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Anxious about school gates

NAS49821

my child started school recently. She is obsessed with the electric school gates. I cant get her through them or to walk up the school drive. School are supportive but it takes them a long time to get her through too. Any suggestions on how to minimise these anxieties and reduce the time it takes? 

  • It might be a huge need to understand how they work - maybe you need to be on the other side of the gate with her, holding her hand, watching them open and close for lots of people and explain how it all works until she sees there's no mystery and it's not magic - it's just a 'thing'.Make it exciting for her.

    I remember being young and fascinated/fixated by things I didn't understand and needing the world explaining. Things like the London undeground and the automatic doors on trains & platform gaps were a big thing.

    I ended up as a chartered engineer - maybe she'll be a fantastic engineer in the future?

  • Do the gates make a noise as they open? This may be upsetting her. Is there a smaller side entrance she could use temporarily sometimes side gates not being as large are less intimidating 

    Sorry can't be more help 

  • Hi there,

    I'm sorry to answer a question with a question, but how are the gates controlled? I just wonder, because even as an adult, I find automatic doors a bit freaky - I think it's something to do with not having any control over when they open, and not quite knowing when they'll detect me. If it involves pressing buttons, it might be worth seeing if she's happy to press them herself, so that she gets a sense that she's the one who is in control of them - maybe just the last button of all if it's one of those code number style locks. It might also be that she's frightened that she's trapped when they close behind her, so arranging for them to stay open until she's well clear, and then slowly reducing the time might help, too.