HOT TOPIC SUMMARY

Hot Topic Summary: Behavioral disorders during adolescent development, specifically Social
Anxiety Disorder.
Meghan Montoya
SED 464
November 18th, 2015
Arizona State University

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The topic that I chose for my Hot Topic Presentation was behavioral disorders during
adolescent development. Within this category I then chose to focus more on the disorder of
Social Anxiety. In preparation for my presentation, I completed vast research on the topic
ranging from definitions to how teachers can accommodate their students who suffer from the
disorder. This paper will serve as a summary of my findings throughout my research and the
information that I will present to my peers.
Social Anxiety Disorder, also known as Social Phobia, can be defined as extreme
fearfulness of becoming embarrassed in a social situation. There is no true cause of the disorder,
but evidence leans towards genetic and environmental (trauma, stress, home-life) factors. Signs
of the disorder can be physical, cognitive, or/and behavioral. Physical signs of Social Anxiety
Disorder are but arent limited to sweating, nausea, and increased heart rate (redness in face).
Cognitively students will have low self-esteem, fear, and be very self- conscience. Lastly,
behavioral signs of the disorder can be exhibited by avoidance of meeting new people, refusal to
speak in public, and the inability to make decisions. As a teacher, the physical and behavioral
signs of Social Anxiety will be the easiest to spot within your classroom.
According to The National Institute of Mental Health, 15 million men and women will
develop Social Anxiety Disorder during early adolescence (May 2015). Although the age of
onset remains constant, the disorder develops about 10% more in females then in males. This
information deems extremely important in the middle school setting. Many students are in the
midst of their adolescent years and thus begin showing signs of this disorder. As a teacher to
students during this time in their life, it is crucial to remember the signs of Social Anxiety in
order to help your students.

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The school environment can be one of the most intimidating situations for a student with
Social Anxiety to be apart of. In the classroom, students are expected to participate in public
speaking, group work, and taking tests. Making friends and personal appearance are also a major
concern during this time of adolescence. Although these situations happen on a day-to-day basis,
these will be the situations that students with Social Anxiety will struggle with. They will
constantly question whether they are being laughed at, pronouncing words wrong, wearing the
wrong outfit, etc. Every action they take, their mind will ask what if.
There are a few tips that I would like to point out for teachers in order to make the
classroom more comfortable for students with Social Anxiety. First, you must always understand
the fears of students with the disorder. The student will have 20 thoughts going through their
head on one simple topic. It is important to understand what they are thinking and rationalize
with them instead of telling them they are wrong. Second, you should communicate with the
parents, as well as school counselors about accommodations for the student. In many cases of
anxiety, people see counselors or therapists to help gather their thoughts. By working as a trio,
everyone will understand where the student is at, what the student is working on, and what can
still be improved.
Continuing with tips for teachers, it is important to boost the students self-esteem by
giving praise, even for the smallest accomplishments the student with Social Anxiety achieves.
You also want to make sure you are promoting relationships within your classroom. The student
with Social Anxiety will most likely not have friends in the class. When it comes to group work,
assign students partners/groups in order to get that student to communicate and become
comfortable with their peers.

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Throughout my research for this presentation, I found that the most important thing a
teacher can do to help their students dealing with social anxiety (or any anxiety) is to keep an
organized classroom environment. Keep the layout in which your classroom is set up consistent;
dont change it around throughout the semester. This can be as little as keeping the pencil
sharpener in one specific location, keep the rulers in a specific spot, keep the desks in the same
formation, etc. By doing this, you are making your classroom recognizable for your student with
Social Anxiety. The student will not have to think twice about where to go. Following the
organized environment, present your students with your rules and expectations the first day of
class. This will help your student dealing with the disorder by not worrying if they are doing
something wrong. The rules and expectations are printed clearly for that student to look back on.
Over the course of the semester in this class, we have learned about different technology
apps available and how to integrate them into our future classrooms. After learning about Social
Anxiety Disorder it became so clear to me how much technology within the classroom would
help these students. They would be able to voice their opinion in a way where they dont have to
speak publicly. They would be able to participate in class just like other students. Although it
would limit the student from improving from their disorder in a social situation, it would still
help the student become more comfortable in the classroom and improve academically.
So, what does this information mean for middle school students and teachers? It is clear
that middle school is a weird time for adolescent students. In many cases, behavioral disorders
have not yet been diagnosed and are just becoming noticeable. It is important to keep an
organized learning environment, as well as to teach more interactive lessons utilizing technology.
Help the students learn in a way that they feel comfortable and equal with their peers. As a

HOT TOPIC SUMMARY

teacher you must always have patience and great understanding for you students. All of these
circumstances will help your students struggling with Social Anxiety Disorder.

HOT TOPIC SUMMARY

References
Anxiety Disorders. (2015, May 1). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml

Bright, R. (n.d.). Tackling Classroom Fears. Retrieved November 17, 2015, from
http://www.nea.org/tools/48480.htm

Ehmke, R. (2014, November 4). What is Social Anxiety? Retrieved November 17, 2015, from
http://www.childmind.org/en/posts/articles/2014-11-4-what-social-anxiety

Sample Accommodations for Anxious Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from
http://www.worrywisekids.org/node/40

Technology Standards for Students: https://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_StandardsS_PDF.pdf

Technology Standards for Teachers: https://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_StandardsT_PDF.pdf