The Parents' Guide to Managing Anxiety in Children with Autism

by Raelene Dundon

This guide for parents is a complete introduction to autism and anxiety. Drawing on the author's clinical experience working with children and their families, it provides parents and carers with everything they need to know to help support their child. It covers the basics such as what anxiety is, how it manifests behaviourally and why it is common in autism, before presenting CBT-informed practical strategies for managing a common range of separation, social, performance, phobias, and generalised anxiety. It also has chapters dedicated to related behaviours including Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and advice on managing meltdowns. This is a clear, concise and practical guide that answers any questions that parents and carers might have about anxiety and provides support strategies to help children with autism manage a range of anxieties.

176 pages, Paperback

Published November 21, 2019

About the author

Raelene is the Director of Okey Dokey Childhood Psychology in Melbourne, Australia. She is a registered Psychologist and holds a Masters Degree in Educational and Developmental Psychology. Raelene has extensive experience working with children with developmental disabilities and their families, as well as typically developing children, providing educational, social/emotional and behavioural support.

Raelene has worked extensively in early childhood intervention settings, schools and private practice, and works with preschools and schools to provide individual student and staff support, as well as running social skills groups for students. She regularly presents workshops for parents and professionals on topics related to supporting children with special needs in the classroom and in other settings, and has recently presented at an International Autism Conference in Edinburgh, as well as conferences in Brisbane, Sydney, Cairns and Melbourne.

Raelene is also the mother of three children, two of whom are on the Autism Spectrum, and draws on both her personal and professional experience to provide support and guidance to families and carers.

Reviews

[Jen Tidman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a parent, but I was a child/teenager with undiagnosed autism which means I'm still figuring out a lot about myself and revisiting my history with hindsight. ⁠
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I really love the thoughtful books that Jessica Kingsley Publishing put out, and The Parents’ Guide to Managing Anxiety in Children with Autism by Raelene Dundon⁠ is no different. ⁠
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Reading through the book I had several 'aha!' moments, which clarified things I hadn't previously understood about my experiences and which are allowing me to accept, forgive, and re-parent myself. ⁠
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I can see that this publication would be invaluable to parents of an ASD child, particularly those who are not on the spectrum themselves. ⁠

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're new to the topic of anxiety, especially anxiety in autistic children, this book is very helpful.
It illustrates examples of how to deal with specific situations based on case examples. It starts by explaining what anxiety is and covers a range of topics from school withdrawal - both regarding the child and their needs, and also how to communicate those needs to teachers and other educators - over fussy eating and how/where to seek help and what therapies might be effective.
If you're already familiar with the topic on hand, this book will offer little new information, yet it is a concise guidebook and as such possibly very helpful for not only parents, but family and friends alike.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for providing me with an ARC. My opinions and thoughts are my own.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the E-arc copy of The Parent's Guide to Managing Anxiety in Children with Autism. What a wonderful and helpful book for a parent who has a child on the autism spectrum. I have a son who suffers from horrible anxiety due to his ASD and I found this book enlightening. It is an easy to read toolkit on how to help your child and yourself deal with the crippling anxiety that they suffer from. I love the breakdown of information into understanding why and how that anxieties are triggered. I think it is a must read for any parent who has a child with horrible anxiety.

[Gara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a well-written, comprehensive guide for anyone dealing with children on the Autism spectrum. Anxiety can be overwhelming for these children, and can disguise itself in a multitude of ways. Concrete techniques to help manage anxiety were described, and case studies were given to demonstrate actions that parents and carers could utilize. While there is a great deal that could be gained by face-to-face therapy sessions, this book could provide reinforcement and insight for those dealing with children on the spectrum. I was given a copy of this book to provide a fair and unbiased review.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of Good here. Mr 8 has terrible anxiety with panic attacks etc.. so far not diagnosed with autism- that did everything in this applied to him. I did think the same strategies were put forward/ and while when your cup is full and you don’t have any pressures it’s great… when it’s not then things much harder to work through… need more books for parents to help us handle this- rather than to help kids through it 😬

[Briar Standing · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of anxiety for those who are still learning, but perhaps a bit too basic for those who are further along the neurodiverse parenting journey. Hence the 3 star rating.

It gives a broad overview and easily actionable strategies. It was easy to read and well sectioned - you could skip to relevant parts if you didn’t want to read the whole book. I read this from cover to cover in one sitting over a couple of hours.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful resources.
she does a good job of using examples from children with a wide variety of autism spectrum.
it was really helpful to me to see how some strategies I was familiar with could be applied in a high functioning situation.
fabulous and comprehensive list at the end of children's picture books to help teach different skills- making mistakes, social anxiety, muscle relations, etc.

[Jo Chorlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a really helpful and useful resource. The author is well informed, and has a very accessible writing style. Although I was reading this to support my child I also found ways to support myself too. Definitely recommend this one.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a parent with children who have both Autism and Anxiety. I found this book helpful and easy to read, and it was good to read a book by an Australian author on this topic.

[Chanel Chapters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very straight froward, simple and easy to read with practical tips and strategies for helping kids cope.

[Trina · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Parents Guide to Managing Anxiety in Children with Autism is a book that I would encouraging passing on. First off, I would hate to think that your mentally ill child believes that you are managing them, so don't put this on the shelf. Secondly, there is nothing in this book that isn't in any book on helping your child with anxiety except vignettes that include an autism diagnosis. Just skip this book and find something that doesn't make it look like you're trying to manage a kid you don't understand. (If you are trying to manage a kid that you don't understand, I think you need to work on that, not on your kid's anxiety.)