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"Hesitant about the destination!"

Struggling child increases abdominal discomfort, feels uneasy about exams, and exhibits withdrawal symptoms, all indicative of school phobia. Identifying early signs and providing targeted help for your child is crucial.

"Refusal to attend the planned location"
"Refusal to attend the planned location"

"Hesitant about the destination!"

School anxiety can be a challenging issue for children, and it's essential for parents to approach it with care and understanding. Here are some key points to help parents identify, understand, and address school anxiety in their children.

Firstly, adopting a friendly and approachable attitude is crucial. Punitive reactions should be avoided, as they may exacerbate the child's anxiety. Instead, spending quality time together, such as having daily meals or taking short trips, can help open up conversations and provide opportunities to understand the child's feelings better.

Empathy and consistency are essential in dealing with school anxiety. While school attendance should remain the goal, support and understanding are equally important. It's important to convey to the child that it's okay to have fears about school but going to school is necessary.

Common causes of school anxiety include increased social demands or pressure, stress about health concerns, broader community stress or family safety worries, academic pressure, social difficulties, or changes in routine. Symptoms of school anxiety often manifest as both emotional and physical signs, such as restlessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, withdrawal from friends or family, social avoidance, panic attacks, nightmares, increased heart rate, headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, changes in breathing, loss of appetite, sweating, difficulty sleeping or oversleeping, and more.

If anxiety escalates to persistent avoidance or refusal to attend school (known as school refusal), it may severely affect the child’s education and well-being. In such cases, seeking professional help as early as possible is recommended. Initial contacts can be school psychological services, school social workers, or outpatient psychotherapeutic practices for children and youth.

Appropriate parental responses include naming and validating the child’s anxiety, engaging in open, specific conversations, modeling coping strategies, offering reassurance and encouragement, gradually adjusting routines, communicating with school staff, and monitoring for worsening symptoms. The goal is to find out together what makes school difficult for the child and how to provide support.

Achievements outside of school and a positive daily structure can help shift the focus. Unfulfillable expectations, bullying, a climate of fear, and learning difficulties such as reading and writing weaknesses or math weaknesses can be common triggers for school anxiety. Other signs of school anxiety include mood swings, depressive or manic behaviors, social withdrawal, escape into virtual worlds, eating problems, or general disinterest in school.

In summary, understanding causes, recognizing varied symptoms, and responding with empathy, communication, and practical support helps parents effectively address school anxiety in children. If you suspect your child is suffering from school anxiety, don't hesitate to seek help from professionals.

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