Anxiety

1
Anxiety

• A response to stress
• Dickey LaMoure Special Education Unit

2
Anxiety

• Anxiety is an emotion that everyone experiences.
• It is normal and necessary.
• Anxiety motivates us to confront or avoid a
  threat.
• It is a response to stress.

3
Anxiety vs. Fear

• Fear is focused on specific objects or
  situations. Fear dissipates when the object or
  situation is not present.
• Anxiety is all the anticipation of future
  occurrences.

4
Anxiety vs. Stress

• Stress comes from outside forces.
• It is all the external and/or internal forces
  that act upon us.
• The degree to which the anxiety is in proportion
  to the reality of the stress determines if it is
  helpful or harmful.

5
Helpful or Harmful?

• Helpful anxiety
• spurs us to action
• heightens our senses
• helps us solve problems
• lets us try new things
• leads to success

• Harmful anxiety
• leads us to escape
• causes us to freeze
• lets problems overwhelm us
• prevents us from doing routine things
• leads to failure

6
Symptoms of Anxiety

• Headache
• Chest pain
• Nausea
• Over- or under-eating
• Sleep problems
• Mood swings
• Diarrhea
• Racing thoughts

• Sweaty palms
• Rapid pulse
• Feeling of faintness
• Stomach discomfort
• Shortness of breath
• Hot or cold flashes
• Feeling hopeless
• Thought blockage

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What can we do

• to help an anxious student?

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What can we do in school?

• TALK with the student.
• Try to make him comfortable. Getting to know the
  student will develop trust and make it more
  likely that they will seek your assistance in
  anxiety-producing situations.

9
What can we do in school?

• LISTEN to the student
• By listening, you may pick up on what she is
  thinking. This will help you neutralize
  stressful situations and at the same time, you
  will let her know you care. Good listening
  involves paying attention, eye contact, asking
  relevant questions and avoiding interruptions.

10
What can we do in school?

• WATCH how anxiety affects performance
• You may notice a pattern. The student may know
  the answers in casual conversation but fail the
  test. Knowing what situations produce
  debilitating anxiety will help you make
  adjustments to help the student.

11
What can we do in school?

• RECOGNIZE that the emotional needs must be a
  priority.
• This is a hard conceptas teachers, we are tuned
  into academics and may over-emphasize academic
  success. However, to improve the academic
  success of an anxious student, we must first
  reduce the emotional conflicts that interfere
  with his/her ability to succeed.

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What can we do in school?

• ENCOURAGE ANXIETY-REDUCING STRATEGIES
• Remind the student of past successes
• Encourage the student to ask for help
• Offer tests one page at a time
• Model study strategies
• Talk through problem solving strategies.

13
What can we do in school?

• REDUCE ACADEMIC STRESS
• Yes, academics cause stress. For an anxious
  student, when the stress is too much to bear, he
  will shut down instead of dealing with it.
  Working harder is not an optionthey are
  already working hard at keeping it together and
  handling stress.

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Ways to Reduce Academic Stress

• Dont put the student on the spot
• Call on her when she is likely to know the
  answer.
• Help the student prepare for changes in routine
  by letting him know what to expect ahead of time
  or by posting a schedule on the board.

15
Ways to Reduce Academic Stress

• Modify tests (use word banks, use matching or T/F
  format, etc.). This will reduce test anxiety and
  thought blockage.
• Highlight important information or give copies of
  notes. Anxious students often focus on details
  that are not important or attempt to remember
  every detail, which increases anxiety.

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Anxiety is one disabling condition that has a
good chance of being overcome by teaching the
student strategies and by making modifications.
WE WANT YOUTO HELP!