Fourth Edition, September 2011

Anxiety Disorders: Suggestions for Supporting 
Your Student in School

Slow steps are absolutely the key to sustaining progress. Avoid ‘buying into’ the anxiety, 
but on the other hand, don’t push too hard.

Reward brave, nonanxious behaviour: Catch them being brave doing something they nor-
mally wouldn’t. Make a big deal about it. Label the action as fi ghting fear. Seeing they can 
fi ght fear will help build their self-confi dence and make them feel better about themselves.

By avoiding feared situations, children learn they are not able to cope with the situation or 
their worry. Encourage them to take little steps toward accomplishing the feared task.

Check in with student at the beginning of the day.

Learn what situations the student can handle and how you can respond when they are 
unable to cope.

For school refusal, formulate a plan for when the student fi rst arrives at school, such as 
providing an immediate reward for coming.

Have the student check with the teacher or the teacher check with the student to make 
sure that assignments have been written down correctly.

Reduce school workload or homework when necessary.

Keep as much of the child’s regular schedule as possible.

To prevent absences, consider modifying the child’s class schedule 
or reducing the time spent at school.

Ask your student’s parents what works at home to relieve their 
child’s anxiety.

Recognize and reward small improvements, e.g. fi nish-
ing a task on time without continual erasing to make 
it perfect.

Provide a learning environment where mistakes are 
viewed as a natural part of the learning process.

Encourage and reward all positive steps in fi ghting 
anxiety.

Provide advance warning of changes in routine.

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Making a Diff erence: An Educators’ Guide to Child and Youth Mental Health Problems
www.cymhin.ca
B 4
Anxiety Problems