Recognizing Student Struggles 1 of 7: The Importance of Identifying Warning Signs

Children express themselves differently. One might love to be in photos while another can't bear the sight of a camera. A minor frustration may cause one child to break down and cry, while another will go off and hide in silence over the same problem. When a child is having trouble with school it usually shows in their behavior. It's critical that parents learn to recognize the warning signs.

A child may not be totally aware of the problem they are struggling with or to cope with the problem on their own. But despite their inherent uniqueness, children often exhibit common behaviors when they are stressed or feeling uncomfortable. Though these behaviors can be subtle and hard to recognize, there are situations common to all school children where even the most subtle behavioral changes can become noticeable. Regardless of a child's temperament, these fluctuations can indicate discomfort with their learning environment, social experience or academic performance.

The Recognizing Student Struggles series explores six of these areas: confidence, grades, attitude, homework, class standing and determination (or the lack of it!). When negative changes occur in these areas, it can be a sign that your child is experiencing difficulty that you are not yet aware of, either because they're not aware of it either, or because they're hiding it from you. The sooner you acknowledge that your child may be struggling, the sooner you can make corrective actions

Unnoticed or unheeded warning signs can escalate into more permanent behavioral changes that can be detrimental to a child's academic and social future. But warning signs detected early can also enable healthy, effective change that will have a positive effect on every area of your child's life.