By Janis D. Gioia, MAEd. Holiday anxiety. You probably began feeling it with the first Black Friday commercial. The anticipation and dread of what lies ahead: buying gifts, cooking holiday meals, entertaining and decorating. And while children may not exactly be doing these things,…
Halloween Anxiety: Ways to Help Children with Anxiety, Autism and Sensory Processing Disorders
by Janis D. Gioia, MAEd. This past week, many readers have been telling me how hard Halloween is for their children (or students) with anxiety, autism or sensory processing disorders. In my article How to Make Halloween Happier for Children with Anxiety, Autism…
By Janis D. Gioia, MAEd and Elise C. Gioia A note from Jan: As an early childhood educator, I began Comforting Anxious Children to help “little ones” with anxiety disorders and other special needs. I had an artist design the teddy-bear-in-a-parachute-and-rainbow-themed website artwork with…
By Janis D. Gioia, MAEd. Meditation calms and comforts anxious children, teens and adults. In the mindfulness movement that makes headlines almost daily, practices like meditation and yoga have scientifically validated benefits. Some benefits of meditation can be measured: Lower blood pressure Reduced…