Children's Anxious Lives

Much of the work I do involves children with learning challenges and their families. The one request I get on a regular basis are tips for stress management & self-calming.

Stressful feelings in children & adults can arise during times of transition, chaos & over stimulation, illness, test taking, hectic daily schedules or therapies & during fear based learning. When a child becomes overstimulated &  confused he cannot take in & process the information the brain is receiving. These situations & feelings cause a "fight or flight" reaction in the body and is the same type of response that occurs if that child were in danger of being harmed. The primative brain cannot tell the difference between mildly stressful situations & dangerous ones-or if the event is actually happening or is being imaged (as when playing video games or watching TV). This is a subconscious function & is our body's way of protecting itself from real danger.

During stressful events and activities,when this reaction or "stress response" happens, adrenalin flows directly into the brain and shuts down all functions except the survival functions. This blocks it completely from receiving/processing any other information. It does this in order to "survive". All it can remember to do at that point is "fight" or "flee". Once this survival or stress response occurs the child is not capable of processing any information much less learning. In children with autism, SPD's or other challenges this is the time when "meltdown" will most likely occur.

Along with emphasizing a varied & proper diet & constant hydration, one of the techniques I repeatedly focus on is using breathing with imagery to stay calm. This not only applies to the students, but to the teachers, support staff, peers, siblings and parents as well. It is always in everyone's best interest, especially in the home & in learning environments that everyone adapt  a "realxation response" as a way to combat stressful situations.The statistics on childhood stress are alarming, not just for children with learning challenges, but for neurotypical children as well. The most alarming statistic is how many parents & caregivers did not realize that their children were showing symptoms of stress:

Stress in Children (and the disconnect with parents)


•45% of teens (ages 13-17) said that they were more worried in 2009. However, only 28% of parents thought their teen's stress had increased.

•26% of tweens (ages 8-12) said that they were more worried in 2009. However, only 17% of parents thought that their children's stress had increased.

•30% of children reported being worried about the family's financial situation. However, only 18% of parents thought that their finances were a cause of their children's stress.

Possible Effects of Stress in Children

•30% of tweens and 42% of teens say they get headaches. However, only 13% of parents reported being aware of their children having headaches.

•39% of tweens and 49% of teens report difficulty sleeping. However, only 13% of parents reported being aware of their children having trouble sleeping.

•25% of tweens and 39% of teens reported eating too much or too little due to stress. However, only 8% of parents reported being aware of this issue.
(All of the above stress statistics related to children and their parents were reported by a 2009 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA).)

The (slightly long) article below is a re-post from "Natural Awakenings" Magazine. I found it to be informative and I am sharing it with you here. It is imperative that we as parents and educators teach our children (of ALL abilities) techniques for self-calming not only through telling & teaching them but by setting an example and showing them. Children learn stress reactions from the people they are around most-peers, parents and teachers. When we learn how to properly recognize & manage our own stress, our children will learn to follow our lead.

Wishing you a Peaceful day!

~Barb


Calming Anxious Lives...

Re post:Original article by Lisa Marshall
for Natural Awakenings Magazine-Lehigh Valley Ed.


For fourth-grader Skylar Shumate, a typical Tuesday looks like this. Rise at dawn for some toaster waffles and juice before sprinting to the bus at 7:15 a.m. Study for spelling en route to school. Embark on a seven-hour school day, filled with classes and quizzes. Head to cheerleading at 3:15 p.m., hip-hop class at 5 p.m., then return home to practice piano and do homework before grabbing dinner and heading to bed.

In all, Skylar reports, she is a happy kid. “But sometimes, if I’m super stressed, I’ll go cry in my room,” she confesses. “I sometimes just wish there wasn’t so much pressure.”

Such a statement from a child is particularly chilling. But, according to a growing body of research and legions of concerned child development experts, Skylar is not alone.


Troubling Trends

According to a study by the California-based Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, up to 70 percent of parents report that their 9- to 13-year-old children experience moderate to high levels of stress. In a recent poll of high school students by Stanford University, 65 percent admitted they were often or always stressed out. According to the National Mental Health Information Center, anxiety disorders affect 13 out of every 100 children ages 9 to 17.

Nationwide, healthcare providers report an increase in stress-related health problems like stomach aches, teeth grinding, sleep disorders and behavioral problems in children as young as preschool age. Some anxiety can be attributed to trouble at home, such as abuse or personal tragedy. But a more insidious culprit appears to have emerged: a culture of hyper-parenting, in which kids are overscheduled and academically overloaded, and adult role models—concerned about everything from terrorism to pandemics and the economy—are more stressed than ever.

“We have stumbled into a unique moment in the history of childhood, a cocktail of cultural and historical trends that have intersected to create a perfect storm,” says Carl Honoré, a 41-year-old father of two and author of Under Pressure: Rescuing our Children from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting.

He notes how anxious parents are feeling the need to prepare their kids for a tough job market. They have money to afford extracurricular activities, and because they are becoming parents later in life and raising fewer children, they have a tendency to dote on them and expect great things. “Children are the target of more adult anxiety and intervention today than at any time in history,” says Honore.

Most troubling is the realization that too much childhood stress can have lifelong health consequences.

Read full article here



Lisa Marshall is a freelance writer and mother of four in Colorado

Original Source:
http://www.naturalawakeningsmag.com/natural-library/august-2009/calming-anxious-lives



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