Through classroom accommodations, teachers can help students with anxiety keep their studies on track as they manage their disorder(s). Which accommodations might be most useful will depend on the specific symptoms the student experiences. Thus, it is good practice to involve the student, their family, relevant school staff, and their external treatment team (if applicable) when choosing an accommodation plan.

• Symptoms of GAD in children include reassurance-seeking from instructors, coaches, and loved ones, difficulty concentrating in class or while doing homework, and even avoiding going to school. 
• Children with GAD can also be overly self-critical. This can lead them to avoid activities at which they may need to excel. 

We know that a moderate level of anxiety benefits learning because it drives students to do the work that’s necessary to succeed in school. We also know that some anxiety before an important test or presentation is typical for many people. Once the test or presentation is over, the anxiety subsides. However, a high level of anxiety that remains consistent over time can obstruct learning. It grips the brain and effectively shuts it down. 

Some experts believe that severe anxiety is a learning disability. It makes it much more difficult for students to take in, process, and retrieve information.

• Anxiety may make a student appear to be cautious, nervous, shy, or fearful.
• Anxious students may express their fears by crying or throwing tantrums, making it very difficult for them to calm down.
• Some students may seek constant approval or reassurance from others.
• Students may describe feeling physical symptoms, like headaches, stomachaches, racing heartbeat, or difficulty breathing.
• You may notice that they are sweating or trembling/shaking. In some cases, students may experience full-blown panic episodes or panic attacks.

Student at school include:

Difficulty taking in information

Students with excessive anxiety may have difficulty paying attention to what needs to be learned. Their worries take up a lot of space in their minds, which interferes with their ability to concentrate on other things, follow multi-step instructions, and switch attention from task to task in a flexible and efficient way. 

For example, suppose an elementary school student is fearful that something bad happened to a beloved family member because they are separated. In that case, they will have to work much harder than their peers to follow their homeschool instructor’s multi-step instructions for an art project.

Information is not processed properly

Even if anxious students can pay attention in class, it is often on a surface level because their cognitive abilities have been over-taxed by anxiety. They do not use previously learned information and take in new facts. Therefore, earlier learning isn’t expanded upon or developed enrichingly. In addition, because attention and concentration are intermittent, students often have incomplete knowledge in a given area.

Information is not stored or consolidated in long-term memory

If new information isn’t being expanded, it will not be stored properly. As a result, students may have trouble accessing information from long-term memory. If students cannot recall previously learned information, they may not do well on exams, even if they studied and knew the information the night before. Students may develop “test anxiety” as a result, which further impairs their ability to access knowledge.

Students with extreme anxiety can perform as well as their non-anxious peers, but it requires much more effort. Plus, it often comes with a significantly higher stress level in the long run. Therefore, homeschooling parents should pay attention to students’ work patterns and techniques rather than just their grades. Early identification of academic, behavioral, and/or social challenges can help parents work together with students to address obstacles to the student’s school performance before they become serious.