Page 3 - ASD & Anxiety

Anxiety is an emotional reaction from the brain and body to
something that is perceived as being dangerous or threatening.
It does not matter if this is a real threat or not, the brain does
not know the difference. Moments of anxiety are normal and
can occur in social situations, performance, separation, or about
a specific situation or object (Muris, 2014). Anxiety becomes a
problem when it is so severe and persistent that it gets in the way
of daily life.

Anxious children might seem angry and aggressive, they might
run off, or just sit quietly in the classroom all day. But in fact,
this is all the result of the body and brain being in ‘survival-
mode’. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are more
vulnerable to anxiety, because of their ASD traits and differences
in processing the world around them (Reaven, 2009; Ashburner,
Ziviani, & Rodger, 2010).

Understanding anxiety

is important

Why is it important to know about anxiety in school
for children with ASD? Estimates are that about 40% to
50% of children with ASD struggle with anxiety, meaning
that almost half of the children with ASD you know, will
have anxiety to some extent (White, Oswald, Ollendick, &
Scahill, 2009; Kerns & Kendall, 2012). Anxiety can result in
under-performance, social problems, problem behaviour
and school refusal (Reaven, 2009; Ashburner et al., 2010).