Do School-Based Accommodations Mitigate Anxiety-Related School Impairment for Socially Anxious Youth?

Abstract

In the United States, legislation ensures that schools provide accommodations to students with disabilities and conditions that impair their functioning. Students with social anxiety, who face many challenges in the school context, often receive these accommodations. Yet, it is unknown whether school-based accommodations achieve their intended aims of mitigating anxiety-related school impairment. The current study therefore examined whether school-based accommodations, assessed as the presence or absence of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan, moderate associations between social anxiety symptoms and anxiety-related school impairment. We also explored grade level (elementary versus secondary) as an additional moderator of these associations and included youth sex and ethnicity as covariates. Participants were 504 youth with anxiety disorders (55% boys; 76% elementary level) and their mothers. Based on mothers’ reports, we found significant associations of youth sex, social anxiety, and the presence of an IEP or 504 Plan with anxiety-related school impairment. There were no significant moderation effects. Findings are discussed with regard to the role of school-based accommodations for mitigating anxiety-related school impairment. Further research is needed to understand how to improve school-based accommodations to ensure they help the youth for whom they are designed, especially youth with social anxiety.