Having ADHD means having a brain wired for engagement. Research shows that children and youth diagnosed with ADHD face significantly higher risk of anxiety disorders. Some studies measure this at roughly three times higher odds compared with peers without ADHD. Anxiety is one of ADHD’s “toxic best friends,” and with or without ADHD, it shows up in as much as 10% of school-aged students.
-by Dr. Tim Grivois, Executive Director, TGS Educational Consulting
The good news is that learning more about anxiety is a great first step toward creating inclusive classrooms for students who experience it. As you get started, you’ll find that students with anxiety often worry about making mistakes, feel physical tension or restlessness, avoid unfamiliar situations, and have trouble concentrating at school. Without diving too much into the research, it’s easy to infer that kids whose school experience feels like this will need predictable routines, calm adult responses, opportunities to make choices, and genuine assurance that mistakes are part of learning.
Even better: we don’t need to collect six to eight weeks of data or implement a behavior plan to add any of these supports to our classrooms.
If you’re curious about what the research says, there is an evidence-based, classroom-possible intervention that stands out—and chances are, you’re already using pieces of it.
Cognitive Reframing
My daughter has a 504 plan for ADHD and anxiety, and she has wonderful, empathetic teachers who know her well and understand what helps her be successful. When I picked her up from school yesterday, however, I felt a little nervous myself. Anjali had a presentation in her eighth-grade ELA class, and usually she’d rather chew glass than stand in front of her class and speak. But before I could even ask how it went, she said,
“Dad, I felt like I was either gonna throw up or cry, but I kept telling myself, ‘These are my friends, and my teacher will help me if I get lost.’ But I didn’t get lost! I just did my speech and it was maybe the best I’d ever done!”
First, I felt relieved that her presentation went so well, and grateful that she has a teacher who knows how to support her. Second, I realized I’d just witnessed the best kid-friendly example of cognitive reframing I could imagine.
Cognitive reframing is a research-based strategy that helps people with anxiety recognize unhelpful thoughts and replace them with ones grounded in safety, connection, and possibility.
| Action | Example |
| 1. Recognize the “tricky” thought/feeling. | “I felt like I was either gonna throw up or cry.” |
| 2. Reframe and challenge the thought/feeling. | “These are my friends, and my teacher will help me if I get lost.” |
| 3. Change our actions | “I just did my speech and it was maybe the best I’d ever done!” |
The key is that no one dismissed Anjali’s feelings. Her stomachache was real, and her tears made sense. She was doing something scary for her. But she was able to recognize those feelings and reframe them. Because she knew she was speaking to friends and had a supportive teacher, she could deliver her presentation without tears.
Five Classroom-Possible Ways to Use Cognitive Reframing
Anjali’s story isn’t just about one student finding courage. It’s a reminder that cognitive reframing—the practice of noticing an anxious thought and replacing it with one grounded in safety and truth—belongs in every classroom. We don’t need a new curriculum or a clinical toolkit. We just need to make reframing part of how we talk, teach, and respond to students.
Every teacher has seen a student who freezes, then takes one small brave step forward. That’s reframing in action.
Here are five classroom-possible ways to start:
1. Model “Name It, Reframe It” Out Loud
When we make a small mistake or feel flustered, we can let students hear how we reframe it.
This one was from an actual PD on anxiety I led last month:
“I just deleted my whole presentation. My first thought was, ‘Ugh, I always mess this up, and always in front of smart teachers’ But thankfully, “Past Tim” created a duplicate for just this reason, and it’s not a big deal.”
When adults model this kind of self-talk, students see that emotions and thoughts aren’t problems to hide. They’re just signals we can work with.
2. Reframe Together During Academic Challenges
When a student says, “I’m bad at math,” or “I’ll never get this,” pause and guide a gentle reframe:
“You’re finding this problem hard right now. That doesn’t mean you’re bad at math…it means you’re working hard to learn the math. You can try again right now, and I’m right here to help.”
Pairing honesty (“this is hard”) with possibility (“and I can try again”) teaches students that growth and struggle can exist at the same time.
3. Create a “Thought Swap” Routine
Once or twice a week, spend two minutes helping students swap anxious thoughts for supportive ones.
Elementary classes might write them on sticky notes or morning-meeting cards (“I’ll mess up my speech” → “I’ve practiced, and my teacher will help”).
Older students can journal or share examples anonymously (I use anonymous open-ended slide on Mentimeter for this purpose). Over time, reframing becomes a classroom norm, not a counseling strategy.
4. Use Reflection Prompts After Stressful Moments
After tests, presentations, or conflicts, ask:
- “What thought might have made this harder?”
- “What thought helped you get through it?”
- “What might this mean for next time?”
Brief reflections like these connect thoughts to outcomes and help students see reframing as a real tool, not abstract advice.
5. Anchor Reframing in Relationships
Cognitive reframing works best in classrooms where students feel seen. When you notice anxious body language—crossed arms, silence, tears—start with empathy:
“This feels big right now.”
Then move toward possibility:
“What’s something true that might be helpful to remember?”
When students learn that adults at school take their worries seriously and believe in their ability to cope, they begin to do the same for themselves.
Reframing doesn’t erase anxiety. It gives students a way to face it, name it, and move through it with support. And in classrooms where this practice lives, students learn how to think and feel differently about what they can do.
Inclusive practice isn’t about fixing students. It’s about shaping classrooms where every learner feels capable, supported, and seen. When students begin to notice their own strengths in the stories they tell themselves, inclusion becomes more than a plan. It becomes the way our classrooms feel.
If your school is exploring ways to support students with anxiety in a way that feels doable every day, I’d be glad to talk through what might work for your team.
You can reach me here.