Your Anxious Child

John S. Dacey is Professor Emeritus in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College, USA. He is the author of 14 books on anxiety, creativity, and human development, including Understanding Creativity: The Interplay of Biological, Psychological and Social Factors (1998) and The Nurturing Parent: How to Raise Creative, Loving, Responsible Children (1992). He also has a small practice as a licensed psychotherapist and frequently does workshops on the subjects of creative problem solving, dealing with emotional problems in the classroom, post-traumatic stress in the fire station, and social and emotional learning. Martha D. Mack is the former Early Childhood Director of the Nauset Integrated Preschool Program, Cape Cod, USA, and has been working in Early Childhood Education for 35 years. She has developed programs for preschoolers with and without disabilities in schools, and is involved with research that supports a developmentally appropriate preschool curriculum promoting socio-dramatic play, self-regulation and executive functioning through the teaching of literacy and mathematics. Lisa B. Fiore is Dean of Faculty and Professor of Education at Lesley University, USA. She is the author of several books on assessment and early childhood education, including Assessment of Young Children: A Collaborative Approach (2012) and LifeSmart: Exploring Human Development (2011). Her current research interests include social-emotional learning and development, mindfulness in education, and recognizing ordinary teaching moments as contemplative practice.

List of Illustrations ix

About the Authors xi

Acknowledgements xiii

About the Companion Website xv

1 What Is Anxiety? 1

2 The Eight Types of Anxiety Disorder 23

3 COPE Step One: Calming the Nervous System 39

4 COPE Step Two: Originating an Imaginative Plan 67

5  COPE Step Three: Persisting in the Face of Obstacles 95

6 COPE Step Four: Evaluating the Plan 117

7 Using Anxiety Strategies with Preschoolers 141

8 How Your Parenting Style Can Ease Your Child’s Anxiety 161

References 181

Index 000