Does your child have back-to-school anxiety? Here's what to do

Back-to-school season can come with mixed feelings for young learners. While some students are excited to return to the classroom, it can also cause anxiety for many others. Katie Lingras, PhD, LP, speaks about the signs and causes of back-to-school anxiety and how parents can provide support. Q: Why do so many children experience anxiety as the school year approaches? A: The summer can be filled with lots of fun activities – camps, family time, vacation and even day-to-day time in the sun at our many beaches and community pools. However, kids often don't have a lot of structure (or the structure changes from one week to the next) in their days and weeks compared to during the school year. Even mealtime and sleep schedules often change during the summer. Adjusting back from that can be challenging for both adults and children. New school years also bring uncertainty as teachers and classroom peers change, routines change and sometimes even the school itself is new. Q: What are some common sources of anxiety during back-to-school season? A: New school years can bring lots of changes – basic things like back-to-school clothes or supplies can generate anxiety for those who might be socially aware or anxious about what peers think. Changes to routine are inevitable from one year to the next – new teachers will do things differently than a past teacher, but children won't yet know what those differences will be. New logistics, like opening a locker or changing classes, can be relevant for the older pre-teens/adolescents. Depending on a child's previous experience in school, specific anxieties about school may exist – academic struggles, school violence, racism/discrimination or other 'specialized situations' may apply to a lot of children when all of the possibilities are added up. Q: What are some of the symptoms of anxiety in children? A: Children who have the language to express their internal experience may share worries verbally, but oftentimes anxiety is an inner experience. Some children may not even recognize that what they are feeling is anxiety, let alone have the words to express that. It's important to be on the lookout for any of the following: stomachaches or headaches, sleep difficulties (i.e. difficulty falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, having bad dreams or nightmares), changes in eating patterns (i.e. eating more than usual or eating less/refusing to eat), increased fidgeting (including playing with hair, picking at or biting nails or skin), asking a lot of questions – especially things that have been 'asked and answered,' needing to control things or have them 'my way,' needing to have things 'perfect' or expressing worries (including things that may not seem rational). Q: How can parents support their children who may be dealing with anxiety? A: My biggest tip would be to proactively open up the conversation and explicitly create a safe space to talk. This starts with checking in early and often about how children are feeling, but then also letting them know that they can come back with questions or things they're thinking. It can also help to normalize the worries – a lot of children worry about starting school and/or changes that come with a new year. Letting children know they are not alone can be helpful and help them feel comfortable with expressing their thoughts and worries to someone else. We can also prepare them as much as possible ahead of time (i.e., visits to the new school or teacher/classroom, driving the bus route, checking out the new bus stop, trying out the new locker combination, walking the halls to trace how you will change classes, etc.) but also acknowledge that things will come up even when you prepare. Identifying trusted adults or peers they can confide in when worries or unexpected things can happen is also helpful. Also, identifying go-to calm-down skills that can help with relaxation when worries pop up, such as deep breathing, star or square breathing, progressive muscle relaxation or a calm jar. Q: How does your research advance health in Minnesota? A: My clinical expertise is early childhood mental health, although I work with children/families through early adolescence as well. I focus on experiences related to trauma or stress as well as behavioral challenges that impact a child's daily settings (like home and school). I provide direct care to children and families and I also train students who are in training to become psychologists via clinical supervision and seminars. My research is focused on program evaluation in clinical settings, specifically how best to support and advance mental health knowledge for providers without that training background who are faced with mental health questions in their work, such as teachers and primary care providers. I also work in spaces related to faculty, staff and learner well-being, designing and evaluating programs that support ongoing learning in the interest of improving interpersonal interactions and workplace safety. Dr. Katie Lingras is an associate professor in the medical school's department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, a member of the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain and a child psychologist with M Health Fairview. She is focused on bridging gaps between academic research and practice by providers who work directly with children.