{"id":209,"date":"2025-04-03T12:12:42","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T11:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/?page_id=209"},"modified":"2026-04-09T11:55:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T10:55:44","slug":"anxiety","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/mental-health\/anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"140\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/mental-health\/anxiety-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110015\/anxiety-2-e1745251497211.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"359,273\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"anxiety 2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110015\/anxiety-2-e1745251497211-300x228.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110015\/anxiety-2-e1745251497211.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-140 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110015\/anxiety-2-e1745251497211.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"254\" height=\"193\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110015\/anxiety-2-e1745251497211.jpg 359w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110015\/anxiety-2-e1745251497211-300x228.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 254px) 100vw, 254px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Anxiety is a normal response to challenging events.\u00a0 Anxiety helps us avoid potentially \u2018dangerous\u2019 situations as well as motivating us to solve problems. Everybody experiences anxiety.\u00a0 However, it can become problematic, vary from mild unease to terrifying panic attack.&#8217;\u00a0 &#8211; <strong>Scotland\u2019s Mental Health First Aid<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Anxiety and autism:<\/span> <\/strong><\/span>Anxiety disorders are more common in autistic people than in the general population and their anxiety levels are known to be higher. Around 50% of autistic people will experience anxiety that has a significant impact on their everyday lives. Common anxiety triggers for autistic people are <strong>intolerance of change and uncertainty, <\/strong><strong>sensory processing differences, difficulties in understanding one&#8217;s own emotions <\/strong><strong>and bodily sensations and social situations.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Autistic girls may experience significant anxiety without outwardly demonstrating this. They may feel safest at home with their parents and be more able to release their anxieties at home.\u00a0 Girls particularly experience elevated anxiety levels in their early teenage years. It becomes harder for them to &#8216;mask&#8217; their differences and anxieties during this time, which increases their anxiety levels even more and may lead to school refusal.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Top tips for anxiety:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Explore school experiences and <strong>possible anxiety triggers<\/strong> together with the young person.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Communicate regularly with team around child<\/strong> to gain insight into triggers and helpful strategies.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enhance predictability<\/strong> by providing age and stage appropriate <strong>visual supports<\/strong> and concrete materials to communicate daily activities\/ transitions and regularly update this.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Acknowledge and <strong>prepare them for unexpected changes<\/strong> in advance and try as much as possible to do what you say you will do.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gradual introduction to uncertain situations<\/strong> and developing strategies to tolerate it i.e. visuals\/ visits beforehand. Help them develop their understanding that this is safe.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Adjustments to environment<\/strong>: Neutral wall displays, lighting, access to quiet spaces\/ sensory corner, early\/ time-out pass to avoid busy corridors.<\/li>\n<li>Explore possible patterns of<strong> sensory responses<\/strong> to gain insight into anxiety triggers and helpful strategies\u00a0 (See resources below).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sensory diet<\/strong> and age and stage appropriate resources: weighted items, chewy toys, sensory circuit\/ movement breaks, fidget toys\/ calm box.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Emotional literacy<\/strong> <strong>resources<\/strong> I.e. social stories, Incredible 5-point scale, body mapping, fix it folder, fear ladder, scripting (see resources below)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Resources:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><a style=\"color: #ff6600\" href=\"https:\/\/girfec.fife.scot\/__data\/assets\/pdf_file\/0036\/187479\/Anxiety-is-normal-resource-pack.pdf\">Anxiety is Normal Toolkit<\/a>\u00a0<\/span> This resource pack has been developed to support Named Persons and key school staff to work collaboratively with young people to explore their experiences of school, particularly in relation to aspects that cause anxiety. It comes in 3 sections: assessment, intervention and a set of appendices.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><a style=\"color: #ff6600\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/06\/06104331\/FCEPS-Attendance-house-style-2.pdf\">Fife Council Educational Psychology Service Attendance Guidance <\/a><\/span>This toolkit aims to support practitioners working with children and young people who are presenting with emotion-based school non-attendance and provides a framework to support assessment and intervention.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><a style=\"color: #ff6600\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thirdspace.scot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/NAIT-Anxiety-Related-Absence-Guidance-2020.pdf\">NAIT anxiety related absence\u00a0 <\/a><\/span>This guide is intended for practitioners supporting autistic children and young people who are anxious about attending school, and their families. The information may also be useful to families looking for ways to understand why their child is anxious and think about approaches which might help.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accesstherapiesfife.scot.nhs.uk\/shine\/\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600\">SHINE<\/span><\/a> online sessions aimed at helping young people aged 12-17, learn about anxiety, and find out about helpful coping strategies that you can use when you feel anxious.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"137\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/mental-health\/anxiety-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03105906\/anxiety-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"465,464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"anxiety 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03105906\/anxiety-1-300x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03105906\/anxiety-1.jpg\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-137 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03105906\/anxiety-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"465\" height=\"464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03105906\/anxiety-1.jpg 465w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03105906\/anxiety-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03105906\/anxiety-1-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 465px) 100vw, 465px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"141\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/mental-health\/anxiety-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110024\/anxiety-3.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"502,464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"anxiety 3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110024\/anxiety-3-300x277.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110024\/anxiety-3.jpg\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-141 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110024\/anxiety-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"502\" height=\"464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110024\/anxiety-3.jpg 502w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/03110024\/anxiety-3-300x277.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 502px) 100vw, 502px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anxiety is a normal response to challenging events.\u00a0 Anxiety helps us avoid potentially \u2018dangerous\u2019 situations as well as motivating us to solve problems. Everybody experiences anxiety.\u00a0 However, it can become problematic, vary from mild unease to terrifying panic attack.&#8217;\u00a0 &#8211; Scotland\u2019s Mental Health First Aid Anxiety and autism: Anxiety disorders are more common in autistic &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/mental-health\/anxiety\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Anxiety<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25199,"featured_media":0,"parent":16,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-209","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":794,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/209\/revisions\/794"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}