Lots of kids get jitters; some are overwhelmed

This is an excerpt from an article written by Ana Veciana-Suarez, originally published on August 22, 2009 in the Miami Herald:

Wendy K. Silverman, director of the Child Anxiety and Phobia Program at Florida International University, has been teaching children how to conquer their fears for more than 20 years. As a researcher and board-certified clinical child and adolescent psychologist, she sees youngsters whose extreme anxiety can keep them out of the classroom. With school about to resume, we talked to Silverman about her research and about what parents can do to help fearful students.

Q: What is school anxiety and how prevalent is it?

There is no formal disorder known as 'school anxiety disorder' or 'school phobia.' Rather, as many as 5 percent of school-age children exhibit severe anxiety relating to school, including refusal to attend school. (The prevalence of any anxiety disorder is about 10 percent among children and adolescents.)

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