ERIKA DEKKER : Diagnosed Anxiety Disorder When anxiety becomes excessive beyond what is expected for the circumstances

and the childs developmental level, problems in social, personal, and academic functioning may occur, resulting in an anxiety disorder. Students commonly experience academic failure and low self-esteem. Because many young people with this disorder are quiet and compliant, the signs are often missed. Erika is very good at hiding her anxiety. Children with anxiety will have more trouble concentrating, can be highly motivated but are frustrated, are easily discouraged, may be irritable, and will often be tired in class. They are often self-conscious and tense and have a very strong need for reassurance. Anxiety may center on a fear of being watched, criticized, or judged harshly by others.

Physical symptoms of anxiety Erika has been diagnosed with a high level of anxiety and is experiencing the following symptoms; Fatigue difficulty concentrating Irritability sleep disturbance feelings of failure (Erika repeatedly says that she is stupid and dumb) nausea headaches Academic Impact of Anxiety Anxiety affects a students ability to maintain attention on a task. Anxious students interpret neutral situations as threatening or dangerous Worry takes up mental capacity needed for other tasks. Anxiety greatly affects working memory. As depth and breadth of worry increases, capacity to concentrate on academic tasks and solve problems decreases. High standards and perfectionistic beliefs lead to unrealistic expectations of performance. Inability to live up to these expectations creates distress. Selfcomparisons are relative to peer group.

Consequences of anxiety

The Educational psychologist is unsure if Erikas poor working memory and slow processing speed are due solely to anxiety or if they are also due to a an underlying learning disability. Erika has an average IQ. Erikas psychometric tests showed poor working memory Working memory consists of the brain processes used for temporary storage and manipulation of information. Studies show working memory is significantly impacted by anxiety. Students with poor working memory; Miss verbal instructions Struggle with mental arithmetic, and automatic memory of math facts such as times table Struggle with problem solving that involves holding information in mind whilst working things out Have trouble getting started, staying on task through to completion, and self monitoring classroom work Have trouble learning to read, reading efficiently and comprehending whilst reading Have trouble doing two things at once, such as listening and taking notes Children with poor working memory are not daydreamers, inattentive, lazy or underachieving, but children who simply need a different approach.

Erikas psychometric tests showed poor processing speed Processing speed is the amount of time it takes to produce the response output once an individual has been asked to do a task. Poor processing speed can be the result of strong emotional states such as anger, anxiety, stress, or fear of failure. A childs performance speed can drop if emotions interfere with focusing or cause the child to react to the task at hand. Some children are quite intelligent and yet unable to produce the amount of output expected, given that intelligence. These children may be able to produce under untimed conditions, but not do the same task well or quickly when timed. If time pressure becomes a persistent issue for these students, anxiety and frustration about timed tests may increase and damage their self-esteem. Erika gets extremely stressed and frustrated when timed which ultimately leads to her failure at the task. Students with slow processing speed may take more time to: take tests that require simple decision making perform basic arithmetic calculations and in manipulating numbers perform reasoning tasks under time pressure make decisions that require understanding of the material presented read silently for comprehension copy words or sentences correctly or to formulate and write passages

Classroom Strategies they may work for Erika Comment on achievement using an individual frame of reference rather than comparing to peers/group norms. Erika should be rewarded for effort rather than punished for failure. Develop realistic goals with students and chart progress. ask a question but do not insist on an answer unless you have been working together to face progressively more difficult challenges. provide opportunities for an anxious child to share knowledge on topics in which he or she is most confident. Allow Erika to use her coping card strategies and stress toys. (in her pocket or desk) Erika may achieve the correct answer if given enough time. Her slow processing speed means it takes her longer to process information. She finds timed tasks very stressful. She will often self correct if given the opportunity. Anxious children do not like to be singled out for the teachers attention. This includes having their name put on the board, being selected for special work, getting disciplined in front of others, or being asked to volunteer for reading. Classroom assistance or specific work should be given as discreetly as possible. Erika still needs to be challenged. If she is not coping pull off the pressure. If she does cope with a challenge than make it harder next time. If she is particularly stressed modify a task but she will never cope if never given the opportunity to face challenges. Progress needs to be made in baby steps with each step more challenging than the last. Please do not punish her for not completing tasks, if possible, as this will just increase her anxiety. The thought of being kept in to finish her work will actually contribute to her inability to finish it by creating stress. Positive reinforcement and praise will and has lead to some great results. Her slow processing speed makes it difficult for her to work quickly. Please remember. Erika is actually working twice as hard to produce the same amount of work as others. Due to Erikas poor working memory and slow processing speed it may be helpful if she has access to memory aids for maths such as a number line, hundreds chart, timetables chart and spelling bank as applicable. This may give her the confidence to answer questions. break down tasks and instructions into smaller components to minimise memory load. Focus on quality, rather than quantity Emphasize accuracy rather than speed in evaluating the student.. Replace timed tests with alternative assessment procedures Allow extra time for tests and exams to account for Erikas poor processing speed. The educational psychologist will write a report so extra time can be applied for with NAPLAN testing.

Test situations are particularly stressful Erika due to her anxiety and slow processing speed. Use test formats with reduced written output formats (e.g. multiple choice, True / False, fill in the blank) to accommodate for slow writing fluency. Erika is particularly concerned about what her peers think of her. She has had instances when she has been called dumb or bad at something. It is particularly important that she is not peer assessed or marked. Not only will this cause her stress but she is also likely to perform poorly on the task.

Erika is not lazy, or dreamy or dumb. She has an anxiety disorder, poor short-term memory and slow processing speed. These affect the way she thinks and processes information. Please keep this in mind. She is trying her best.

SOURCES: Anxiety and Education Dr Amanda Gamble Centre for Emotional health Macquarie University Anxiety Disorders Government of Alberta Education Department ANXIETY AND ANXIETY DISORDERS IN CHILDREN: INFORMATION FOR PARENTS Thomas J. Huberty, PhD, NCSP Indiana University Childhood Anxiety Disorders Griffith university http://www.ehow.com/how_5755387_teach-children-working-memoryproblems.html#ixzz2afazye97 Understanding working memory a classroom guide Susan Gathercole Tracey Alloway Students with poor processing speed 2013 - The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario Davidson institute for talent development