Is your child experiencing anxiety? Here are some practical tips for caregivers and parents.

Get medical advice. When a young child is experiencing severe fright or anxiety symptoms, an appointment with the pediatrician is in order right away. The doctor can rule out whether there is a physical cause for the frightening feelings and address it. Also, he or she may be able to refer you to a therapist who specializes in childhood anxiety.

Talk to the school. A private sit down with your child's primary teacher, the school nurse, and even the school principal can be beneficial. Most primary schools these days have dealt with children with a variety of emotional struggles and school phobia is one of them. Together you can come up with a plan of action to make sure your child feels relaxed while at school.

Find a helpful book as a resource. There are many helpful books written on the subject of children and anxiety. You can search for books on the internet and read reviews of what other parents have written to help decide if a particular book is right for your specific situation. You may even find helpful books right at the local public library.

Speak to other caregivers and parents. It can be really beneficial to be able to share experiences and tips with other parents who are living with the same thing. Connecting with other parents is also a important way to help you see you're not alone in your ordeal. You may find other parents of children struggling with anxiety at online forums.

Help your child but do not enable the anxious behavior. For instance, if your child has anxiety about getting on the bus in the morning, it can be tempting to give in to his or her fears. After all she may cling to you, cry, throw a temper tantrum or complain of a belly ache. Make getting on the bus a priority, and work with the school to make it as uneventful and smooth a transition as possible.

You can even request the help of the bus driver in the morning to help get your child onto the bus without incident. If the situation requires it, you can have someone from the school help get your child to class. As well, make sure your child learns that her teacher is a "safe person," one who she can go to at once if she feels anxious during the school day.