Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) isn’t just a fear of making or communicating with friends. It’s really described by an intense fear of social circumstances wherein the child may be judged or investigated by others. Let’s explore more about the social anxiety & delay in starting to speak issues and solutions for them.
Impact of Covid -19 on the Social Anxiety & Delay in Starting to Speak amongst children
Children with social anxiety disorder experience exceptional sensations of nervousness about various triggers including speaking in front of others, reading out loud, fear about being assessed by others, fear of offending others, fear of humiliation, and fear talking with new people. They tend to worry in a lot of social circumstances (school, groups, play dates, advancement classes, and even family gatherings.)
Parents can assist the children with social anxiety disorder by understanding the idea of the disease and showing them how to adapt to their symptoms.
COVID-19 has brought about a complex array of factors (uncertainty, social isolation, and parental angst) that have an impact on the mental health of children. Predictability is a stabilizing force for children, but it has been disrupted since the COVID-19 outbreak. Children have many worries related to the consequences of COVID-19 such as whether they will see their friends and relatives, go to school or get sick.
Due to School from Home process, children are getting isolated with their devices. Busy parents with their Work from Home routines end up getting more stressed out due to overlapping working hours, with time for less physical interaction with children and the innate development that comes with it. All these slowly t their behavioral patterns & temperaments, some transforming to anxiety of children.
How To Help Your Child Cope with Social Anxiety Disorder
The best initial step to help your kid adapt to it is to name it. Kids with social anxiety disorder realize that they feel fearful and restless in friendly circumstances, however they don’t generally have the foggiest idea why.
Helping children with Social Anxiety
If your child is experiencing social anxiety, they’ll need your help. There are numerous things you can do when you’re:
- at home with your child
- at preschool or school with your child or in other social situations
- talking with your child about their anxious feelings
At Home
- Prepare your child for situations that make them feel worried or fearful. Act out the situation at home and practice things they can do to make it easier.
- Encourage your child to do some ‘detective thinking’. For example, your child might think that everyone will laugh at them if they answer a question in class. You could ask your child, ‘How do you know they’ll laugh?’
- Tell your child about times you’ve felt anxious in social situations and how you’ve faced your fears. This will help your child understand that it’s OK to talk about anxious feelings. They’ll also feel that you understand and support them.
At the Preschool or in other Social situations
- Gently encourage your child to join in social situations, do things in front of other people, and start new activities. Avoiding social situations can make the issue worse.
- If your child has an anxious reaction to a situation, don’t worry. Try the situation again another time with more preparation. Don’t force your child, or punish or scold them for ‘failing’.
- Avoid speaking for your child. This can make the issue worse.
- Tell your child’s preschool, kindergarten or school about your child’s anxiety. Also let them know what you’re doing to help your child. This way, other people can give your child consistent support.
In Conclusion
Children are like wet clay, you can mold them in any shape. They are quick learners and absorb everything around them with their audio-visual senses. The course of our adult life depends upon what we learned in our childhood. Hence, it is the prime responsibility of parents and teachers to pay attention to children for their overall growth.
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