Dear parents,
It’s that time of year! School is starting back and there are many feelings associated with that. Some children experience anxiety when going back to school. Here are a few signs that your child might be suffering a mental health issue:
Pre-School/Early Elementary Years
- Behavior problems. Having a difficult time following schedule and routine
- Hyperactivity way beyond normal/typical child behavior
- Trouble sleeping
- Persistent nightmares
- Excessive fear, worry or crying. They can be impacted by stressors of adults
around them - Extreme disobedience or aggression
- Lots of temper tantrums all the time
- Persistent difficulty separating from parent, especially if they were virtual
all of the last school year
Grade School Years (4-8 grade)
- Excessive fears and worries. Access to social media and digital communication
and news increases worry - Extreme hyperactivity
- Sudden decrease in school performance
- Loss of interest in friends or favorite activities, withdrawal
- Loss of appetite
- Excessive worry about weight gain, and physical appearance
- Sudden changes in sleep habits
- Visible prolonged sadness
- Substance use or abuse
- Seeing or hearing things that are not there
Tween and Teen Years
- Destructive behavior such as damaging property or setting fires
- Constantly threatening to run away or running away
- Withdrawal from family and friends
- Comments or writings that indicate desire to harm self or others. This is a red
flag to pay attention to. Reach out to mental health professionals to get help as
quickly as possible - Risky behaviors. What is excessive risky behavior?
- Substance use or abuse. Is it experimentation or persistent?
To help support them as a parent, it’s important to give children a safe space to talk and share their feelings. In some areas, there are mental health agencies with highly trained professionals who visit with children at the school to provide them a safe space to talk. These mental health professionals help children acknowledge and understand their feelings and teach them skills to help improve their mental health.
LSCI visits schools to provide mental health support for not only children, but also teachers and staff. We strive to improve the overall mental health of the school districts we serve in. We are sprinkled throughout Arkansas- contact us to see if we serve in your district!