ANXIETY

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Hi
My son is having panic attacks all morning and day at school looking for tips on how to help him cope and manage them.

Thanks

Annmaria

Ask the school/teachers if there's a room with a cot (say, the nurse's room, if the school has one) where he can go lie down when he feels he is about to have a panic attack. Then he can close his eyes and do breathing exercises (breathe in and out slowly, for example).

It would help if they could dim the lights in this room.

This is just what has worked for me.

Oh, also, if he is not on an anti-anxiety medicine like clonazepam (a take-as-needed thing), that could help.

Another thought - maybe the root of his anxiety needs to be gotten to. It sounds like it may be about school. School/going to school is indeed VERY stressful, or was for this Aspie, anyway. I'm not sure how old your son is but one thing that would have helped me is having some calming thing to look forward to once at school. Maybe if you packed him a little snack or happy note with a trinket he could play with (discreetly), like a squeeze ball, he'd have that to look forward to getting out once he got to school. And obviously his teachers should be consulted about this so it doesn't just look like he's playing with toys in class.

Here;s one thing you might be able to pack for your son if there is any "down time" during classes, that Aspies might be more prone to enjoy: a book of mazes for him to do, or if mazes
frustrate him, something more simple and soothing like a connect-the-dots book. Maybe he could be allowed to go into an uncrowded room and do these for five minutes or so when he feels anxious.

My son was just diagnosed with Aspergers and has anxiety with it. It really hit hard this year with the first grade. I worked with his teacher and we developed a place in her classroom where he can go and read if he starts to get worked up. I also put notes in his lunch box about what he is going to be doing when he gets home from school and that helps. In addition, our therapist for him has had us make schedules for everything - from his morning routines, to bathtime - so that he knows where he is at every moment of the day and what he is doing. His teacher at school also did this and has it attached to his desk so that at any time he can look and see it. It has really helped him calm down some of the anxiety. He still gets worked up, but it helps. We also do the counting to 10 thing. Another thing we do is he has a hat (it just a garden type hat) that he wears when he gets home from school, and he goes and plays in his room for a bit where no one bothers him. It helps him decompress from everything. He also puts it on and plays in his room when he is home and is getting worked up.

You might also look into if it is a sensory issues??? My wife and I are having our son looked at for that. I am not 100% sure what it is, but has something to do with the lights that the schools use or the amount of noise and chaos in the classroom.