![]() ![]() They can write out the words on their “worry tapes”. Once you’ve identified the anxiety and named it, children or adolescents can draw pictures of their “worry bug” or their “exaggerator”. Describing anxiety in a concrete way is critical for helping a child or adolescent feel they have the power to conquer and take control of the anxiety.Ģ. All of these concepts give us concrete ways to describe the anxiety that our child or adolescent is feeling. This may include using Tamar Chansky’s (2004) concepts of The Worry Bug, the worry tape or the Exaggerator. Assist your child with developing strategies for anxiety. The following ten strategies may assist you with teaching your child how to be more flexible in the face of these ever increasing demands.ġ. There are many strategies to assist children with increasing their ability to be more flexible overall. For many children including those on the autism spectrum, these transitions and changes can provoke discomfort and even intense anxiety. Transitions and change are the norm rather than the exception. Information is abundant, and constantly bombarding us. Anxiety also prevents children on the spectrum (and children who are not on the spectrum) from effectively managing the everyday requirement to be flexible in the face of change and transition.Ĭhildren with and without a diagnosis on the autism spectrum can struggle with many challenges related to anxiety. In an article by Rotheram-Fuller & MacMullen (2011), they state that 72%-80% of children with ASDs meet criteria for an axis I disorder with anxiety the most reported disorder (Bruin, Ferdinand, Meester, Nijs & Verheij, 2007 Leyfer et al., 2006.) Anxiety impacts many areas of development including social interactions, academic performance and general comfort in life’s challenging circumstances. Increasingly, the literature has focused on the role of anxiety in the world of a child on the autism spectrum. It is frequently believed that challenges with flexibility may be related to anxiety. Ten Ways to Increase Your Child’s Ability to Be FlexibleĬhildren with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) often experience enormous challenges in the area of flexibility. In this post, Lauren discusses the challenges with flexible thinking and suggests ten strategies to try to teach a child to be more flexible in the face of change and transition. Lauren will be speaking at our Calgary Conference on November 16, 2019. Our guest blogger this week is Lauren Kerstein, a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in working with children, adolescents, adults and families. ![]()
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