Children on the Autism Spectrum Who Worry Excessively: Tips for Parents

Some kids with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) worry excessively and are often overly tense and uptight.  Some may seek a lot of reassurance, and their fears may interfere with activities. Moms and dads should not discount their youngster’s concerns – even when they seem unrealistic.  

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Comments

Anonymous said…
My 8yr. old has horrible anxiety! He is on Zoloft now because it was so bad. He was on Prozac but it didn't really help and had side effects. Zoloft seems better so far.
June 26, 2012 at 8:59 AM
Jsmom said…
Thank you for this article. As, I was thinking that it may be just him. Now, I realize more that we are not alone, it has been a battle of these forces for years. I believe you can not raise a child by putting them down. They are people too.
June 26, 2012 at 9:20 AM
Anonymous said…
My son heard a news report about flesh eating bacteria someone caught from walking barefoot. As a result, he wore socks for almost a full year, night and day. I could go in his room at 2am to try and remove his socks, he would wake up! So we let it go. On the beach, he wore socks.

He really wanted swimming lessons. I had no idea how he was going to handle this sock issue, but told him they can't go in the water. On his own volition he took them off. Slowly as he developed other interests he stopped his sock thing even going to a sandy beach. Now I have to insist he wear his sandals in the gym showers, as he has no worry about catching bacteria. Amazing.

He also wears a hat in social situations where he feels uncomfortable, which are many. This drove us bananas,as he looked odd in the hat, on hot days even odder. I advocated to let it go unless we were in church or a formal setting. How my heart does sing when I see him take his hat off on his own, showing me he is gaining confidence in some areas. Letting him wear it, with a few limits, was actually helpful.
June 26, 2012 at 11:07 AM
Anonymous said…
My son was diagnosed with ADHD/ODD and Aspergers. He is 11 and his anxiety is horrible. He goes into a tunnel vision and anything from thunder storms to going to the doctor is a challenge. He is not on any anxiety medication but going to look into different ways to help him cope with his anxieties.
June 26, 2012 at 11:52 AM
Anonymous said…
I am taking Paxil 20 mg for Anxiety! I am diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome! I am 18! My name is Isobel Shearer! I take Abilify 2 mg for meltdowns!
June 26, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Anonymous said…
one of my a/s grown up daughters still worries contin ualy,also very o,c,d,
June 26, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Anonymous said…
Thunder storms and tornado warnings are on the top on my son's panic list. Also fires in the house or when his sister is driving. Talking to him helps a lot and letting him watch the weather updates during a thunderstorm helps. I tried to keep him from looking at the weather, but that just made him more anxious. He is 12 years old.
June 26, 2012 at 3:01 PM
Anonymous said…
Nine old aspie son freaks if he sees a bee outside then won't go out again for some time
June 26, 2012 at 4:26 PM
Anonymous said…
my son is 7 . He constently fears his pets will die or he will choke to death . Sometimes he will cry for hours about one subject or the other i just sit and hug him and try to console him best as i can .. ..?? Not sure what else to do ..
June 27, 2012 at 7:02 AM
Anonymous said…
My seven year old heard about a tornado at school and they talked about the tsunami. He worries constantly about being swept away by wind and sea even though we live in California. He has anxiety about a lot of other things as well. He used to always complain that he had "the itchies" before he was diagnosed. He would cry and dance around and rub himself uncontrollably. I now understand that this is code for how he interprets anxiety. He will say he feels the itchies coming on and I intervene quickly using our calm down techniques.
June 27, 2012 at 3:16 PM
Sheila said…
My parents died when I was a kid. So, my 2 older kids grew up knowing about my parents And never had a problem with it. But, Kaden has such anxiety over the possibility that I'm going to die as well. At night it's the worse. He basicly has to be swaddled and he has a 2 hand grip on me most nights. He's 5, so I try and sooth him without feeding into it. It's hard to redirect him, because it's so real for him. I fear he is going to need a medication.
June 29, 2012 at 9:42 PM
Anonymous said…
my 7 yr old autistic daughter is the exact same way. In addition to storms, flushing toilets, going into rooms in the house by herself areally issues. She is also a back seat driver at 7!
May 2, 2016 at 6:05 PM
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