Help for Worried Kids
How Your Child Can Conquer Anxiety and Fear
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- $48.99
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- $48.99
Publisher Description
If your son begs to stay home from school to avoid speaking in front of the class, should you be worried? If your daughter insists on crossing the street whenever she sees a dog, what should you do? A simple evaluation devised by renowned psychologist Dr. Cynthia G. Last can help you determine if you have reason to be concerned. If so, you can use Dr. Last’s checklists and examples to figure out the type and severity of your child’s anxiety, identify contributing factors, and tackle the problem head on. Strategies tailored for different kinds of anxiety will guide you in preventing new episodes, calming your child when a problem arises, and keeping anxieties in check as your son or daughter matures. Dr. Last delivers powerful advice and insightful information gleaned from 25 years of experience working with worried kids and their families, including coping and relaxation skills your child can use to reduce stress and worry, and tips for encouraging kids to approach--not avoid--their fears. Whether your son or daughter can’t go on sleepovers, gets nervous around peers, or just plain worries about “everything,” this reassuring and compassionate book will teach you how to soothe your child’s immediate fears and instill lasting confidence.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mixing case histories with clinical research, Last shows parents how to tell the difference between common childhood fears (e.g., monsters under the bed) and more serious psychological problems (e.g., separation anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder). The author, a clinical psychologist and expert on anxiety disorders, relies heavily on anecdotes from children suffering from anxiety disorders to illustrate the afflictions and how to handle them (in addition to the disorders mentioned earlier, Last also covers social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and specific phobias). While the sketches are well drawn, they are somewhat repetitive. The book is at its best when it offers parents "hands-on" information, such as the chart outlining ages when common childhood fears begin and another on the differences between children with anxiety disorders and children with ADHD. There is also valuable material on the connection between anxiety and physical symptoms such as headaches and stomach problems; the effects caffeine, sugar and environmental toxins can have on children; and the roles medical problems like allergies, asthma, hypothyroidism and diabetes can play in causing anxiety or making it worse. Concerned parents will find plenty of useful advice here for quelling their children's fears.