With the school year about to begin again, undoubtedly if you are a school administrator there is a good chance that you are already thinking about what problems are in store for you this year. And you are not alone.
Unexpected Problems
Bullying, ADD, discipline problems, new teachers untried and untested are but a few things on your mind. But did you ever stop to consider that a seemingly harmless issue such as a speech or language difficulty could easily mushroom into a much more serious problem requiring your attention?
To the casual observer, a child’s life seems carefree; but, appearances can be deceiving. The truth is that many children, in fact, struggle with anxiety, the “apprehension or excessive fear of real or imagined circumstances,” and it can be difficult to spot as it consists primarily of internal emotional upset.
Communication problems Trigger Anxiety?
What has been recently learned is that children who show signs of social and communication problems early on may be at risk of later development of social anxiety, according to a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
The researchers analyzed reports of social and communication difficulties and anxiety symptoms in 9,491 children at 7, 10, and 13 years old. The researchers found that more social and communication difficulties were associated with heightened social anxiety symptoms across all ages.
How do communication disorders present in a school setting?
Common Anxiety Symptoms and triggers
- Refusal to go to school – Often children who are suffering from acute anxiety will tell their parents that they are sick or concoct some other excuse attempting to avoid going to school.
- Avoidance of new settings – Children are born explorers. If the student is apprehensive about venturing to new places, it is quite likely anxiety issue that is holding him/her back.
- Bullying – Children with communication disorders are often more prone to bullying as they are “easy prey.” And it becomes a vicious cycle as the communication deficiency makes the child vulnerable, and can then induce anxiety which only exacerbates the problem.
- Socialization Struggles – Some students make friends quite quickly, while other, other children need to push themselves to socialize with other kids their age. If the child isn’t trying to make new friends, it may be anxiety related due to his/her communication disorder.
- Participation Anxiety – The kid may shy away from participating in a class discussion out of the fear of exposing his/her communication deficiency.
Relieve The Suffering Before It Is Too Late
Armed with this insight, school administrators, when informed by the teacher of any of these symptoms, are poised to intervene and relieve the unnecessary suffering of these children. And in so doing, they will be able to provide a relatively simple solution before the problem gets out of hand.
Speech Therapy is the Solution
Speech and Language therapy can correct every kind of communication problem, whether they are related to speaking or related to understanding.
And if a speech language therapist isn’t readily available, online speech therapy, teletherapy, is a proven, alternative gaining traction around the country. Either way, helping the needy children is a necessity that cannot be overlooked without inviting potentially severe consequences.
