Co-Regulating With Your Anxious Child in the New School Year

Key points

The beginning of the new school year is a trigger for anxiety for many children, teens, and young adults.

Change your language to promote regulation and co-regulation.

Plan ahead to avoid the rush that creates dysregulation.

Here we are again! It’s September, and it’s back-to-school season. This new “season” brings on new routines and… anxiety . For some children, the new year brings on excitement, and for others, it can trigger stress and even resistance to the new routine. This is especially true for our children, teens, and young adults with attention -deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ), learning differences, or anxiety.

As parents, we can often get “lost” in the “what” needs to happen between the end of the summer and the beginning of the school year with sch