School Anxiety: Know the Signs
Sutter EAP Resources
Signs of anxiety:
- Attitude of indifference about school
- Not enthusiastic about school shopping or talking about school
- Trouble falling asleep
- Sudden physical complaints on the morning of the first school day, such as stomachache, headache, etc
Common fears:
- Being separated from parents
- Fear that something bad may happen to their parents while they are in school
- Scary teachers and/or janitors
- Mean kids
- Spooky bathrooms
Preparing your child for their first day:
- Separate from and reunite with your child
- Take a car ride to school
- Walk through the campus, including bathroom, before school starts
- Ask teacher for an autographed picture
- Arrange a brief welcome-to-school phone call from the teacher
David Rue, MD, Child Psychiatrist and Child and Adolescent Medical Directory, Sutter Center for Psychiatry