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It seems as though anxiety picks the worst times to torment us. But it’s important to recognize…
If you think your child may have an anxiety disorder, please answer the questions below, print out the page, and share the results with your child's health care professional.
To locate a specialist who treats anxiety disorders in children, visit the ADAA Find a Therapist.
| Yes No | Does your child have a distinct and ongoing fear of social situations involving unfamiliar people? |
| Yes No | Does your child worry excessively about a number of events or activities? |
| Yes No | Does your child experience shortness of breath or a racing heart for no apparent reason? |
| Yes No | Does your child experience age-appropriate social relationships with family members and other familiar people? |
| Yes No | Does your child often appear anxious when interacting with peers, or try to avoid them? |
| Yes No | Does your child have a persistent and unreasonable fear of an object or situation, such as flying, heights, or animals? |
| Yes No | When encounting the feared object or situation, does he react by freezing, clinging, or having a tantrum? |
| Yes No | Does your child worry excessively about her competence and quality of performance? |
| Yes No | Does your child cry, have tantrums, or refuse to leave a family member or other familiar person when necessary? |
| Yes No | Has your child experienced a decline in classroom performance, refused to go to school, or avoided age-appropriate social activities? |
| Yes No | Does your child spend at least one hour each day repeating things over again, such as hand washing, checking, arranging, or counting? |
| Yes No | Does your child have exaggerated and irrational fears of people, places, objects or situationjs that interfere with his or her social and academic life? |
| Yes No | Does your child experience a great number of nightmares, headaches, or stomachaches? |
| Yes No | Does your child repetitively use toys to re-enact scenes from a disturbing event? |
| Yes No | Does your child redo tasks because of excessive dissatisfaction with less-than-perfect performance? |
Reference
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1994.
