Child anxiety is more common than you might think and it presents in a whole lot of different ways.
The one thing I do know for sure, is the effect sugar has on all kids and not just those with recognised child anxiety related disorders.
Any child sugared up, is going to be anxious.
As a teacher specializing in special needs, I find it quite heartbreaking to dismiss my kids for break and lunch, knowing that around five of them may well come back hyperactive.
By that I mean bouncing in like little Tiggers with attitude, totally unable to focus, disruptive and sometimes unable to remain in class.
Sugary Drinks Have Gone From Schools We don't have any fizzy sugary drinks in our vending machines or cafeteria now, only water or pure fruit juice.
The children don't leave the school site, so where does the sugar hit and high come from? Yep, right out of their school bag.
Now this often isn't down to parents, far from it.
Parents whose child suffers from child anxiety are usually painfully aware of sticky sweet hazards.
But if kids have money and opportunity on the way to school? Sugary delights tempt them from every confectioner and store they pass, much more now than when you and I were children! It is so important to understand that sugar alone can be responsible for really wild outlandish behaviour.
Sugar really is something to think about if your child intermittently exhibits odd behaviour and I'd look at sugar a long way before drugs entered my head.
Anxious Not Excited The vast majority of children react to a sugar high and become anxious, though most kids will describe it as excited.
The truth is the root of their sugared up hyperactive behaviour lies in the excess adrenaline produced, which in turn triggers the fight or flight reaction.
Not ideal in a classroom or anywhere else for that matter.
Oh, and never lose sight of the fact that sugar and caffeine are highly addictive, once you start, stopping is very hard indeed, not least because the high feels good.
I don't know what the answers are, not all of them anyway.
But I do know that if you are sure your child is given a healthy diet at home and packed off to school with good food, you are more than half way there.
However, if you do notice changes either in your child's weight, academic performance, or their general demeanour and personality, you may want to consider unsupervised goodies bought on the way to and from school as the possible culprits.
The one thing I do know for sure, is the effect sugar has on all kids and not just those with recognised child anxiety related disorders.
Any child sugared up, is going to be anxious.
As a teacher specializing in special needs, I find it quite heartbreaking to dismiss my kids for break and lunch, knowing that around five of them may well come back hyperactive.
By that I mean bouncing in like little Tiggers with attitude, totally unable to focus, disruptive and sometimes unable to remain in class.
Sugary Drinks Have Gone From Schools We don't have any fizzy sugary drinks in our vending machines or cafeteria now, only water or pure fruit juice.
The children don't leave the school site, so where does the sugar hit and high come from? Yep, right out of their school bag.
Now this often isn't down to parents, far from it.
Parents whose child suffers from child anxiety are usually painfully aware of sticky sweet hazards.
But if kids have money and opportunity on the way to school? Sugary delights tempt them from every confectioner and store they pass, much more now than when you and I were children! It is so important to understand that sugar alone can be responsible for really wild outlandish behaviour.
Sugar really is something to think about if your child intermittently exhibits odd behaviour and I'd look at sugar a long way before drugs entered my head.
Anxious Not Excited The vast majority of children react to a sugar high and become anxious, though most kids will describe it as excited.
The truth is the root of their sugared up hyperactive behaviour lies in the excess adrenaline produced, which in turn triggers the fight or flight reaction.
Not ideal in a classroom or anywhere else for that matter.
Oh, and never lose sight of the fact that sugar and caffeine are highly addictive, once you start, stopping is very hard indeed, not least because the high feels good.
I don't know what the answers are, not all of them anyway.
But I do know that if you are sure your child is given a healthy diet at home and packed off to school with good food, you are more than half way there.
However, if you do notice changes either in your child's weight, academic performance, or their general demeanour and personality, you may want to consider unsupervised goodies bought on the way to and from school as the possible culprits.
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