# EARLY CHILDHOOD / MENTAL HEALTH

“An invaluable resource to recognize the causes and symptoms of young children’s mental health challenges . . . The biggest beneficiary of all will be the students themselves, as adults gain a more nuanced understanding of their emotional responses and how best to support them.”  
—Ondine Gross, M.S., Ed.M., school psychologist and author of Restore the Respect: How to Mediate School Conflicts and Keep Students Learning

“If you are interested in what to do and not to do, how to discern the subtleties of different anxiety disorders, and how best to proceed, this text will be incredibly helpful in your work.”  
—Neal M. Horen, Ph.D., Director of Early Childhood, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development

Anxiety rates are skyrocketing among young learners—and their teachers need explicit training on how to recognize and support these students. A concise, reader-friendly guide written especially for teachers, this urgently needed book will prepare early educators to recognize anxiety issues in children ages 3–8, identify the associated behaviors, and work effectively with students who have anxiety symptoms.

Teachers will:  
• Get a primer on seven types of childhood anxiety, with information on symptoms, causes, triggers, and treatment options.  
• Review the assessment and evaluation process, and understand the role a teacher should play.  
• Recognize co-morbidities with anxiety—including ADHD, autism, and depression—and how they may affect a child’s symptoms and treatment plan.  
• Understand the issues and emotions parents face, so that teachers can offer them sensitive support.  
• Use effective classroom interventions to meet the needs of children with anxiety and create a nurturing learning environment.  
• Learn which strategies to avoid, from unrealistic expectations to excessive reassurance.

Ideal for both preservice and in-service professional development, this introductory guide gives teachers the accessible information they need to understand learners with anxiety and support their emotional well-being.