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Strategies Educators can use for students with anxiety disorders

Types of Strategies that Educators can use with their Students

Preventative strategies

Preventative strategies support the development of feelings of effectiveness that can prevent or reduce anxiety. The more effective a student feels, the less anxious he or she will feel.

The following strategies were put forward by Jacinthe Beaulieu in her presentation on anxiety at school and strategies for use in the classroom, at the TES symposium on special education techniques that was held on May 31, 2013.

1. Encourage positive self-talk.
2. Help the student to have realistic expectations.
3. Take the drama out of the situation
4. Encourage the student to see the glass as half-full, not half-empty
5. Place an emphasis on personal affirmation
6. Encourage non-anxious or brave behaviours (verbally, emotionally, or otherwise)
7. Model effective preventive strategies by supporting the student to manage his or her own anxiety
8. Note subtle avoidance strategies and offer winning strategies in their place.
9. Have moments of fun with the students on a regular basis;Have an emergency plan to deal with crises.

Teaching planning strategies

These strategies will help to minimize the anxiety of students, in particular, students with learning disabilities.

Planning brings an element of stability and routine to the day or the activity; this helps students with anxiety to manage disruptions and minimizes changes that they may perceive as unexpected.

Lecours, Landry, and Émond suggest these planning strategies:

1. Divide work into smaller steps.
2. Provide an example of a planner or organizational chart and show the students how to use it.
3. Provide an individualized work plan, with a sequence that the student can check off.
4. Provide a work plan with specific tasks that the student can check off.
5. Personalize references, checklists, etc.
6. Plan for individualized tutoring sessions/instruction
7. Plan regular times for individual review and revision.
8. Plan time to go back over work with the student
9. Provide a variety of time management tools.

I’m looking forward to spending quality time on Curriculum Delivery for Children with Special Learning Needs come Tuesday. We will observing curriculum documents and infusing techniques of Reading, Writing and Math issues.

Have a splendid rest this holiday and a great week ahead.