Contents
Remember that fresh go-go attitude at the start of the school year? Those were good times. Around the third month of the semester, our struggling students begin to look a bit different.
Confident comments are replaced with declarations that everything is too difficult, too much, and takes too long. We hear them go from “school is easy this year” to “this is too hard” and “I’m stupid.”
The mood shifts too. The defensive attitude turns into low energy. Discouragement and frustration turn into depression and anxiety.
This is when we know it's time to redirect our efforts because the second semester slump is here.
What is Happening Here?
Our struggling students haven’t changed, but their brain’s reaction to the environment is dictating their ability to function.
Chronic stress is convincing our struggling students that they are in some sort of long-lasting crisis. When their brains feel overwhelmed by this perceived crisis, they become much less interested in learning, focusing, or remembering.
School is tough enough for our struggling students without the added weight of emotional turmoil or anxious tension slowing them down.
If You Suspect Anxiety
We all feel stress. In many ways, stress is helpful and even healthy. Anxiety is something different. Anxiety is our body's reaction when stress amplifies and turns into fear. Fear then triggers the fight/flight mechanisms, creating arguing and pushing away attitudes. If you suspect anxiety may be an issue for your struggling student, here are some steps to take:
If your student has ADHD, seek a counselor who specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. You'll be seeking counseling to address the stress response, not necessarily the ADHD. People can live well-adjusted lives with ADHD, without anxiety being a part of the picture. (www.psychologytoday.com is a fantastic resource for finding a counselor)
If your student is between the ages of 5-8:
A developmental pediatrician is a great first step.
If that type of professional is hard to find, a behavior therapist is a good second option. There are a few developmental disorders that can look like anxiety, and you'll want to rule those out. The objective, with children this young, is to learn how you can support them and ease their fear response without reinforcing it, on a daily basis, at home. (Recommended Read: Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents by Reid Wilson and Lynn Lyons)
If your student is around 10 years old or older, connect with a counselor first. Having a "go to" counselor is a good resource for helping struggling students manage through the adolescent years.
If You Suspect Depression
Most adolescents experience depression at some point, but this is not as prevalent in young children. Depression may come and go, but it's always something to pay attention to, especially with ADHD youth. Depression is the fertile ground where self-harm thoughts and suicidal impulses grow.
If your student has ADHD and is currently seeing a counselor or prescriber (psychiatrist, nurse practitioner, family doctor, etc.), leave a message with them first. If this student is not currently seeing a professional, it's time to seek out a psychiatrist first.
If your student is between the ages of 5 and 8, depression is somewhat rare and the behaviors could be a sign that something else is going on. You'll be best served by a behavior therapist and/or child psychologist. It's important to connect with someone that can read those behaviors and rule out some things.
If your student is over 10 years old (ish), depression is much more common for this age group. A psychiatrist is a great place to start for the quickest assessment, and you can get an opinion as to if counseling would be helpful as well.
I have found that psychiatrists provide the quickest specialized assessment for mental health and encourage people to go there, even if there is no plans to begin medication.
Meanwhile, Prioritize what matters, to energize the brain.
If we prioritize the elements that make sense to our struggling students' unique brains, we can access and even trigger their motivation.
Prioritize basic needs - Guard their sleep and ensure nutrients. (see a little article I wrote on this... Optimizing The Brain)
Prioritize balance - The more stressed students become the more recovery they need. Aim to ensure at least a small amount of family, fun, and freedom every day. (See... Prioritize & Reset)
Prioritize incentives - Struggling students tend to be goal-oriented. They enjoy working towards things and achievements that they want. Set short-term and long-term incentives. Use the when… then… strategy. Replace punishment with incentives to motivate your student. (See... Getting Strategic With Incentives)
Watch out for self-harm talk, and signs of a sudden onset of depression.
I strongly recommend reading up on the Take Five To Save Lives resource (https://www.take5tosavelives.org).
Was this helpful? Consider grabbing the free resource below.
