'Playing a guessing game': Recognising and responding to anxiety in children with intellectual disability

Children with intellectual disability are at greater risk of developing anxiety than the general population. Limited research has examined the challenges associated with recognising and responding to anxiety in children with intellectual disability, and its perceived impact.

This study aimed to explore anxiety in children with intellectual disability, from the child and parent perspective to better understand how parents and children recognise and respond to anxiety.

Six children with an intellectual disability (age range: 12-17, four boys) and their mothers participated in a semi-structured interview online. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and interpreted using thematic analysis.

Mothers elaborated on the difficulties with recognising signs of anxiety due to the impact of the child's primary diagnosis and the overlap of symptoms with co-occurring conditions. Mothers and children discussed the 'contagious' effect of anxiety within the household and how this influenced mothers' approaches to managing their child's anxiety. They reported that anxiety limited the meaningful activities in which children and families could engage.

These findings highlight the importance of supporting mothers to recognise their children's anxiety and to assist them with strategies on how best to respond and cope. These findings have implications for future research, and practitioners working in this field.