Article source: https://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/tips-if-your-child-is-anxious-about-going-to-or-back-to-school/news-story/

There’s four specific things you can do to make the transition to school, or return, easier for everyone.

Why does one child experience excitement at the thought of starting the school year while another experiences debilitating anxiety?

It’s rarely one thing and is often a combination of factors, including a child’s temperament and self-confidence; their previous experiences at school, kinder or childcare; friendships they’ve already formed; and the types of transition activities they’ve undertaken.

As psychologists and mental health researchers, we also look at how the family is coping, and the child’s previous history of mental health or developmental disability diagnoses.

The good news is research shows parents, schools and health professionals can intervene early to support children who are feeling anxious about school.

Our research team developed a program called AllPlay Learn to support children with disability, who are at higher risk of experiencing anxiety at school because of the additional load from new routines, friendships, expectations, and “sensory overload” (where the noise, clutter, smells and other sensory input from the classroom or playground become overwhelming and distressing to a child).

These strategies can help all children, parents and teachers to better cope with the transition to school, or going back after the holidays.

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