skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

New School Year Can Be Stressful

play audio
Play

Thursday, August 17, 2017   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Another school year is getting under way, and that can trigger some anxiety among younger students.

There are things you can do to help minimize your child's concerns, according to Dr. Marcia Slattery, director of the University of Wisconsin Health's Anxiety Disorder Program. She said you'll likely notice that younger school-age children may become more irritable as the onset of school approaches.

"The grade-school kids definitely start asking more,” Slattery said. "They start wanting to have detail about what's going to happen, basically trying to say, 'What are the unknowns that I need to know about?' So, more questions, more seeking information."

Dr. Slattery works with parents and children who have serious anxiety problems, helping them practice being in situations that make them apprehensive and learn to control their anxiety in those situations. She said visiting the school with your child before the start of the school year can help reduce their concerns about unknowns.

She said having anxiety about being in a new school or a new grade with new students is nothing to be overly concerned about. All children will have some anxiety about any kind of change.

"I think it becomes more of an issue if it's really more of an underlying anxiety problem for the child - if the anxiety persists despite getting back into the school and getting into the routine, et cetera,” Slattery explained. "But having some of the apprehension and the anxiety before the start of school is very normal."

According to Dr. Slattery, it's important to listen and respond to your child's questions about the upcoming school year.

"I think one of the biggest mistakes we often want to make is saying, 'Don't worry about it, it's nothing to worry about. It's going to be fine.' That in essence is telling the kid, well, you're really not listening and you don't want to hear about it, and they'll stop talking about it,” she said.

If you suspect your child may have a real problem with anxiety, she said the first step is to talk with your pediatrician, who can help you figure out the next best steps for your child and the family.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021