Anxiety Management

Student Needs	IPRC Exceptionalities	Diagnosed Conditions
Aggression Management Anger/Frustration Management Anxiety Management Articulation Skills Attendance Strategies Attention Skills Assistive Technology Skills Blind/Vision Impaired Bullying Management Skills Central Auditory Processing Deafness Depression/Sadness Management Disengagement/Motivation Strategies Eating Disorder Strategies Emotional Regulation English Language Skills Executive Function Fine Motor Skills Gambling Disorder Grief Management Gross Motor Skills Hearing Intellectual Ability – High Intellectual Ability – Low Listening Comprehension Skills Low Vision Memory Skills Mental Health Strategies Metacognitive Skills Mobility Skills Non-Verbal Reasoning Organizational Skills Personal Care Personal Safety Phonological Processing Processing Speed Self-Advocacy Skills Self-Esteem Self-Harm/Suicide Management Self-Regulatory Skills Sensory Integration Skills Sequencing Skills Social Skills Substance Abuse Strategies Task Initiation Time Management Skills Transition Skills Verbal Ability Visual-Motor Skills Visual-Spatial Processing	Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Behaviour Blind and Low Vision Deaf and Hard of Hearing Developmental Disability (DD) Giftedness Language Impairment Learning Disabilities (LD) Mild Intellectual Disabilities Multiple Exceptionalities Physical Disability Speech Impairment	Acquired Brain Injury Alcohol-Related Neuro-developmental Disorder (ARND) Angelman Syndrome Anxiety Disorders Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Auditory Processing Disorder (Central) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Bipolar Disorder Blind/Vision Impaired Brain Injury Cerebral Palsy (CP) Conduct Disorder (CD) Concussions Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Deafness Depression Disorders Down Syndrome Eating Disorders Epilepsy Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAS/FAE) Fragile X Syndrome Gambling Disorder Intellectual Disabilities Klinefelter's Syndrome Learning Disabilities/Specific Learning Disorders Muscular Dystrophy (MD) Neurological Disabilities Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTS) Prader-Willi Syndrome Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) Seizure Disorders Selective Mutism Spina Bifida Tourette Syndrome Turner Syndrome (TS) Usher Syndrome William's Syndrome

Key Special Education Practices
Accommodations Alternative Programming Assistive Technology Board Special Education Plans Community Resources Differentiated Instruction Create an Inclusive & Positive Class Climate Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) Individual Education Plan (IEP) Ministry of Education Resources Modified Programming Non-teacher Professional Assessments Teacher Assessments Safety/Emergency/Crisis Response Plan Professional Development Reporting on IEP Progress Tracking/Documenting Transition Plans

Characteristics notebook pencil

Students with anxiety disorders can be easily distressed or agitated when in what they consider a stressful situation. They often ask repetitive questions looking for reassurance and may be inconsolable, often not responding to logical arguments/information. Students with anxiety may exhibit frequent headaches, stomach aches and regularly are sick and miss school. They may refuse to participate in certain activities/events at school, home or in the community. They may have disruptions to their sleep too. Students with anxiety issues tend to be self-critical and perfectionists, having very high standards for themselves making nothing good enough. Students with anxiety can be overly-responsible and people pleasing, with excessive concern that others will be upset with him or her. Parents and teachers will notice excessive coaxing is required to have students with anxiety participate in normal activities, like homework, daily tasks and/or personal hygiene.

Anxiety Management

What it is

An area of student need, involving frequent worry and nervousness.

Teaching Strategies

Instructional

• Directly teach anxiety management/stress reduction strategies.

• Teach labeling of feelings.

• Use literature and multi-media examples to teach anxiety management.

• Determine what the triggers for the student’s anxiety are, and reduce these as much as possible.

• Coach the student to demonstrate positive strategies.

• Use modeling.

• Use role play.

More...

Environmental

• Use preferential seating to avoid anxiety triggers.

• Link the student with a suitable peer to assist in defining, confirming expectations.

• Provide a time-out area.

• Provide stress reduction tools (stress ball, doodling paper, iPod).

Assessment

• Provide advance notice for tests/assignments.

• Offer an alternative location.

• Allow extra time.

• Chunk the test into parts.

• Allow for reference materials to be used.

• Provide written instructions with rubrics for assignments.

• Provide choice of assignments.

Resources

• 20 Classroom Interventions Interventions for teachers to use to reduce anxiety.	• ABCs of Mental Health Various strategies proposed by the Hinks-Dellcrest Centre for addressing worried, sad, self-harm, angry, defiant, poor social relations behaviours.
• ABC’s of Mental Health: The sad child	• ABC’s of Mental Health: The worried child
• Anxiety and Shyness at School Tips for overcoming extreme anxiety and shyness within a school setting. From The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).	• Anxiety Disorders At School
• Common Anxiety Questions and Answers	• Fears, Anxiety and Phobias
• Open Minds Healthy Minds	• Pamphlet Outlining Common Anxiety Disorders
• Phobias Symptoms and strategies.	• Supporting Minds, Ontario Ministry of Education p. 28-40
• What is Anxiety? An outline of symptoms, causes, and treatments for anxiety in children from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).	• Worry Wise Kids: A wealth of information and teaching strategies for anxious students

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