anxiety disorder in kindergarten

My son has an autistic spectrum disorder and sensory integration disorder and in some environmental situations he is unable to multi-function from a sensory point of view. So, for example, he may not be able to speak if he is looking at something or doing/making something at the same time. If this is also going on then it will rank up the anxiety and overstimulation of your child. An OT can assess for this and give therapy. Try to get an OT with experience in this area.

It does sounds as if your son is suffering from anxiety - probably social anxiety. The fact that your son "shuts down and refuses to participate" - (your words) could indicate an anxiety disorder that may require professional treatment. By the way, when your son "shuts down"; if he is suffering from anxiety, he is not refusing to participate but the anxiety renders him incapable of participating.

You might also consider having him evaluated by a pediatric mental health professional to consider the possibility of an anxiety disorder. It may be that he is simply sensitive by temperament (see The Challenging Child by Stanley Greenspan).

s condition, is often associated with anxiety, though it is not regarded specifically as an anxiety disorder. Most children who display selective mutism possess the capacity for normal speech and language, as you can see with your daughter. It's just that they utilize their normal speech and language abilities only in certain situations.

OH boy this is my fear. I have a son starting kindergarten in a week. I wonder if you could contact his teacher. She may have some ideas and maybe she'd change how she does the calender thing if it is causing so much anxiety. She could also tell you how he is doing otherwise at school. While he may be unhappy at home if he is coping and doing well during his school day, that would be a plus. I'm so afraid of this myself, I hope it works out.

worriedparentsin texas: Your entire posting screams of anxiety. Most people think "being nervous" is a sign of anxiety; it is not. Anxiety will appear as in your son's behaviour - unable to concentrate and think and perhaps even frozen in posture (this is why he got lost and was unable to follow instructions - he was unable to learn or take in the information in the first place).

court1980 - vomiting in public situations is one of the signs of severe anxiety. You mentioned that your son was "shy" - another "sign" of anxiety. As always, your first step is to contact your family doctor re advice. You might wish to educate yourself on anxiety by googling terms such as "anxiety and school" or "behaviors of anxiety in children" or "anxiety disorders in children" or similar words/phrases.

He seems to be lacking confidence and was almost going to cry when I left him at school (1st grade) the other day, although he went to preschool and kindergarten just fine. He has a 7 year old brother (8 in September) and a 1 year old sister (2 in September). We recently went to a little kid's amusement park where he refused to ride the same roller coaster he had rode every summer since he was 2 unless I went on it with him.

I believe that RockRose is correct - you need to be a calming and logical person in your son's life. Your son is suffering from mild separation anxiety but it appears not to be severe in its nature. Just be very casual and matter-of-fact when stressing that "yes, your job is school" and don't act stressed or frightened (even if you feel that way).

I'm going to give the same information as I did to "1st grade teacher can't reach" - I am wondering if the reason your son is unable to learn at school is that he is suffering from anxiety. Often, ADD/ADHD is confused with the behaviours of anxiety. I might suggest you google the phrase "anxiety behaviors of children" or "anxiety in school age children" or similar words/phrases. Of course, the previous poster specialmom could also have a point.

my 5 year old is in developmental pre-school for language delay and social skills (diagnosed with PDD-NOS, school leans toward anxiety disorder). Environment in pre-school is VERY structured (more structured than it will be in kindergarten).

Thank you very much!!!

I feel like we are in the same boat. My 5 year old is in his second month of kindergarten at a brand new school. He is one of the younger 5 year old, but he loves school. He also read early and was placed into learning environments as early as 6 months old. Im a single working mom so i had to put him in licensed facilities. He always starts out with an adjusting issue when changing school or facilities..........but he quickly makes friends and blends well.

Often children who suffer from extreme anxiety display ADHD symptoms, but in fact, do not have ADHD/ADD as severe anxiety can mimic this disorder. It appears the Zoloft works - which is a SSRI used for anxiety disorders. I googled the drug "Metadate" and it appears to function similar to Ritalin so I suppose there would not be any reason to change to this drug.

He is only 5 years old and in kindergarten. He has already had in school suspension once and been suspended from the school bus for three days. His teach tells me that she has no idea what else to do with him. I am at a loss too. He does follow directions, plays when he is not supposed to, talks out of turn and much more. He is now only 2 write ups away from getting another ISS and in jeopardy of not passing kindergarten due to getting in trouble all the time. What else can I do?

He is young to settle on an ADHD diagnosis, though it is not unreasonable to do so. He may well display an anxiety disorder, but that should be determined by a child psychiatrist.

I was wondering if she was suffering from an anxiety disorder, but that appears not to be the case. Nonetheless, school is causing her extreme stress and I tend to agree with your summation - she is just not ready for a all-day school program.

So far my son has not been labeled with anything that would classify him in either group. I researched sensory integration disorder and actually the school suggested it as well. The teacher noticed his hand-washing techniques and thought maybe he would benefit from seeking council with the school's OT. I do see some similarities with the symptoms but not enough to classify him as having that specific problem.

By the way, there is a difference between separation anxiety and separation anxiety disorder (and it appears your child suffers from the latter). You might wish to google the phrase "separation anxiety disorder" or "anxiety disorders in children" or similar words/phrases to educate yourself on this issue.

My son is 5 and is in Kindergarten. Just has his annual meeting for his IEP which was integrated with his parent/teacher conference. He's been in speech therapy for the passed two years. Good news, he's on track with his speech and he is on track academically; Not so great news, he's a rigid, disruptive student, who needs constant prompting to stay on task. Examples of rigidity: Must be last in line. Must sit in certain spot on carpet.

His random innapropriate behavior has us baffled. I am worried as he is to enter Kindergarten this fall. He is a very introverted, sensitive, very energetic and sometimes hyperfocused child. What should I do? We had a three hour appointment with a behavioral specialist and have changed his diet and our behavior methods to help him with transitions, yet he seems to be getting more sensitive. Please!!! What can we do?

Panic, Anxiety, etc. I'm wondering whether my son is having panic/anxiety issues? Or is that too early?

I strongly suspect your stepson is suffering from an anxiety disorder called "Selective Mutism". The best site for information on the internet is "selectivemutism.org" which gives an overview under the FAQ section. There are many downloads which should help the school to better understand this disorder. Also, there are many books which can be purchased to better help this boy (the school should have funds for some of these purchases).

m not apt to go straight to an anxiety disorder but she does appear anxious. Many kids are very quiet in the first year of school particularly if school is a new experience for them or if they are young for their class. I'd look into all of this first. Parents need to stay upbeat about school and become very active in the classroom. Both help.

Anxiety disorder in kindergarten

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