Addressing Anxiety in Young Learners

A Teacher’s Guide to Recognizing Needs and Resolving Behaviors

Sarah Taylor Vanover, Ed.D.

Early Childhood

A concise, reader-friendly guide written especially for teachers, this urgently needed book will prepare early educators to recognize anxiety issues in children ages 3—8, identify the associated behaviors, and work effectively with students who have anxiety symptoms.

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Anxiety rates are skyrocketing among young learners—and their teachers need explicit training on how to understand and support these students. A concise, reader-friendly guide written especially for teachers, this urgently needed book will prepare early educators to recognize anxiety issues in children ages 3—8, identify the associated behaviors, and work effectively with students who have anxiety symptoms.

Teachers will start with a well-organized primer on the different types of anxiety in children, featuring symptoms, causes, triggers, treatment options, and case stories. Then they'll get expert guidance on addressing anxiety and challenging behaviors in the classroom, with dedicated chapters on key topics like assessment, intervention, and the parents' experience.

Ideal for both preservice and in-service professional development, this introductory guide gives teachers the accessible information they need to understand learners with anxiety and support their success inside and outside the classroom.

TEACHERS WILL:

• Explore seven types of childhood anxiety: generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety, selective mutism, OCD, phobias, and anxiety rooted in childhood trauma
• Review the assessment and evaluation process, and understand the role a teacher should play
• Recognize co-morbidities with anxiety—including ADHD, autism, and depression—and how they may affect a child's symptoms and treatment plan
• Understand the issues and emotions parents face, so that teachers can offer them sensitive support
• Use effective classroom interventions to meet the needs of children with anxiety and create a nurturing learning environment
• Learn which strategies to avoid, from unrealistic expectations to excessive reassurance

Reviews

James A. Cox, Editor-In-Chief, Midwest Book Review - March 14, 2024

"Thoroughly user friendly in organization and presentation, Addressing Anxiety in Young Learners will be of particular value to readers with an interest in early childhood education and mental health. Highly recommended for personal, professional, school district, college/university library, Developmental Psychology, Education Counseling, and Classroom Crisis Management collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists…"

M. Wong-Lo, Biola University, Reprinted with permission from CHOICE http://www.choicereviews.org, copyright by the American Library Association. - March 14, 2024

"Addressing Anxiety in Young Learners is a practical guide for educators to learn general knowledge of anxiety and its effects on academic performance among school-age children…Case studies are integrated throughout the text, which add practicality and applicability across educational settings for young learners. This book is a timely contribution to education fields and provides a valuable resource for educators, families, and communities."

Sarah Davidon, Ed.D., Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, Davidon Consulting, LLC - July 13, 2023

"Often there is disbelief that mental illness can occur in young children, and Dr. Vanover has provided a wealth of information on the importance of recognizing diagnostic conditions and working together with parents and teachers to support children who may be struggling."

Ondine Gross, M.S., Ed.M., school psychologist and author of Restore the Respect: How to Mediate School Conflicts and Keep Students Learning - July 12, 2023

"Tiffany is lazy. Ramon is spoiled. Jasper is manipulative. The behavior of young children is often misread and misunderstood. Addressing Anxiety in Young Learners is an invaluable resource to recognize the causes and symptoms of young children’s mental health challenges. Teachers will learn effective classroom strategies. Parents will acquire insights to advocate for their children. The biggest beneficiary of all will be the students themselves, as adults gain a more nuanced understanding of their emotional responses and how best to support them.”

Neal Horen, Ph.D., Director of Early Childhood, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development - July 7, 2023

"As someone working in the early childhood space, it is critical that we get resources into the hands of practitioners that are practical, clear and relatable. As a clinician, there is a clear need for a text that addresses anxiety in this format. Addressing Anxiety in Young Learners does just that through its provision of example after example of children and families addressing anxiety. The breakdown of diagnostic criteria, causes, and treatments allows the reader to come away with a very clear sense of what might be happening and how best to proceed. In particular, the idea that we must always be partnering with parents is a powerful message that all need to hear. If you are interested in what to do and not to do, how to discern the subtleties of different anxiety disorders, and how best to proceed, this text will be incredibly helpful in your work.”

Author: Sarah Taylor Vanover Ed.D. With Author: Kristen Mennona LPC, BC-DM

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Anxiety in Preschool Children