A Parent’s Guide to Helping an Autistic Child with Anxiety

A Parent’s Guide to Helping an Autistic Child with Anxiety

Autism A to Z is winding down and today’s post is going to follow up on something that was mentioned in the comorbidity and autism post. For the letter X, I wanted to cover helping an autistic child with anxiety. Yes, I realize that it’s not a word that starts with x , but cut me a little a slack, okay? The reason that I chose to use anxiety is because it’s one of the more prevalent co-morbid (or co-occuring) conditions with children with autism. Another reason I chose anxiety is because May is Mental Health Awareness month and I wanted to use this post to tie-in with the upcoming posts that I’ll have on anxiety and depression. While this is not something that all…

How To Help Kids Deal with Stress
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How To Help Kids Deal with Stress

Kids have it so much easier than adults, right? That’s definitely what we’d like to believe. I mean, don’t you remember being in kindergarten and having playtime, snack time, and a nap? Kindergarten was the best! But, just because their lives seem like it’s all fun and games, doesn’t mean that kids are completely immune to stress. Some kids may have anxiety issues to deal with. Some kids may have parents who are divorcing. So how can we, as parents and caregivers, help kids deal with stress? Recognizing Signs of Stress in Kids -Physical Symptoms: Stressed children may exhibit physical symptoms, such as diarrhea, hives or rashes, restless sleep, changes in appetite, and /or nausea. -Emotional Psychological Symptoms: A stressed child may exhibit depression, excessive sensitivity, or…

How to Recognize Common Types of Anxiety in Children
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How to Recognize Common Types of Anxiety in Children

We have covered anxiety in children with autism, but today we’re going to talk about the types of anxiety in children. Stress affects children in similar ways as adults. And anxiety is no different though it may manifest differently in children. As a child, I had terrible separation anxiety- especially on the first few days of school or summer camp.  I wasn’t a shy child but I was just a child that was very much attached to my mom. Squeaker will, at times, show signs of separation anxiety but so far it isn’t too bad. But that’s just one of the types of anxiety in children. Let’s look at a few more. What does anxiety look like in children? Children’s anxiety symptoms are typical of…

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4 Simple Ways to Boost Your Child’s Self Esteem

As parents, we want our children to be happy, confident, and sure of themselves. And doing so, starts at home with a nurturing and loving environment. But how does one go about boosting their child’s self esteem? Is it just a matter of praise and and fostering a strong sense of self confidence? Or does it go beyond that? How do we boost our child’s self esteem without them seeming too self centered or cocky? Where is the line between a self confident child and a child who boasts? And is there really a difference between a self confident child and a cocky child? Like many things in parenting, this takes time and steps. They may not always notice the things that you’re doing but…