Dd9's class is taking a field trip where she will have to ride on an escalator. Dd has always had sensory issues with escalators, she has gone on them here and there with us but she doesn't stand up, she kind of squats/sits and hangs on to us.

She tried talking to her teacher and the school counselor about this field trip and they (according to dd) only replied saying it will be fine and she should push past her fears.

Any ideas on how I can help dd with this?

I think you need to talk with the teacher & the schools. Seems as if they aren't taking her phobia seriously. Very frustrating when a student is brave enough to talk with the teachers and they dismiss her fears.

Can you go along as a chaperone? Do you know why she MUST take an escalator are there any alternatives like stairs or an elevator?

Hi

My DD11 also has anxiety and has had phobias relating to various forms of transportation (e.g. buses and trains). I have to say - it's great that your DD is able to talk to the teacher and school counselor about it! My DD would have a lot of trouble doing that.

Is it possible that when your DD is with the class, she will feel anxious but end up going along with her peers on the escalator? Sometimes that might actually work. Would she be OK going on it with a special friend? Or holding the teacher's hand? Sometimes the teacher can find a way to do this without making a child stand out. If she were to refuse to get on the escalator, do they have an alternative plan (e.g. the stairs?)

With my DD, we were forced to take a more gradual approach to de-sensitize and help her get used to the things she was worried about. She developed her anxiety last year and on the first class trip she refused to even get out of the car when I took her to school. Next field trip, I decided to go along with her and sat with her on the school bus (not sure if going on the field trip is possible for you?). The one after that, she was able to sit on the bus with her teacher.

Practising something that is hard to do can be helpful - we did this with train travel (e.g. going just one or 2 stops, then going longer, and so on).

Is it possible for you to practise riding escalators with your daughter? Maybe start with just standing near the escalator; then try riding it - as many times as she is able to - ideally with gradually less support from you each time...

Also, is it something specific about the escalator that bothers her - the sound, the vibration? Is there any way to mitigate the sensory issues?

Good luck - I know how stressful these situations can be.

That's the crazy thing, there are stairs not that far away from the escalators and within sight. No parents are going, but there will be more than one adult so I don't see why someone can't take some of the kids to the stairs.

For her it's a problem with heights and my guess it's also the combination of the height and moving simultaneously. She will sometimes have problems with regular stairs. This past summer we went on a trip to a ghost town and we went into this house from the 19th century. She climbed up the staircase to the second story no problem but when it came time to go back down she had a complete meltdown, crying and panicking. We couldn't get her out. At one point dh attempted to pick her up and carry her down and she ended up flailing her arms and legs and screaming. I was afraid she'd kick a hole in the wall of this historical landmark. She ended up scooting down the stairs on her bottom.

My guess is if I don't do anything about this she will probably feel peer pressured into going on it. She says she's not only afraid of the escalators but also is worried about embarrassing herself by squatting or crouching on the escalator.

I honestly think she'll get through it, she won't have a meltdown in front of her class. That's why I'm hesitant to create an 'out' for her. Yet I'd like her to have someone there for support. Her teacher isn't exactly lovey dovey so I don't anticipate her being very supportive. I know the other staff member who is going that might be a good option for being her support person. I may go in and talk to her personally and ask her to help dd when going on the escalator.

I would talk to the other staff member and let her know about your dd's fears.

Is the escalator in a place that you could visit and practice first? Do you think it would help build up your dd's confidence if she rode the same escalator several times over with you or your dh first, a few days before the trip?

polarbear

We can't go practice on these escalators because the location requires admission. The class is going next week and I'd really hate to take her ahead of time because if we pay to go in we might as well enjoy it, and my guess is she'd probably spend her field trip bored.

I'll go in on Monday to talk to the school about it.

I can appreciate where she's coming from, they have always made me very nervous. Airports are the worst (Atlanta comes to mind.) Surely she can't be the only one who would prefer the stairs?!

Gosh, the school counselor should surely be more helpful than that? Teachers I can understand are trained to teach and may not understand phobias but I'd have thought a counsellor should be more sensitive. Good on your DD for trying to talk to them.
I agree with PP that she shouldn't have to confront this by herself in front of all her peers. Even if she did cope, the stress of the anticipation is probably awful for her. She should know she'll be catered to so she doesn't have to worry, and can look forward to the trip like all the other kids.
I too would go in and make myself heard, and ask for some sort of low-key workaround

I agree, and I will be sending the counselor an email because dd missed a field trip earlier this year due to anxiety about the trip. The school was insistent that they have a heads up next time so they can help her with her anxiety so she won't miss another trip. And here I emailed the counselor and got no response, dd talked to her teacher and the counselor and was blown off and was told to pretty much face her fears. I'm sure when dd told them she didn't go into specifics on how her fear of heights/escalators impact her but they are aware that she has anxiety when it comes to some field trips.

I did go in today and spoke to the teacher and she said they will definitely have dd use the elevator and she doesn't want to risk upsetting dd.

Your title caught my attention because DS(third grade) was told he's to take swimming lessons this March at the pool where he had a bad experience when he was four.

We have told his teacher about the incident he endured at that pool, but I am sure she doesn't really understand. I'm considering opting him out of the lessons since my husband and I are making slow progress with him at home during the summers. DS likes to be in control and I just know this is a wrong turn for his progress!

P.S. DS screamed like crazy on elevators. It really sucked trying to go to the mall when he was in a stroller!

It's great that your counselor was able to work something out for the field trip!

If you can, it's probably a good idea to practice going on escalators when there is less pressure.

We are currently practicing dental visits . Today DD got as far as looking at the treatment room. I think this is going to take a lot of practice before we get as far as her opening her mouth. :-(

While I agree that suddenly forcing her to go on the escalator with no support is not a good idea, please work on this with her. Use a gradual approach to desensitize her--for instance, first look at pics of escalators, then watch YouTube videos, then watch peopl on them but don't get on, then ride a small one, etc. Push her just to the point of being a little worried every time and praise her a lot each time she succeeds. I spek from experience as an adult just getting over a truly bothersome and inconvenient phobia. My parents allowed me to avoid my fear for decades. It was absolutely the wrong approach and impaired me in my adult life.

She really enjoyed where they went and wants to return, so we will probably get an annual membership for the family and will have lots of opportunities to practice.