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After taking some time off, I will be back coaching JSR's dance team this school year for middle school :) Interested students should keep an eye out for clinics and try outs!

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When children are chronically anxious, even the most well-meaning parents, not wanting a child to suffer, can actually make the youngster's anxiety worse. It happens when parents try to protect kids from their fears. Here are pointers for helping children escape the cycle of anxiety.

None of us wants to see a child unhappy, but the best way to help kids overcome anxiety isn't to try to remove stressors that trigger it. It's to help them learn to tolerate their anxiety and function as well as they can, even when they're anxious. And as a byproduct of that, the anxiety will decrease over time.

Helping children avoid the things they are afraid of will make them feel better in the short term, but it reinforces the anxiety over the long run. Let's say a child in an uncomfortable situation gets upset and starts to cry - not to be manipulative, but just because that's how they feel. If their parents whisk them out of there, or remove the thing they're afraid of, the child has learned that coping mechanism. And that cycle has the potential to repeat itself.

You can't promise a child that their fears are unrealistic-that they won't fail a test, that they'll have fun ice skating, or that another child won't laugh at them during show & tell. But you can express confidence that they're going to be okay, that they will be able to manage it. And you can let them know that as they face those fears, the anxiety level will drop over time. This gives them confidence that your expectations are realistic, and that you're not going to ask them to do something they can't handle.

It's important to understand that validation doesn't always mean agreement. So if a child is terrified about going to the doctor because they're due for a shot, you don't want to belittle those fears, but you also don't want to amplify them. You want to listen and be empathetic, help them understand what they're anxious about, and encourage them to feel that they can face their fears. The message you want to send is, "I know you're scared, and that's okay, and I'm here, and I'm going to help you get through this."

Encourage your child to talk about their feelings, but try not to ask leading questions- "Are you anxious about the big test? Are you worried about the science fair?" To avoid feeding the cycle of anxiety, just ask open-ended questions: "How are you feeling about the science fair?"

What you don't want to do is be saying, with your tone of voice or body language: "Maybe this is something that you should be afraid of." Let's say a child has had a negative experience with a dog. Next time they're around a dog, you might be anxious about how they will respond, and you might unintentionally send a message that they should, indeed, be worried.

Let your child know that you appreciate the work it takes to tolerate anxiety in order to do what they want or need to do. It's really encouraging them to engage in life and to let the anxiety take its natural curve. We call it the "habituation curve." That means that it will drop over time as he continues to have contact with the stressor. It might not drop to zero, it might not drop as quickly as you would like, but that's how we get over our fears.

When we're afraid of something, the hardest time is really before we do it. So another rule of thumb for parents is to really try to eliminate or reduce the anticipatory period. If a child is nervous about going to a doctor's appointment, you don't want to launch into a discussion about it two hours before you go; that's likely to get your child more keyed up. So just try to shorten that period to a minimum.

Sometimes it helps to talk through what would happen if a child's fear came true-how would they handle it? A child who's anxious about separating from their parents might worry about what would happen if a parent didn't come to pick them up. So we talk about that. If your mom doesn't come at the end of soccer practice, what would you do? "Well I would tell the coach my mom's not here." And what do you think the coach would do? "Well he would call my mom. Or he would wait with me." A child who's afraid that a stranger might be sent to pick them up can have a code word from their parents that anyone they sent would know. For some kids, having a plan can reduce the uncertainty in a healthy, effective way.

There are multiple ways you can help kids handle anxiety by letting them see how you cope with anxiety yourself. Kids are perceptive, and they're going to take it in if you keep complaining on the phone to a friend that you can't handle the stress or the anxiety. I'm not saying to pretend that you don't have stress and anxiety, but let kids hear or see you managing it calmly, tolerating it, feeling good about getting through it.

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What to Do (and Not Do) When Children Are Anxious - Child Mind Institute

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How to help a child with anxiety? We bring expert parenting advice on assisting children to escape the cycle of anxiety. Learn what to do and not to do, anxiety treatments, and behavioral modification techniques.

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FOOD SENSORY ISSUES: TIPS & STRATEGIES

Section Overview

For some children, eating can be especially challenging due to food aversions. This section helps you have a better understanding of food sensory issues, helps you identify food aversions, and provides tips for improving your child's food acceptance.

Understanding Food Sensory Issues

Food sensory issues, also known as sensory food aversion, occur when individuals have a sensory overreaction to certain food types (certain tastes, textures, temperatures, and smells). Food aversions most often occur in children with sensory processing disorders or autism spectrum disorders.

Working with your child to overcome food aversions can make mealtime easier and expand food choices and preferences!

Identifying Food Aversions

Is your child fussy during mealtime?

Does your child refuse to eat certain textures?

Does your child cough while eating?

Do you consider your child to be a "picky eater"?

Is it difficult to introduce new foods to your child?

If you answered "Yes" to the majority of these, it is possible that your child has a food aversion. It is important to work closely with your pediatrician and a registered dietitian to make sure that your child is getting all of the nutrients that he/she needs.

Negative Effects of Food Aversions

Restrictive diet: With food aversions, children are less likely to eat a wide variety of foods. This can look like a decreased intake of veggies, fruits, and protein and an increased intake of sweets and other carbohydrates. (Note: an increased intake of carbohydrates can have negative consequences on a child's health, especially their weight)

Nutrient Deficiencies: A decreased variety in food intake, may cause the child to lack essential nutrients for their growing bodies. If nutrient deficiencies go on for long enough, they can impair the child's development and can further impact children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Increased Family Stress: Food aversions can make family mealtimes stressful, especially when there are multiple children you are trying to cater to.

Social Isolation: Food aversions can make children, especially those with Autism, hesitant to go out (to new places, new restaurants, or friends' houses) due to the uncertainty of having access to foods that they like.

Tips to Improve Food Acceptance
Cooking:
Allowing your child to help in food preparation can facilitate in expanding their food acceptance. By doing so, your child will become more familiar with different foods and have the motivation to try their creation!

Courtesy Bite:

A courtesy bite can encourage your child to simply try or smell a new food they may be unfamiliar with. This way, your child can determine a food preference after giving it a try.

Routine:

A mealtime routine will aid in relaxing the environment and facilitate in reducing mealtime anxiety. A mealtime routine can also give a child structure and regulate hunger cues.

Understand:

You can encourage new foods while also respecting choice. If your child says no to a new food, try again at a later mealtime.

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FOOD SENSORY ISSUES: TIPS & STRATEGIES Section Overview Understanding Food Sensory Issues Identifying Food Aversions Negative Effects of Food Aversions Tips to Improve Food Acceptance Section O...

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If you have information regarding bullying/harassment and would like to report this information anonymously, please fill out the following report form to the best of your knowledge and submit.

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Please click the link to complete this form.

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Florida International University - Digital Communications

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The Center for Children and Families offers free, online workshops from The Children’s Trust Parent Club on raising children and teens (0-16 years old) to be successful, healthy and happy. Our goal is to share information and advice based on the latest research.

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Create a Summer Treatment Program

We offer training for agencies seeking to create, set up and operate a Summer Treatment Program following our nationally recognized model.

Training Opportunities

We offer training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States through three related Summer Treatment Programs.

Employment Opportunities

Visit the summer camp page of your choice to learn more about their employment opportunities.

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Florida International University - Digital Communications

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We offer training for agencies seeking to create, set up and operate a Summer Treatment Program following our nationally recognized model. We offer training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States through three related Summer Treatment Programs. Visit the summer camp page of your choice to learn more about their employment opportunities.

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Must be completed by student's pediatrician with medical diagnosis.

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Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program

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The Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program is an equal opportunity organization and does not discriminate against otherwise qualified applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, national origin, disability or veteran status