Date of Award
Spring 4-4-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Education (MSEd)
First Advisor
Dr. Sean O'Shea
Abstract
The following paper closely examines anxiety in school-aged children, especially those predisposed through environmental and biological factors. While there are many typical worries and fears in children, atypical signs that point to an anxiety disorder include severity and high frequency of worry and avoidance behavior. Anxiety disorders affect roughly a third of children ages six through eleven, and early intervention and cognitive strategies are extremely effective in giving children coping skills for their separation, social, or generalized anxiety. Some of the treatment plans examined in this paper include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Narrative Therapy and Externalization. Professional and at home treatment plans are examined, and current children’s books are critiqued through this therapeutic lens. Some children’s books are helpful in providing comfort or tools to anxious children, while many trivialize the fear or give false hope of “curing” anxiety with quick fixes. This author has written and illustrated a children’s book entitled “My Scary and Me” that combines therapeutic approaches with the author’s unique experiences with anxiety herself. The text and illustrations in the picture book aim to make anxious feelings external, visible, and relatable for anxious children.
Recommended Citation
Post, J. (2018). Childhood Anxiety. New York : Bank Street College of Education. https://educate.bankstreet.edu/independent-studies/224
Included in
Early Childhood Education Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Educational Psychology Commons
Comments
Childhood General Education and Literacy