At-Risk for Elementary School

Signs of Distress

Here are some signs of distress that teachers and staff often notice. These signs are meaningful on their own and especially meaningful if they’re a change from the student’s past behavior.

Behavioral:

Emotional:

Academic:

Appearance:

JACKIE: Trust your instincts. You often just know when a student is struggling, when it’d be beneficial to talk to the student or their parent for more information, and when to reach out to colleagues at your school to make a plan for support.

So how can this program help? This transcript of the simulation features example conversations between a teacher and a parent and a teacher and a student. The teacher will bring up what they’ve noticed, ask questions to better understand their student’s behavior, and if appropriate refer the student to mental health resources within the school.

Most educators will complete this simulation in 1 hour. Now let’s get started!