CFD Psych

Anxiety manifests in many different ways with children. Following are several areas to be on the lookout for when trying to determine if your child is struggling with excessive anxiety. The acronym, P.A.W.N., can help us remember the general categories of how anxiety manifests in children.
P:  Pleasing -  An anxious child may show extreme interest in pleasing others. This could be 
     above and beyond the regular degree of interest most children will show in pleasing
     others. The child may be quick to be self-critical if they think for a second they may not   
     please the person they want to please. There is a rather intense desire for approval.
A:  Avoiding -  The child may want to avoid school, the school bus, or other social settings.  
     They may produce physical reasons for not going, stomachaches, headaches, tiredness,  
     or possibly shyness. They may beg and plead, or have tantrums to avoid participation. 
W: Worrying -  "What if'ing" is the key indicator of worrying. If the child is having trouble 
      sleeping, it may be due to worrying. Difficulties with transitions may also be an 
      indicator that worrying is occurring.  The child will often not be able to tell us why they  
      are worrying. What if something bad happens? This becomes a preoccupation.
N:  Negativity -  Being negative can be the general manifestation of anxiety in a child. They  
      fear several things, but the way it presents is with being negative in general 
      about things, almost as if they are depressed. They don't want to go places or do 
      things other children would love to do.

If your child struggles with anxiety, we would love the opportunity to assist you. Best wishes, Stephen Elliott, Ph.D., Child and Adolescent Psychologist