Paul Foxman – Anxiety in the Classroom

Outline

Nature and Causes of Anxiety

• How, when and why anxiety develops in children
• The anxiety temperament (biological sensitivity)
• The “anxiety personality” – assets and liabilities
• The role of stress in anxiety

How Anxiety Manifests in the Classroom

• Perfectionism
• Worry
• Task avoidance
• Restlessness and hyperactivity
• Attention deficits
• School avoidance
• Social isolation
• Depression and withdrawal
• Fatigue and low energy
• Low motivation
• Disorganization and poor time management
• Academic inconsistency or decline
• Learning disabilities
• Behavior problems

Seven Key Anxiety Disorders: Symptoms and Case Examples

• Separation anxiety disorder
• Panic disorder
• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Social anxiety disorder (including selective mutism)
• Phobias
• Post-traumatic stress disorder

Classroom Interventions

• Assessing stress level in students
• 3-S approach to stress management (signs, sources and skillful solutions)
• Focusing the mind for learning
• Classroom friendly calming and relaxation activities
• Encouraging “flow”
• Mindfulness strategies
• Relationship building with anxious students
• Tips for reducing test anxiety
• Creating calm in the classroom
• 3 questions: intervention for anxious parents
• “Responsive Classroom”: applications and research findings
• Risk management with high-conflict divorce families
• Managing technology use in and out of school
• Best approach to bullying
• Anxiety curriculums for schools (friends for life, lifeskills)
• Special considerations for preschoolers
• Behavioral health recommendations
• How to be a role model for low stress and anxiety

Limitations of Research and Potential Risks

• Consider scope of practice
• Empirical and anecdotal evidence
• No “one size fits all” for any modality of anxiety treatment