Addressing Anxiety in Young Learners: A Teacher's Guide to Recognizing Needs and Resolving Behaviors

Anxiety rates are skyrocketing among young learners—and their teachers need explicit training on how to understand and support these students. A concise, reader-friendly guide written especially for teachers, this urgently needed book will prepare early educators to recognize anxiety issues in children ages 3–8, identify the associated behaviors, and work effectively with students who have anxiety symptoms.

Teachers will start with a well-organized primer on the different types of anxiety in children, featuring symptoms, causes, triggers, treatment options, and case stories. Then they'll get expert guidance on addressing anxiety and challenging behaviors in the classroom, with dedicated chapters on key topics like assessment, intervention, and the parents' experience.

Ideal for both preservice and in-service professional development, this introductory guide gives teachers the accessible information they need to understand learners with anxiety and support their success inside and outside the classroom.

TEACHERS WILL:

• Explore seven types of childhood anxiety: generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety, selective mutism, OCD, phobias, and anxiety rooted in childhood trauma
• Review the assessment and evaluation process, and understand the role a teacher should play
• Recognize co-morbidities with anxiety—including ADHD, autism, and depression—and how they may affect a child's symptoms and treatment plan
• Understand the issues and emotions parents face, so that teachers can offer them sensitive support
• Use effective classroom interventions to meet the needs of children with anxiety and create a nurturing learning environment
• Learn which strategies to avoid

  , from unrealistic expectations to excessive reassurance

Sarah Taylor Vanover has been working in the field of early childhood education for over twenty-three years. She first began as an assistant teacher in an infant classroom, and since then she has served as a lead teacher, a program administrator, a trainer, a classroom teaching coach, and a college professor. Dr. Vanover is currently the Director for the Division of Child Care in Kentucky where she is responsible for early education policy development, child care subsidy, the Kentucky child care quality rating system, and professional development for early childhood educators.

Dr. Vanover completed her doctoral research on what families look for when selecting child care for their children. She is an active trainer in Kentucky and surrounding states, and she frequently speaks at conferences on topics like quality childcare indicators, early childhood special education, and the importance of the child care system. Vanover lives in Lexington, KY with her husband, Rob, and her two sons, Jack and James.

Kristen Mennona is the founder of Nurture Family Counseling, LLC in Denver, Colorado. Her practice specializes in the treatment of pediatric eating disorders, OCD and anxiety within the context of the family. Kristen is a licensed professional counselor, a board-certified dance/movement therapist, a certified eating disorder specialist (CEDS), a registered yoga instructor (RYT 200) and a BTTI trained clinician for pediatric OCD. Kristen combines best clinical practices with ancient, embodied experiences for her clients. She believes in the inherent wisdom of the body to bring forth that which needs healing.

Kristen presents nationally on topic of body image acceptance and the integration of expressive arts. She enjoys teaching clinicians how to incorporate non-verbal methods to help clients tolerate body sensations (like anxiety). She hosts an Instagram account called, “THE_BODY_AS†to inspire more people to work on body image acceptance and to pass that acceptance on to the next generation.