of proportion to reality. 
 
A combination of physical and environmental factors cause generalized anxiety. According to mayoclinic.com, the brain's balance of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine is the key to anxiety.
 
Genetic predisposition to anxiety can also lead to illness, as can trauma and stress.  Usually, several factors work together to trigger the condition.  A combination of psychotherapy and medication is the most effective treatment for sufferers of GAD. 
 
You can take steps to help your child with her anxiety symptoms. Create a trigger list and come up with “go-to” solutions to help ease anxiety. For example, reading about kids with anxiety and meditation may help a child deal with these intense emotions. Click here for some amazing ways to meditate with kids.
 
With that said, a combination of professional treatment and work at home is the best approach. Helping your child maintain a stable and healthy lifestyle will help her emotions.
little boy tired exhausted stressed of reading, doing homework

How to Help a Child with Anxiety

Adequate sleep is crucial for regulating anxiety. Stabilizing your child’s blood sugar levels can also help. Frequent small meals with limited sugar and adequate protein is the key. Exercise will help your child burn off excess adrenaline and calm his body. 
 
Your response to your child’s anxiety can also help her cope with her disorder. Remember that she has little control over her worry and that she cannot “stop.” Understand that learning new patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving will take time.
 
Take your child’s expressed emotions at face-value. She is feeling a strong emotion, not dramatizing or manipulating. Confirm and acknowledge the intense emotions. Consider asking questions about how she feels, physically and emotionally, at that moment.
 
Generalized anxiety disorder is a heavy burden for a child to carry. With professional help and support, that burden will lift and a child can learn to experience a typical childhood. 

More about Anxiety in Kids

Why Asking Simple Opened Ended Questions Matters

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It seems that none of us have to work hard to concentrate or to pay attention these days. That is not to say that our attention span or our ability to focus is above average.

Quite the contrary, these skills have likely declined since the advent of the smartphone and video games, especially. I've written in the past about how to encourage scientific thinking and how to encourage, well, thinking, generally with open-ended questions.

Why Asking Simple Questions Matters

Ask Simple Questions

This thinking brings me to something I read recently by the author Neil Gaiman about a visit to his young daughter's class. She was seven years old at the time and eventually, a child asked the inevitably “question to ask an author” question.

I cannot possibly do Mr. Gaiman's writing justice so I've included the excerpt below but be sure to read up on Neil Gaiman blog, his online journal really. Fantastic writings to say the least.

‘Where do you get your ideas?'

And I realized I owed them an answer. They weren't old enough to know any better. And it's a perfectly reasonable question, if you aren't asked it weekly.

This is what I told them:

You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it.

You get ideas when you ask yourself simple questions. The most important of the questions is just, What if…?

(What if you woke up with wings? What if your sister turned into a mouse? What if you all found out that your teacher was planning to eat one of you at the end of term – but you didn't know who?)

Another important question is, If only…

(If only real life was like it is in Hollywood musicals. If only I could shrink myself small as a button. If only a ghost would do my homework.)

And then there are the others: I wonder… (‘I wonder what she does when she's alone…') and If This Goes On… (‘If this goes on telephones are going to start talking to each other, and cut out the middleman…') and Wouldn't it be interesting if… (‘Wouldn't it be interesting if the world used to be ruled by cats?')…

Those questions, and others like them, and the questions they, in their turn, pose (‘Well, if cats used to rule the world, why don't they any more? And how do they feel about that?') are one of the places ideas come from.

An idea doesn't have to be a plot notion, just a place to begin creating. Plots often generate themselves when one begins to ask oneself questions about whatever the starting point is.

Encourage children to ask simple questions

Sometimes an idea is a person (‘There's a boy who wants to know about magic'). Sometimes it's a place (‘There's a castle at the end of time, which is the only place there is…'). Sometimes it's an image (‘A woman, sifting in a dark room filled with empty faces.')

Often ideas come from two things coming together that haven't come together before. (‘If a person bitten by a werewolf turns into a wolf what would happen if a goldfish was bitten by a werewolf? What would happen if a chair was bitten by a werewolf?')

All fiction is a process of imagining: whatever you write, in whatever genre or medium, your task is to make things up convincingly and interestingly and new.

And when you've an idea – which is, after all, merely something to hold on to as you begin – what then?

Well, then you write. You put one word after another until it's finished – whatever it is.

Sometimes it won't work, or not in the way you first imagined. Sometimes it doesn't work at all. Sometimes you throw it out and start again.

When I read this excerpt, I practically jumped up and down with joy and agreement. Our kids need to hear this message, again and again, loud and clear. Parents, Teachers, continue to ask them open-ended questions and encourage them to ask themselves simple questions about the world around them.

Asking Simple Questions Brings You Ideas

Are we in a crisis of creativity?

This thinking reminds me of the books Nurture Shock, which I read the moment it was published in 2009, a few months after my oldest child was born. My husband has worked in technology for decades. Therefore, we are acutely aware of the dangers of devices and screens and all that comes along with them.

My husband, as a technology professional, is not alone in this concern. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs famously admitted that limit their children's time on devices. That should be a red flag. With statistics on addiction, depression, and anxiety increasing rapidly, especially among young boys, we should be on top of this topic for mental health reasons and for creativity reasons.

Related Read: How to Manage Your Child’s Addictive Behavior

There has to be a way to utilize and to effectively manage technology use in classrooms and at home. The challenge of creating a technology regulation system that works for a family is huge and isn't going away any time soon.

What do you think?

What is the Vestibular System?

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Concerned about your child's balance? Does something seem off with your child's gross motor and sensory processing?  Balance allows you to hold your body upright and steady without falling down. No matter if you're moving or standing still, or have your eyes open or closed. The vestibular system is closely linked to sensory processing, so understanding the vestibular sense within the context of sensory integration is critical.

What is the Vestibular System

Understanding the Vestibular Sense

We grow up learning that the five senses are taste, smell, sight, sound, and touch. However, there are additional critical senses that are often overlooked. We've discussed the proprioceptive system in the past. Today, we're going to address the vestibular system, the sense that delivers sensory information to your brain about balance and movement.

On a more complicated level, the vestibular system generates complex information about where your body is in space. This sixth sense coordinates movements in combination with balance. It is responsible for keeping you upright and it creates rapid reflexes based on the stimulus received from the environment.

Compared to the other senses, the vestibular sense operates at a much faster pace. On that note, you may be surprised to learn that this system is stunningly small and fits within the inner ear. While tiny, the vestibular system is intricately complex and enables you to process positioning, acceleration, and movement.

The Relationship to Sensory Processing

Your brain receives sensory data from all of your senses rapidly at all times. It must process this data quickly so that you can live in and respond to your environment. These sensory responses are responsible for reflexes, taste preferences, the ability to identify smells, and much more.

A sensory processing disorder may be diagnosed when your child’s response to various sensory inputs interferes with daily life. Furthermore, sensory processing is related to the five commonly-known senses as well as to the misunderstood sixth sense.

Given the complexity of the senses, you may have a better understanding of why sensory processing disorders are misunderstood. This also explains why children with vestibular sensory processing disorders display extreme behaviors.

These behaviors differ from other children with similiar disorders. More than that, your child’s behaviors may seem to change by the day.  Each child is unique, experiencing the world in his or her own way. Likewise, your child responds to inputs individually. As an example, some kids may love the taste of applesauce, and others may be disgusted by its texture.

What Is a Vestibular Disorder?

This is a blanket term that describes an improper function of this system. These disorders relate to how the brain interprets data from this system. While these disorders commonly feature balance and spatial orientation issues, they can have a much more profound impact.

The data provided to the brain from the vestibular structures allows the brain to interpret other sensory data. For example, it helps you to quickly analyze visual data, maintain muscle tone and more based on various stimuli.

Children with a vestibular disorder may be hyposensitive. This means that your child may require or crave extra stimuli from activities involving movement and balance. Children may also be hypersensitive, which has the opposite effect.

To complicate matters, some children with vestibular dysfunction may show behaviors of being hyposensitive and hypersensitive at the same time. Other children may show hyposensitive signs one day and may appear to be hypersensitive the next day. Because of this, parents should be aware of symptoms for hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity.

Signs of Vestibular Dysfunction

Children experience vestibular sense disorders in many ways. So, signs of a vestibular disorder can vary dramatically. With that said, generally speaking, the symptoms of a vestibular disorder include appearing distracted, lazy, fearful, uncoordinated, and hyperactive.

The Vestibular Sense & Vestibular Disorder

How do these symptoms appear in a child’s everyday life?

  • A child with a vestibular sense processing disorder may:
  • Have an overwhelming preference to remain still
  • Struggle in school with math, reading, and writing
  • Appear to be lost or confused frequently
  • Struggle to locate common objects when asked to do so
  • Prefer to keep his or her feet on the ground, such as by avoiding jumping, playground equipment and more
  • Walk with considerable care and focus
  • Appear to be uncoordinated or fall frequently
  • Have a slouched posture or prefer to lay down
  • Support his or her head by the hand when sitting
  • Complain about being nauseous or dizzy
  • Get motion sickness easily
  • Focus frequently on moving objects
  • Seem oblivious to activities that are dangerous, such as jumping off of elevated objects to climbing high above the ground
  • Enjoy twirling or spinning without seeming to get dizzy
  • Move constantly, such as by rocking back and forth, fidgeting or tilting the head around
  • Have trouble focusing unless fidgeting or moving

When to Seek Vestibular Therapy

Once diagnosed with a sensory disorder, your doctor will provide a treatment plan. Specialized therapy sessions may be recommended and have been highly effective at alleviating bothersome symptoms in many people.

An occupational therapist may be necessary and can help a great deal. The therapist identifies the child’s unique challenges and symptoms before creating a customized treatment plan.

As guided by a therapist, well-planned activities should be completed at home. The therapist and parents will take into account the child’s specific disorder and comfort level. However, some suggested activities include swimming, log rolling, laying on the stomach, hanging upside down on playground equipment and more.

The purpose of these vestibular therapy exercises is to improve how the body receives and processes data. This includes visual orientation, balance, movement and more. Initially, you may notice that your child’s symptoms seemingly worsen, but this is short-lived.

When your child cannot experience and respond to the world in an expected way, stress and sadness are common. However, with a medical diagnosis and regular vestibular therapy sessions, many bothersome symptoms can be alleviated or managed. 

Balance Activities for Kids

Best Balance Toys for Kids

 

Executive Function Disorder – Helping Scattered Kids Conquer Life

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Do you have a child in your life who is a bit “all over the place”? Is he a “paper stuffer”?  When you enter his room, do you have to push open the door because it is such a mess?  We can share frustrations and laugh about these kids but these tendencies will cause many problems as they grow and develop into adults. If you are in this boat, then the issue is one of an executive function disorder and maybe even an issue with mental health.

What is Executive Function Disorder?

Consider this post an introductory guide to executive function, what it means, signs of executive dysfunction, and strategies to develop these skills in kids who are struggling with executive functioning.  Are you concerned about your child?

In most cases, there's nothing to worry about; every child develops differently, what may appear as learning disabilities are actually learning differences, and some children just need special forms of attention to inspire their abilities.

Some persistent deficiencies in executive function, however, can be indicative of a serious learning disorder, so it's important to learn more about executive skills and how to foster these skills in your child if he or she seems to be behind.  So, let's dig a bit deeper.

Help a child navigate the world with strong executive functioning skills.

Definition of the Term Executive Functioning

The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University defines executive function skills as “the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully.” These skills allow us to focus on particular details, prioritize effectively, and enforce delayed gratification to make sure that things get done.

Executive skills aren't innate. While some children have more potential to develop effective executive skills than others, these skills are largely a product of a child's brain chemistry and environment.

Identifying the Gaps & Creating a Plan

One of the most important factors in the development of these skills is identifying the gaps in executive function early in a child's life. Once observed, teachers and parents can implement create a plan including activities, exercises, and perhaps outside therapy to assist in a child's development of executive skills.

Related Read: Resources to Help Your Child with Executive Functioning Skills

In extreme cases, negative environmental factors can prevent normal brain growth and cause children to exhibit hyperactive or disruptive behaviors. Furthermore, impediments to the normal development of executive functioning in young children can have continuing negative effects throughout a child's developing and adult years, so learning about the symptoms of poor executive functioning and the strategies that can be used to improve this critical developmental factor can help parents and caregivers guide at-risk children back on positive developmental tracks.

It is important to remember that children are not born with executive function skills. Instead, they are born with the potential to develop these skills.

A struggling teenager carries his backpack & needs help organizing.

What Is Executive Function Disorder?

Executive Function Disorder is often associated with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).  ADHD is considered to be a type of executive function impairment but certainly not every child with executive dysfunction has ADHD.  A child may be considered to have EFD when his or her executive functioning skills appear out of sync with her development.

According to the ADD publication ADDitude, children start developing executive functions at age two. These functions continue to develop until age 30. ADDitude estimates that people with ADHD can experience delays in the development of executive functioning by up to 40 percent, and it's believed that EFD may be linked to poor development in the prefrontal cortex.


Parts of the Brain Impacted by EFD

The three main areas involving executive functioning are working memory, self-regulation, and mental flexibility. These three areas are interrelated and affect most areas of the brain. In order for EF to execute effectively, all three areas much work together.

{Source: Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University}

Examples of Executive Function Skills

There are seven types of skills that are associated with executive function.

These skills are:

  1. Self-awareness
  2. Self-restraint
  3. Non-verbal working memory
  4. Verbal working memory
  5. Emotional intelligence
  6. Self-motivation
  7. Planning and problem solving

In children with EFD, most or all of these executive skills are inhibited. By using various exercises and techniques, it may be possible to boost or restore executive skills in affected children.

Signs of Executive Dysfunction in Kids

Executive Function Disorder 101

Symptoms & Signs of Executive Function Disorder

While children with ADHD often have trouble paying attention to activities in the present, children with EFD have an inability to plan for the future. Children with this disorder have trouble setting schedules or staying organized, and they may habitually lose personal items.

Some common signs of EFD include:

  1. Not able to effectively analyze a task
  2. Failure to develop an effective plan for taking care of a task
  3. Inability to plan out specific steps necessary to complete a task
  4. Failure to develop reasonable timelines for achieving tasks
  5. Unable to adapt to new conditions or adjust procedures when achieving a task
  6. Failure to complete tasks on time

Emotional Regulation & EFD

In young children, EFD may show itself in the form of angry or frustrated behavior. Young children with EFD may have trouble handling setbacks, and they may throw tantrums over seemingly minimal issues.

Instead of capably expressing their emotions with words or other socially acceptable mediums of expression, children with EFD may act aggressively. They may also be resistant to the normal flow of classroom behavior, and they may stubbornly choose to act on their own impulses rather than follow the established protocols.

As children with executive functioning issues get older and enter grade school, they become highly resistant to any changes in routine. In addition, their organization difficulties become more pronounced.

During middle school and high school, failures to adapt to social norms and implement systems to help with EFD may lead to becoming increasingly socially withdrawn. Additionally, they may engage in risky behaviors. For example, they may have trouble choosing careers or holding down jobs.

How to help a child organize his life and succeed with executive function skils

What Kids with Executive Dysfunction Need Most

  • Systems on which to rely
  • Growth Mindset
  • Routines
  • Baby Steps. In other words, celebrating small victories with your child. The development of these skills is not going to happen overnight. Often it takes years, so acknowledge baby steps and lean into positive behavior is a big way for a while

Skill Development

Below are examples of skills on which to focus.

Here is a short list:

  • Ability to plan ahead
  • Time management
  • Prioritize tasks
  • Decision making
  • Able to inhibit thoughts & actions, not be impulsive
  • Focus & attention
  • Juggling memory
  • Pivoting
  • Self-starting
  • Follow through
  • Reflectiveness (this is where mindfulness exercises come in really handy)
  • Regulating emotion

Strategies to Help Develop Executive Processing in Kids

Strategies for Kids

Most instances of executive function disorder manifest at an early age, so early intervention is important. For example, one of the best ways to help develop skills to combat these challenges is to expose to activities and exercises that will help close gaps. With that said, once it's clear that EFD is interfering with a child's ability to learn and develop socially, it may be useful to enlist the assistance of professionals. For instance, speech therapists, reading tutors, or psychologists test & guide your child. Finally, an executive function test will pinpoint the exact areas that need focus.

In-class behavioral modification techniques, such as daily report cards and token systems, may be effective strategies. Adults might consider the use of external information crutches like cards, smartphone apps, and sticky notes to improve focus and motivation.

Related Read: Activities Guide: Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence

Lastly, children with EFD may be responsive to the same stimulant drugs that are used to treat ADHD. As in all cases of behavioral issues, however, drugs should be relied on as a last resort after behavioral modification and positive forms of adult support have failed.

Create a System for Your Child

Bottom line, a child needs to create a system that works for him.  This system may include:

  • a paper management system
  • a binder system (this doesn't work for most children with executive function disorder)
  • a folder system with specific labels written in large print with the name of the subject and the child
  • grade monitoring
  • self-advocacy when his body doesn't quite feel right and he is unable to focus, ask the teacher or parent to take a break, drink some water, grab a fidget, or use headphones
  • secure study space that works for the child perhaps near natural light, in a cozy chair, with a divider, with headphones
  • weekly overhaul to clean out the backpack, desk, cubby, etc
  • daily check-ins asking the questions: What is my most important thing today? What am I forgetting?
  • create a today list every day with no more than 4 items in order to avoid overwhelm
  • chunking by time and task using a timer
  • less is more, so taking the time to declutter every week

Activities to Help Executive Functioning Skills

There are a variety of activities that may assist a child with executive function disorder in attaining normative cognitive and social development. Here are some examples of effective executive function activities:

#1 – Skill-Building Games

There are a number of different board games and other types of games that you can play with your child to encourage the healthy development of executive skills. While it's unclear how much these games actually improve the symptoms of EFD, they provide opportunities to spend quality time with your child, which will certainly improve his or her social adaptability and overall happiness.

#2 – Competitive Sports

Competitive sports are some of the best activities for executive function disorder. These types of activities assist children in developing social skills, and they also boost cognitive flexibility and anticipation.

While any type of physical exercise will help with the symptoms of EFD by improving overall health, team sports allow children to become closer to their peers and learn more about working together to achieve shared goals. It isn't necessary to compete in physical sports; any type of competitive activity, such as chess, will improve executive functioning in children.

#3 – Musical Activities

It has long since been concluded that music helps improve brain functioning, and listening to music can help children with EFD focus and regulate their emotions. The benefits of music become even more pronounced, however, when you encourage your child with EFD to learn how to play an instrument.

#4 – Creative Outlets to Assist with Executive Function Disorder

Drawing, building, and designing whether in 2D or 3D are enormously helpful for a high performing child with executive function dysfunction. In many cases, children with executive dysfunction are also gifted, which means their brain is often on fire. Therefore, the adults in their lives need to make certain these children have outlets.

Helping Your Child with Executive Function Disorder

I attended a conference on parenting gifted children recently. One of the presenters, Seth Perler, focused his presentation (and life's work for that matter) on helping gifted children with these gaps in executive functioning. I took away a ton from his talk. His main takeaway for me and one I believe he emphasized was our relationship with the child matters the most.

Children struggling with these tasks, often struggle with big emotions, depression, anxiety, poor self-image, too. In other words, Children experience and feel the world differently than the typical human being does. As we work with them through the process of developing their weaknesses into strengths, we need to be developing a strong, solid, loving, genuine relationship with them.  Furthermore, don't allow the child to define himself or be defined by his giftedness or “disability”.  It was a powerful way to end his extremely practical talk outlining helpful strategies for teachers and parents.

How Are SPD and Anxiety Related?

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Do you have a highly sensitive child who shows abnormal reactions to all kinds of things that don't bother most kids? Is your child overly cautious, an extremely picky eater or terrified for no apparent reason? These could be symptoms of sensory processing disorder or SPD, which often lead to anxiety. So, a child may experience sensory overload anxiety, but just how are SPD and anxiety related?

How are sensory processing disorder and anxiety related?

How Are SPD and Anxiety Related?

The condition affects how the brain interprets nerve signals from the various senses–such as touch, taste, hearing smell and sight. Normal events and activities can often trigger sensory overloads in people with SPD and cause panic attacks, stress, and troubling physical symptoms.

Many parents become troubled themselves when they uncover evidence that a child has problems with sensory integration and brain development. SPD can cause kids to throw tantrums, destroy their clothes, refuse to eat certain foods and withdraw from social activities.

The brain receives the same information in people with SPD, but the data don't get properly organized in ways that trigger appropriate responses. It's like a traffic jam in the nervous system, and kids are especially vulnerable as they strive to interpret sensory signals that don't make sense to them. [1] The disorder can affect anyone, but between 5 percent and 16 percent of children show symptoms of the condition.

Children with SPD tend to show wildly inappropriate behavior. The disorder affects gifted children and those with ADHD, fragile X syndrome and autism at even higher rates. [1] SPD can be the cause of great stress, so children with the disorder often become extremely anxious about all kinds of things such as routine social interactions, the fit, and texture of their clothes, crowds of people, noises, physical contact, and other sensory stimuli.

anxious child covering his ears

Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder

The symptoms of anxiety and SPD are similar, and your child may suffer from both conditions. The exact causes of SPD aren't known, but some studies indicate that birth complications, environmental factors, and genetic predisposition increase the likelihood of your child developing the disorder. [1]

SPD was formerly called sensory integration dysfunction, and the condition isn't medically recognized as a distinct diagnosis. People with the disorder find common stimuli painful or disturbing. Even the light touch of a garment might chafe the skin. Kids with the condition might bump into things more often than their peers, appear uncoordinated, have difficulties telling where their limbs are and act extremely shy around other children and be unwilling to play or converse. [2]

The condition is chronic, and there is no known cure. However, most people can overcome the issues to live normal lives by adjusting their expectations. SPD is related to autism. Kids might be disturbed by things most take for granted such as a leaf blower, church bells, and foods with certain textures. Many kids with the condition begin as fussy eaters who often thrown temper tantrums or have complete meltdowns. [2]

It's believed the root cause is related to hypersensitivity to light and sound, a condition that has a strong hereditary influence. Essentially, that means SPD is more likely to run in families. [2]

Anxiety-related Complications to Sensory Processing Disorder

Anxiety-related disorders such as phobias, depression and alcohol and drug abuse are common in older children when they also have SPD symptoms. Unfortunately, these disorders are also chronic, and they can trigger more frequent occurrences of other physical ailments such as colds, immune system problems, and bacterial and viral diseases. [3]

That's why it's so important to deal with SPD and anxiety-related disorders proactively. The conditions can lead to extreme phobias, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. Left untreated, these sensory disorders can be devastating. However, showing your child simple empathy and planning their daily activities to minimize unexpected stimuli can desensitize your child and help him or her to live normally and productively. [3]

Dealing with an Anxious Child

Anxiety-producing events can't always be identified in advance, so it's important to provide activities that can help your child manage stress when panic attacks occur. Physical activity often does the job, and concentrating on a favorite fidget toy or game can also generate a calming influence.

The symptoms of both anxiety and SPD include:

  • Hypersensitivity to touch and sound
  • Fear of crowds
  • Balance problems that cause frequent falls
  • Skin sensitivity to certain fabrics
  • Fidgeting behavior
  • Multiple food aversions
  • Hearing background noises continually
  • Extreme sense of smell
  • Inability to moderate behavior such as being over-responsive and under-responsive and developing extreme cravings
  • Poor posture

Common Physical Symptoms of SPD

Certain key physical symptoms are common among SPD victims and anxiety-prone patients. A large number of kids with SPD also have symptoms of anxious restlessness. The SPD can cause a child to feel overwhelmed and show symptoms of phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks, and other disorders. The symptoms of both conditions include: [4]

  • Dilated pupils
  • Stomach disorders including cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting
  • Shaking and trembling
  • Rigid posture
  • Excessive sweating
  • Bouts of dizziness and disorientation
  • Shortness of breath
  • Insomnia
  • Heart palpitations
  • Flushed face and neck
  • Racing thoughts

Dealing with Your Highly Sensitive Child

Dealing with these mutually aggravating conditions can be a challenge for parents, but taking a proactive approach can help your child blossom. Anxious kids want to feel normal, but they can't always control their feelings. Kids need help with both SPD and anxiety-related disorders, which tend to feed upon each other.

Understanding and empathy are important. As kids learn about their condition, they can respond differently and begin to dial back their inappropriate responses. Avoidance is one solution. Parents can help kids avoid those triggers that generate an attack such as elevators and cramped spaces, large crowds, new foods and unexpected changes to routine.

Parenting a child with anxiety-related disorders and SPD requires a bit more effort than dealing with other children, but the effort can provide big rewards. The extra attention can identify many of the common problems that kids get into as they mature. You must pay more attention to parent an SPD child. That takes conscious thought, planning and identifying potential hazards. As you adjust to the process, it becomes easier to adapt your plans to daily situations.

Strategies for Parenting a Child with SPD and Anxiety

However, none of these things can be completely avoided all the time. Kids need to learn to acclimatize to things out of their comfort zone.

Some of the best practices for parenting a child with SPD and anxiety-related disorders include:

  • Recognize your child's strengths to give him or her greater confidence in dealing with sensory overload.
  • Find what works to calm your child, but recognize that it is an ongoing process that will need regular updates.
  • Reassure your child that he or she is loved, safe and understood.
  • Prepare a daily outline of activities to identify potential areas of sensory dangers.
  • Eliminate any personal anger or guilt because your child is sensitive to these emotions.

It's important to read extensively about the twin disorders and seek the advice of a physician. You should be aware that before the age of 3, parents get free sensory integration therapy at local early intervention centers. Programs are also usually available for free for children between the ages of 3 and 5 through the Child Find Program, and local Elks club chapters often offer help for evaluation, treatment, and supplies. [5]

SPD and Anxiety References:

[1] Spdstar.org: Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder
https://www.spdstar.org/basic/understanding-sensory-processing-disorder

[2] Webmd.com: Sensory Processing Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
https://www.webmd.com/children/sensory-processing-disorder

[3] Healthline.com: Conditions associated with anxiety
https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety-complications#outlook

[4] Lifeskillsforkids.com: Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and Anxiety – How are they similar and different?

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and Anxiety – How are they similar and different ?

[5] Sensory-processing-disorder.com: A Step By Step Guide For SPD Parents: The Seven Steps For Helping Your SPD Child
https://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/step-by-step-guide-for-spd-parents.html

The Best Methods to Bring Mindfulness into the Classroom

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This post outlines easy & effective ways to bring mindfulness in the classroom. Mindfulness seems to be a buzzword these days capturing headlines and infiltrating all aspects of life. There are mindfulness apps, mindfulness exercises for families, mindfulness activities for kids, and books galore about the topic.
 
The ubiquitousness of the word itself – maybe even the practice of mindfulness – might get an eye roll or two. Here is the thing, though, a myriad of scientific research studies back up the positive impact mindfulness has on human existence. So, integrating mindfulness in the classroom makes a lot of sense.
Effective & Easy Ways to Practice Mindfulness in the Classroom

Mindfulness in the Classroom

Just what does it mean to be mindful? According to Merriam-Webster, mindfulness is “the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis”. Regardless of the science, there isn't much of a downfall with mindfulness.
 
Is mindfulness just another fad? Or is it something more, something that actually has a positive impact, especially on our youth? Mindfulness is not a craze. It is a practice that is rooted in science. Mindfulness is proven to have a strong and beneficial effect on people of all ages.
 
When introduced at a young age, kids will grow up with increased cognitive awareness and a higher degree of self-regulation. Plus with all the headlines about increasing rates of anxiety and depression in kids, mindfulness is a low-risk approach to mitigate those statistics.
 

So, let's get started on exploring ways to bring mindfulness in the classroom.

Mindfulness Activities for Preschoolers in the Classroom

Kids are ripe for beginning a mindfulness practice. There are some really easy, fun, and engaging mindfulness exercises for students that will help kids focus and less anxious. Some of these activities allow children to learn the practice without even feeling like they're learning one of the most important skills a person can learn: self-awareness and self-regulation.

One of the easiest ways to teach mindfulness activities for preschoolers is to have them play sensory games. These games can be played from the comfort of their seats, outside, or even on the bus on the way to a field trip. Sensory games have kids use their senses as a means for increasing awareness of their environment as well as their place within that environment. Listening activities for kids are a fantastic means of being more present. We love going on a listening walk to clear our minds and get a bit of fresh air. 

Easy and Inexpensive Mindfulness Exercises for Kids

The quickest way to get little ones using their senses is by using their bodies – no other “materials” are needed!

Have students keep their eyes open and count five things in the room that they can see. Then, have them close their eyes and count four sounds that they hear. Afterward, have them count three things that they can either touch or is touching them (ie the chair they are sitting in). For two, have them count two things they can smell (this one will be sure to give you a laugh or two!). Finally, for the last one, instead of taste, which might be a little much for younger ones, have them engage in some self-love by coming up with one thing they like about themselves.

Mindfulness Activity for Preschoolers & Kindergarteners

#1 – Glitter Jar 

Another fun way to teach mindfulness to preschool-aged kids is by using a glitter jar. Don't worry – there won't be glitter on little hands after this practice. Instead, you can either buy or make a sensory jar that is filled with water, glue (for bonding), and glitter.

Much like an old-school sand timer, glitter jars help children with sensory sensitivities and anxiety. They also increase their awareness. After shaking the jar, you can have the students practice mindful breathing while the glitter settles to the bottom. You can also use the jar to teach an awareness of how our reactions work. Have the kids begin to think of their happy or angry emotions as the glitter swirls. Then, begin to notice how time allows these pieces of glitter, and therefore their emotions, to steady out and sink to the bottom again. This exercise is really a good one for kids of all ages!

#2 – The Calm Competition

Do you remember the good ol' days when your parents and teachers would play the quiet game? They might not have been aware of or even trying to teach you the benefits of mindfulness, but whether they were intentional or not, they were helping you engage in mindfulness.

With a few explicit instructions, though, and sharing of your intentions, you can teach mindfulness activities for kindergarten aged kids with a similar tactic to the one your parents may have used for some peace and quiet.

This mind game offers a win-win situation. Kids love to compete, and we love to teach our younger students how to be calm and present. By presenting mindfulness in the form of a game, you might not be able to get your four to six-year-olds to be still for hours at a time. However, you'll definitely instill in them techniques for being present in a way that doesn't seem like a chore to them.

All you need for this mindfulness practice is a timer. Start small. On the first day, set the timer for one minute and challenge your students to be still by practicing deep breaths in and out. Silently count in for three breaths, hold for two breaths, and exhale for three breaths. Over time, you can have kids work their way up to two or even three minutes!

Breathing exercises are also an effective mindfulness activity.

Mindfulness Activities In the Classroom

What better way to teach mindfulness activities than bringing in an awareness of the body itself? You've probably heard of elementary teachers having students engage in brain breaks by practicing a body scan. What is a body scan, and how is it such an effective tool for toddlers and younger children? The body scan teaches kids active listening, body awareness, and awareness of their environment.

#1 – Body Scan 

There are several ways to incorporate a body scan into your classroom. Find a script for body scans online if you need one. Then slowly read it to the kids as they close their eyes and follow along. You can also find a body scan video online. Simply play the video and follow along with your students. Both options are great tools for helping increase mindfulness for kids in your classroom. Headspace is also a great app that many teachers use to bring mindfulness in the classroom.

#2 – The Heartbeat Game 

Another great way to teach mindfulness to kids by using the body is by playing the heartbeat game. You start by having the kids close their eyes while sitting down. They can put their right hand over the heart and count their heartbeat for one minute. Afterward, have them move by engaging in jumping jacks or running in place for thirty seconds to a minute.

Next, have them take a seat and repeat the hand over the heart exercise. After the second heartbeat count, have them compare the numbers they got when resting and after exercising. This mindfulness practice not only teaches an awareness of the body but also helps improve kids' focus. Plus, it gets them moving in the middle of the day when they need to get their wiggles out! It's another win-win situation.

Additional Mindfulness in the Classroom Resources