Anxiety Management for Kids on the Autism Spectrum

This book serves as a clear and comprehensive anxiety management guide for those who live with and support children on the autism spectrum. Its central purpose is to highlight the reasons why children on the spectrum have so much anxiety and to directly tie this knowledge to practical and actionable recommendations. Those who live or work with kids on the spectrum are acutely aware of how prevalent anxiety is for those with autism and they can see first-hand how it causes distress and impedes progress. However, those who support kids with autism are rarely provided with clear guidance on how to manage this anxiety. This book changes that.

Through his twenty plus years as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Lynch has devoted his career to relieving distress in kids with autism and related concerns. His award-winning stress and anxiety management guide, Totally Chill: My Complete Guide to Staying Cool, provided children with effective and unique tools for coping and thriving. This book extends those tools to parents, teachers, and therapists.

The book provides clear guidance on how to identify anxiety in children with autism and, most importantly, how to link this anxiety to specific factors. The book identifies five factors that are commonly known to elicit anxiety in children with autism. These are labeled as: rigidity, sensory sensitivities, social challenges, communication barriers, and task frustration. These factors are covered extensively and specific suggestions are provided for addressing each of them.

In addition to addressing the five factors, the book provides chapters in other important areas pertaining to anxiety and autism, including:

• A chapter on how to teach stress and anxiety management strategies to children on the spectrum.
• A chapter devoted to applying strategies in the school environment.
• A chapter devoted to understanding and nurturing a child's strengths to build resilience.

Anxiety can be overwhelming for children with autism. However, it doesn't need to be. With this clear and comprehensive guide, parents, teachers, and therapists can take a crucial step towards managing anxiety thereby relieving distress and unlocking potential.