Managing Childhood Anxiety for Dummies

Understand what child anxiety is, how to treat it, and how to support and encourage anxious children Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in young children. Managing Childhood Anxiety For Dummies is the go-to resource for parents of young children who suspect their child may be experiencing anxiety but aren't sure where to start. Learn to recognize the symptoms of anxiety in kids who may be too young to explain how they're feeling and get expert advice on supporting them with proper treatment and guidance. Find answers to questions like: When is worry normal, and when it is a sign of anxiety? Which interventions are most effective for anxious kids? How can I make my home or classroom less stress inducing? Written by an experienced pediatrician, this compassionate book challenges harmful taboos about mental health and equips you with the tools you need to be a resource to any young child with anxiety.

• Learn the basics of childhood anxiety and how it's diagnosed
• Explore ways to diagnosis anxiety, treat it with proven methods, and manage the physical symptoms that often come with childhood anxiety
• Find helpful tips to create a supportive environment at home and school to foster your young child's growth and development
• Discover effective and positive strategies to help your anxious child with sleep, screen time, and sports performance

Managing Childhood Anxiety For Dummies provides essential information to assist you in supporting the children in your care. It's also invaluable for all parents and caregivers of children aged 4-11 years who have concerns about a child's persistent worrying.

List of contents

Introduction 1
Part 1: Getting Started with Managing Childhood Anxiety 5
Chapter 1: Worrying About Your Child's Worries 7
Defining Anxiety 8
Analyzing Anxiety 8
Seeing rising rates of anxiety 9
Finding the roots of anxiety 9
Looking for Anxiety in Children 9
Appreciating child development 9
Showing, not telling 10
Checking out various anxiety types 11
Getting the Diagnosis 11
Starting with your child's doctor 11
Considering alternative diagnoses 11
Accepting your child's anxiety 12
Exploring Treatment 12
Leaning into therapy 13
Fueling the anxious brain 13
Providing protection 13
Considering anxiety medications 14
Finding support at school 14
Prioritizing safety 14
Helping Your Child Where You Can 15
Beginning with you 15
Seeing it through 16
Chapter 2: Recognizing That Kids Aren't Little Adults 17
Meeting the Boss: Your Child's Brain 18
The vital hindbrain 19
The emotional inner brain 20
The thinking outer brain 20
Appreciating Plasticity 21
Looking at Chemical Communicators 22
Examining how neurotransmitters work 22
Meeting the messengers 23
Discovering How Emotions Grow 24
Exploring Social-Emotional Milestones 25
Toddlers (2-4 years) 27
Early childhood (5-7 years) 27
Middle childhood (8-11 years) 28
Recognizing Challenges in Pediatric Mental Health 29
Chapter 3: Knowing Your Family Isn't Alone 31
Anxious Kids Are Everywhere 32
Exploring the Rise in Child Anxiety 32
Advancing science 33
Normalizing mental health 33
Increasing screen time 34
Acknowledging the pandemic effect 34
Amplifying background stressors 34
Increasing parental stress 35
Predicting Anxiety 35
Developing brains and anxiety symptoms 36
Sharing genetics and epigenetics 36
Appreciating child temperament 37
Looking at parenting style 38
Accepting Your Child's Anxiety 38
Identifying anxiety early matters 39
Reframing your role 39
Chapter 4: Seeing What Anxiety Looks Like in Kids 41
Recognizing That Anxiety Is the Greatest Mimicker 42
Introducing two different case studies 42
Hunting for clues 43
Looking for a chameleon 44
Monitoring for misdirection 45
Understanding Anxiety's Three Parts 46
Emotional 46
Behavioral 47
Physical 48
Noticing How Child Anxiety Differs from Adult Anxiety 49
Physiology 49
Temperament 50
Environment 51
Time span 51
Distinguishing Types of Child Anxiety Disorders 52
Specific phobias 53
Separation anxiety disorder 53
Selective mutism 54
Generalized anxiety disorder 55
Social anxiety disorder 55
Agoraphobia 56
Panic disorder 57
Identifying Childhood Anxiety Matters 57
Chapter 5: Understanding Normal Childhood Worries and Fears 59
Appreciating the Stress Response 60
Finding signs of stress in kids 60
Recognizing childhood stress 61
Knowing It's Normal to Worry 62
Defining age-appropriate worries 63
Supporting kids who worry 64
Differentiating worry from anxiety 65
Looking at two real-world examples 66
Tackling Fears 67
Maturing from imaginary to reality-based fears 67
Helping a scared child 69
Distinguishing fears from phobias 69
Chapter 6: Watching Out for Medical Mimickers 71
Appreciating the Brain-Body Connection 72
Responding to Tummy Troubles 73
Exploring the causes of CAP 73
Introducing the ENS 74
Looking for clues 75
Warning signs to never ignore 77
Getting the scoop on poop 77
Helping tummy pain at home 78
Managing Sleepless Nights 80
Surveying slumbering symptoms 81
Getting better zzz's 82
Dealing with Nagging Headaches 84
Warning signs to never ignore 84
Distinguishing headache types 85
Relieving headaches at home 86
Experiencing Urinary Issues 87
Peeing too much 88
Peeing too little 89
Handling Concerning Chest Pain 90
Reacting to stress 90
Warning signs to never ignore 91
Taking Care of Tics (Not Ticks) 92
Identifying tics 92
Managing tics 93
Watching Out for Thyroid Disorders 95
Part 2: Diagnosing Child Anxiety 97
Chapter 7: Visiting the Doctor 99
Finding a Great Pediatrician 100
Preparing for the Office Visit 101
Organizing and prioritizing 101
Engaging educators 103
Including all caregivers 104
Asking for a private conversation 104
Preparing your child 105
Understanding Confidentiality 106
Optimizing Your Appointment Day 107
Avoiding "Doctor Office Don'ts" 109
Chapter 8: Walking Through the Psychological Evaluation 111
Getting Ready for a Mental Health Assessment 112
Selecting a mental health clinician 112
Preparing for the visit 114
Explaining the visit to your child 114
Understanding What a Mental Health Visit Looks Like 115
Structured interview 116
Standardized rating scales 117
Cognitive and academic testing 118
Feedback and recommendations 119
Expecting Difficult Questions 119
Social determinants of health 120
Adverse childhood experiences 120
Positive childhood experiences 121
Exploring Alternatives to an Anxiety Diagnosis 122
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 122
Depression 122
Learning disabilities 123
Neurodiversity or autism spectrum disorder 123
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) 123
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) 124
Perfectionism 124
Sensory processing issues 124
Part 3: Treating Child Anxiety 125
Chapter 9: Exploring Child Therapy Options 127
Understanding the Importance of Therapy 128
Discovering How Child Therapy Works 128
Reframing Therapy Myths 130
"Therapy didn't work for me, so it won't work for my kid." 130
"Won't a pill work faster? Let's do that." 131
"Can't I do this at home? I've been to therapy and know how it works." 131
"They don't want to go to therapy, so we need something else." 132
"Therapy is making kids weaker." 132
Finding a Therapist 133
Affording Therapy 134
Setting Expectations for Therapy 135
Seeing What a Therapy Session Looks Like 136
Mapping out the phases of therapy 136
Choosing online versus in-person 137
Telling Your Child about Therapy 138
Distinguishing Types of Anxiety Therapy for Kids 139
Cbt 139
Act 140
Dbt-c 140
SPACE training 140
Pcit 141
Play therapy 141
Emdr 141
Preparing Yourself for After the Session 142
Chapter 10: Anxiety Medications: What Parents Need to Know 143
Considering Anxiety Medications for Kids 144
Understanding how medications work 144
Knowing when medication is needed 145
Finding a prescriber 146
Appreciating Principles in Medicine Management 146
Building a partnership 147
Respecting individuality 147
Targeting symptoms 147
Recognizing that pills are not skills 148
Starting low and going slow 148
Sticking to one change at a time 148
Preparing for Your Child's Medical Plan 149
Knowing your family history 149
Inquiring about insurance 149
Practicing how to swallow a pill 149
Defining your goals 150
Prioritizing Safety 150
Straight talk: Suicide and kids 150
Understanding the risk 151
Reducing access to means 151
Storing medications and other substances 152
Maintaining bedroom safety 153
Completing safety planning 153
Detailing Commonly Used Anxiety Medications 154
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) 154
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) 158
Alpha-agonists 159
Antihistamines 160
Practicing Successful Medication Habits 161
Prioritizing safe storage 161
Normalizing a routine 162
Avoiding self-administration 162
Expecting frequent follow-up visits 163
Looking toward your goals 163
Addressing Common Questions and Concerns 163
"I don't want to turn my kid into a zombie." 164
"I don't want medicine to change who they are." 164
"Don't kids become dependent on these medications?" 164
"These medications never worked for me Why will they work for my kid?" 165
"I've heard these medications aren't FDA-approved for anxiety Is it safe to use something 'off label'?" 165
"My kid is so young; will they need this forever?" 166
"What about long-term side effects?" 166
"What if the medications don't work?" 166
"This dose is the same that their father is on Isn't that too high?" 167
"What about lab work?" 167
Chapter 11: Evaluating Supplements and Nutraceuticals 169
Navigating the Supplement Landscape 170
Distinguishing pharmaceuticals from supplements and nutraceuticals 171
Using supplements with kids 172
Supplementing Smartly 173
Starting with supplements 173
Understanding risks 174
Making better choices 175
Surveying Anxiety Supplements 177
Omega-3 blends 177
Vitamin d 178
Magnesium 178
Iron 179
Zinc 180
Complex B vitamins 181
Probiotics 181
Amino acids 182
Lavender 182
Saffron 183
Ashwagandha 183
Cbd 183
Part 4: Parenting Your Anxious Child 185
Chapter 12: Analyzing Your Parenting Style and Anxiety's Impact 187
Determining Your Parenting Style 188
Putting Your Parenting Style into Action 189
Linking Parenting Behaviors and Anxious Kids 190
Contributing to child anxiety 191
Protecting against anxiety 192
Reflecting on your parenting behaviors 193
Parenting with Anxiety 193
Anxiety intercepts your parenting effectiveness 194
Anxiety intensifies your child's experience with anxiety 194
Anxiety makes your emotional interpretations inaccurate 194
Anxiety is contagious 195
Anxiety changes your parenting memories 195
Anxiety interferes with your relationships 195
Anxiety steals your parenting joy 195
Anxiety is worth treating 196
Avoiding Accommodation 196
Discovering your accommodation behaviors 197
Stopping accommodation 198
Chapter 13: Optimizing Your Home Environment 199
Understanding That Anxiety Management Starts at Home 200
Prioritizing Sleep 200
Appreciating the need for sleep 201
Knowing that sleep impacts the whole family 203
Noting sleep differences in anxious kids 204
Bedsharing with anxious kids 204
Committing to healthy bedtime habits 206
Moving for Mental Health 209
Embracing the outdoors 209
Energizing family movement 210
Fueling the Anxious Body and Brain 211
Connecting anxiety and food issues 212
Making small changes 213
Succeeding with Screen Time 214
Acknowledging interference 216
Constructing safer screen time at home 217
Prioritizing Play 219
Balancing types of play 219
Valuing play for anxious kids 220
Avoiding overscheduling 220
Leaning into Routines 221
Distinguishing routines from schedules 221
Building home routines 222
Chapter 14: Thriving in School and Sports for Anxious Kids 223
Expecting Back-to-School Anxiety 224
Experiencing Anxiety in School 225
Identifying school anxiety 226
Supporting anxious kids in the classroom 226
Refusing to Go to School 227
Understanding school refusal 228
Helping a child with school refusal 228
Looking at the Landscape of Today's Youth Sports 229
Reaping the benefits of organized sports 229
Examining anxiety in organized sports 230
Supporting Your Young Athlete 231
Keeping the fun in sport 231
Encouraging physical literacy 232
Choosing variety as long as you can 232
Prioritizing recovery 232
Modeling emotional control 233
Handling the car ride home 233
Teaming Up Against Sports Anxiety 235
Looking for signs 235
Managing sports anxiety 235
Chapter 15: Implementing Behavior Management Strategies 237
Understanding How Behaviors Are Learned 238
Recognizing a Positive Parenting Household 239
Building relationship 240
Paying attention and empathizing 240
Prioritizing safety 241
Honoring developmental skills 241
Promoting social-emotional learning 241
Creating and enforcing boundaries 242
Avoiding punishments and preparing consequences 243
Using clear communication 244
Prioritizing space for self-care 244
Choosing Effective Strategies 245
Tailoring Strategies for Kids with Anxiety 246
Searching for context 246
Creating consistency 248
Clarifying "zero tolerance" 248
Calming first 249
Modeling imperfection 249
Avoiding avoidance 250
Catching your child being brave 250
Managing Challenging Behavior 251
Chapter 16: Calming Techniques and Why They Work 253
Calming the Brain and Body 254
Managing anxiety with self-regulation 254
Building self-regulation skills 255
Teaching Calming Techniques to Your Child 255
Timing matters 256
Learning together 256
Using co-regulation 256
Trusting the process 257
Exploring Calming Techniques 257
Breath control 257
Grounding 258
Cognitive engagement 260
Putting Calming Techniques into Action 261
Dealing with Panic Attacks in Kids 263
Dissecting what happens to the body during a panic attack 263
Identifying panic 264
Appreciating panic's uniqueness 265
Supporting your child during a panic attack 266
Chapter 17: Focusing on Specific Concerns and Worries 269
Getting an Anxious Child to Sleep 270
The Yale Program 271
The bedtime pass 271
Camping out 272
Scheduling check-ins 273
Supplementing Sleep 274
Melatonin 274
Iron 275
Magnesium 275
L-theanine 276
Examining Anxiety in Toddlers 276
Understanding toddler fears 277
Remembering your role 277
Taming toddler anxiety 278
Watching out for concerning signs 279
Changing Bodies and Anxiety 279
Co-Parenting an Anxious Child 282
Focusing on your child 282
Informing and communicating 282
Handling drop-offs and pick-ups 283
Parenting in your own home 284
Part 5: the Part of Tens 285
Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Support Kids Who Fear Needles 287
Chapter 19: Ten Signs Your Child Needs Professional Help 295
Chapter 20: Ten Things to Say to Your Anxious Child 301
Appendix: Recommended Resources 307
Index 313

Product details

• Authors: Natasha Burgert
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.07.2025
• EAN: 9781394329557
• ISBN: 978-1-394-32955-7
• No. of pages: 336
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > Non-clinical medicine; SELF-HELP / Anxieties & Phobias, PSYCHOLOGY / Psychotherapy / Child & Adolescent, Popular medicine & health, Child care & upbringing, Coping with anxiety & phobias, Children’s health, Coping with / advice about anxiety and phobias, HEALTH & FITNESS / Children & Adolescents