Child psychologists reveal new methods to ease children’s fears of health appointments

Child psychologist Professor Sam Wass offers innovative strategies to help young children cope with the anxiety of eye tests, dental visits, and vaccinations, emphasising preparation, distraction, and control.

Children who dread eye tests, dental visits or vaccinations may benefit from a little rehearsal and a clearer sense of what is coming next, according to child psychologist Professor Sam Wass. Writing during National Eye Health Week, Wass said young children are often unsettled by health appointments because unfamiliar places and procedures can feel threatening, particularly when they do not know what to expect.

His advice begins before families even leave home. One of the simplest ways to reduce anxiety, he said, is to give children a small task to complete during the appointment, such as spotting colours on the wall or counting pictures in the room. That kind of focused distraction, he argued, can keep attention away from fear and give a child something concrete to do rather than simply telling them not to worry.

Wass also recommended turning the child into the “expert” by role-playing at home, so they can practise being the doctor, dentist or optician. He said parents should explain what the experience will feel like, not just what will happen, because children are often most anxious about whether something will hurt, whether they will be frightened and whether they will be able to cope. He added that allowing a child to make limited choices, such as which chair to sit in or whether to hold a parent’s hand, can create a stronger sense of control.

The psychologist cautioned that reassurance alone is not always the answer. Repeatedly telling children everything will be fine can sometimes make an appointment feel more alarming, whereas light distraction may work better. He also suggested that parents think about the sensory pressure of waiting rooms, which can be bright, noisy and unpredictable, and said it is usually better to arrive close to the appointment time rather than leave a child waiting for long periods.

The timing of preparation matters too, Wass said. Younger children often do better with short notice, while older children may cope with more detailed explanations. His comments come as research commissioned by Specsavers found that, among 1,000 parents of three- to five-year-olds, 7% had delayed booking an eye test because they feared their child would find it frightening. The survey also found that nearly half of parents had noticed possible eyesight problems, including sitting very close to screens and rubbing their eyes frequently, while 45% of parents whose children had already had an eye test said their child had been frightened beforehand. Jill Campbell, head of clinical performance at Specsavers, said the aim of the campaign was to remove the fear factor and encourage families to see eye tests as an important part of a child’s learning and development.