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The
Panicosaurus
by the same author
The Red Beast
Controlling Anger in Children with Asperger’s Syndrome
K.I. Al-Ghani
Illustrated by Haitham Al-Ghani
ISBN 978 1 84310 943 3
eISBN 978 1 84642 848 7
From Home to School with Autism
How to Make Inclusion a Success
K.I. Al-Ghani and Lynda Kenward
Illustrated by Haitham Al-Ghani
ISBN 978 1 84905 169 9
eISBN 978 0 85700 408 6
Learning About Friendship
Stories to Support Social Skills Training in Children with
Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism
K.I. Al-Ghani
Illustrated by Haitham Al-Ghani
ISBN 978 1 84905 145 3
eISBN 978 0 85700 348 5
Making the Move
A Guide for Schools and Parents on the Transfer
of Pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorders
(ASDs) from Primary to Secondary School
K.I. Al-Ghani and Lynda Kenward
Illustrated by Haitham Al-Ghani
ISBN 978 1 84310 934 1
eISBN 978 1 84642 935 4
of related interest
Frog’s Breathtaking Speech
How Children (and Frogs) Can Use the Breath
to Deal with Anxiety, Anger and Tension
Michael Chissick
Illustrated by Sarah Peacock
ISBN 978 1 84819 091 7
eISBN 978 0 85701 074 2
Six Healing Sounds with Lisa and Ted
Qigong for Children
Lisa Spillane
ISBN 978 1 84819 051 1
eISBN 978 0 85701 031 5
Deeno’s Dream Journeys in the Big Blue Bubble
A Relaxation Programme to Help
Children Manage their Emotions
Julia Langensiepen
Illustrated by Gerry Turley
ISBN 978 1 84905 039 5
eISBN 978 0 85700 201 3
The
Panicosaurus
Managing Anxiety in
Children Including Those
with Asperger Syndrome
Written by K.I. Al-Ghani
Illustrations by Haitham Al-Ghani
First published in 2013
by Jessica Kingsley Publishers
116 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JB, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.jkp.com Copyright © K.I. Al-Ghani 2013 Illustrations copyright © Haitham Al-Ghani 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher. Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 1 84905 356 3 eISBN 978 0 85700 706 3 Printed and bound in China
This book is dedicated to Ahmed and
Sarah Al-Ghani for their continued love and support.
Acknowledgements
I would like to give a special thank you to Bryony Gladwish, who chose some of the character names in the story and discussed the contents of the book with great honesty. Also to Lynda Kenward, Ashlie Linfield and Audrey Norcross, whose vast experience with children means I can turn to them for advice as well as friendship.
Introduction
Anxiety can occur when the demands placed on us by our environment are out of harmony with our ability to cope with them. An area in the brain called the amygdala is responsible for the sensations we experience at these times. When anxiety takes hold, we cannot control these sensations – they happen automatically, without conscious thought. When we experience an emotion like fear our body responds by making us breathe faster, which in turn sets the heart racing. We can react to this fear and anxiety in a number of ways, known as “The Five Fs”:
1. FLOCK: This is when we go to trusted people who help us to feel safe (for example, Mum, Dad or the police) or when we head for a crowd (safety in numbers).
2. Fluster: This is when we start to panic and make silly mistakes because we can’t seem to think
