Tried and True Tips for Dealing With School Anxiety

Special Education Advocacy with Ashley Barlow

There are two types of kids- those that are excited to go back to school and those that aren't! While I completely believe that we can hold space for allllllll sorts of emotions around school attendance, I also know that society doesn't really make kids that experience school refusal feel "normal." If it did, the #1 question asked of kids in August would be, "Are you feeling kinda blah about going back to school?" We all know the #1 thing asked of your kids, though, is related to their "excitement" regarding the school year. This question alone has provoked a lot of anxiety in our house over the years and for many different reasons. So, today I'm sharing some tips that have helped the Barlow kids and many of my clients with school anxiety - both at the beginning of the year and throughout the year as well. One such tip just sprung into my head during one of Jack's school refusal episodes, and it has helped us for so many years. I hope this is helpful to your family, as I know how hard anxiety can be to support!