Reply #13: oops

[noamnety]

I answered with the assumption you're in the US - I don't know anything about laws or rules in other places. But all the same I would suggest talking to a school counselor at a minimum about the anxiety. We have some students who have worked out arrangements that don't have a documented medical issue as far as I know - but we also know we will lose them as students if we don't do something.

If you are keeping up with all your work, I think it's less likely the teachers will see this as a copout. I have some kids that miss a lot of school because of anxiety but when they are turning in great projects that's the last thing on my mind, that they are trying to get out of something.

Some simple coping strategies I've given my students to let them escape the classroom if they are having a panic attack ... excuse themselves to go to the water fountain, so some other sort of quick errand for me, stuff like that. Some questions to think about on your own: Are you able to recognize when you are starting to have an anxiety attack and why? Are there any routines you have that help to avert them? (I'm just thinking if you know things that trigger them and things that help tone them down, that might make for a more productive conversation with a teacher. The more specific my students are with me about their needs, the better I can accommodate them.)