Managing children's fears and anxieties in classroom settings

Fears are among the most common and the most treatable of all anxiety disorders. This article explores the fears and phobias of childhood from a behavioural perspective. Current research reveals that, fears and phobias are separate but interrelated concepts and experiences. Many childhood fears are mild, age-specific and transitory. Others are more extensive and persist beyond normal developmental periods. School phobia is a complex phenomenon which children evince for a number of reasons, including separation anxiety, fear of the school environment, and situation and other schoolrelated worries, Unlike most childhood phobias which are overcome with or without professional help, severe school refusal is difficult to manage. Despite vast literature on the efficacy of behavior modification, reports of success in the South African context are rare, where the emphasis still appears to be on medico-physiological "treatments". © 1999 OPA (Overseas Publishers Association) N.V.