"Anxiety in School"

As a preview to next month's theme, EAP Malaysia decided to highlight a video that features a child with ASD and the challenges she faces.

A typical kid would normally be motivated to attend school because of the social experience they gain from it. However, we find our kids do not find the whole "school experience" motivating. To name a few, fear of failure, fear of crowds, not knowing how to interact with other kids, not knowing how to interact with the teachers, are some of the challenges they may face.

The girl in this video displays a lot of anxiety when work gets too tough, when she finds she can't master it or is pushed to do work. In other words, her anxiety derives from fear of failure. In order to help her and motivate her through her work, her aides decided to implement a 'Reinforcement Break Schedule'. Within the space of 10 minutes the girl gets a star if she's able to reach three target behaviors, which in her case are; listen to teacher, complete classwork and use a talking voice. After she gets three stars, she gets to take a preferred break where she chooses from seven or eight different "treats".

The aides found that this sort of reinforcement works for her and progress can be seen. 

This is just one example of how we can help our kids get over their fears at school. A strong motivation factor is of course key to success.

Watch this short video to find out more.