SPECIFIC PHOBIA

A specific phobia is defined as the intense, irrational fear of a specific object, such as a dog, or a situation, such as flying. Fears of animals, situations and natural occurrences are common in childhood, and often go away. A phobia is diagnosed if the fear persists for at least 6 months and interferes with a child's daily routine, an example of this is a child who refuses to play outdoors for fear of encountering a dog. Common childhood phobias include:

Animals Storms Heights Water Blood The dark Medical procedures

Unlike adults with specific phobias, children do not usually recognize that their fear is irrational or out of proportion to the situation, and they may not articulate their fears. Children will avoid situations or things that they fear, or endure them with anxious feelings, which can manifest as:

Crying Tantrums Freezing Clinging Avoidance Headache Stomachache

TIPS FOR PARENTS AND EDUCATORS

• Recognize that the fear is real.  As trivial as a fear may seem, it feels real to the child and it is causing him or her to feel anxious and afraid.  Being able to talk about fears can help.  Words often take some of the power out of emotion; if you can give the fear a name, it becomes more manageable.
• Never belittle the fear as a way of forcing the child to overcome it.  Telling a child, “Don’t be ridiculous! There are no monsters in your closet!”  may get him to go to bed, but it won’t make the fear go away.
• However, don’t cater to fears.  If your child doesn’t like dogs, don’t cross the street deliberately to avoid one.  This will reinforce that dogs should be feared and avoided.
• Teach the child how to rate fear.  If your child can visualize the intensity of the fear on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest, he may be able to “see” the fear as less intense than first imagined.  Younger children can think about how “full of fear” they are, with being full “up knees” as not so scared, “up to my stomach” as more frightened, and “up to my head” as truly petrified.
• Teach coping strategies.  Try these easy-to-implement techniques.  Using you as “home base,” the child can venture out toward the feared object, and then return to you for safety before venturing out again.  The child can also learn some positive self-statements, such as “I can do this” and “I will be OK,” which he can say to himself when he feels anxious.  Relaxation techniques are helpful as well, including visualization (of floating on a cloud or lying on a beach, for example) and deep breathing (imagining that the lungs are balloons and letting them slowly deflate).
• Create a safe home environment.
• Make efforts to be very careful in not letting the child realize our fears as parents.
• Teach the child without making them fearful.  For example, teach them to cross the street so as not to get hit by a passing automobile.
• Do not lie to your children when they are going to get a shot.  Be truthful if something is going to hurt, but let a child know it’s only for a moment.

• If the child is afraid to speak in class, introduce them to one other student he or she doesn’t know.
• If the student is afraid to look you in the eye, have him or her count to 3 before looking down.
• If the child is afraid to embarrass themselves in public, suggest a “first step.”  For example, suggest they say “hello” or “goodbye” to one person in class.  After this, you could have the student add the person’s name after saying “hello.”  The key is to make tiny steps.