Helping Your Socially Anxious Child with Back to School

Back to school can bring up anxiety for kids. For children and teens with social anxiety, back to school can be particularly challenging. Social anxiety disorder in kids is characterized by fear of social situations with peers in which they may be judged negatively and in which their peers may notice their anxiety leading to rejection, embarrassment or other negative outcomes. The anxiety must be present for at least 6 months and create distress and/or difficulty functioning.