Identification of High Risk Students

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Identification of High Risk Students

• National Association of Special Education Teachers

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Identification of High Risk Students

• A high risk student is usually a student that is
  experiencing possibly severe emotional, social,
  environmental or academic stress.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• Symptoms versus Problems

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Symptomatic Behavior

• While many symptoms may indicate the presence of
  a problem, several guidelines can be used to
  determine the seriousness of the problem/s

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Symptomatic Behavior

• 1) FREQUENCY OF SYMPTOMS--Consider how often the
  symptoms occur. The more serious the problem the
  greater amount of tension generated. The greater
  amount of tension the more frequent will be the
  need to release this tension. As a result the
  greater the frequency of the symptom, the greater
  chance that the problem/s are serious.

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Symptomatic Behavior

• 2) DURATION OF SYMPTOMS--Consider how long the
  symptoms last. The more serious the problem the
  greater the degree of tension generated. The
  greater the degree the longer it will take to
  release the tension and therefore, the longer the
  duration of the symptoms the more serious the
  problem.

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Symptomatic Behavior

• 3) INTENSITY OF SYMPTOMS--Consider how serious
  the reactions are at the time of occurrence. The
  more serious the problem the more intense the
  level of tension coming off the problem will be.
  This level of tension will require a more intense
  release and as a result, the more intense the
  symptom, the more serious the problem.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• Some of the more common patterns that can be
  exhibited by either elementary or secondary
  students while in school are
• 1--A history of adequate or high first quarter
  grades followed by a downward trend leading to
  failures in the final quarter.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 2--A history of excessive absences.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 3--A history of excessive lateness.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 4--Frequently cannot separate from parent at the
  start of the school day. While this can be normal
  behavior in very young children, it becomes a
  more serious symptom after age 6 or 7.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 5--High achievement scores and high school
  abilities index (SAI) with a history of low
  academic performance.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 6--Consistent failure in two or more quarters of
  at least two subjects.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 7--A history of parent "coverage" for
  inappropriate behavior, poor work performance,
  poor attitude, failures, or absences.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 8--Students wandering the halls after school with
  no direction or purpose.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 9--A history of constant projection onto others
  as a reason for a lack of performance, handing in
  work, failures, or cutting.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 10--A history of feeling powerless in the
  student's approach to problems.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• Rotter-Locus of Control
• External locus of control-the feeling that
  whatever happens is the result of fate, luck or
  chance
• Internal locus of control-the belief by
  individuals that their choices and behavior have
  a direct impact on the outcome of their goals

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 11--Recent stress related experiences i.e.
  divorce, separation, death of a parent or
  parent's loss of employment.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 12--A history of constant visits to the nurse.

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Identification of High Risk Students

• 13--Social withdrawal from peers with an emphasis
  on developing relationships with adults.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• Avoidance behavior patterns may first be observed
  by parents. However some of these may show up in
  school and it is imperative that you learn to
  identify these symptoms so that some type of
  intervention can take place immediately.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• Selective forgetting
• This is a symptom in which the child
  knows the batting averages of all baseball
  players, the words from most songs on the radio,
  the times of most TV shows , but "forgets" to
  bring home his/her math book etc. The
  selectivity of the forgetfulness usually centers
  on areas of learning that may be creating
  frustration.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• Forgets to write down assignments day after day
• This symptom may continue even after
  repeated requests or threats. The avoidance of a
  perceived failure experience is accomplished
  through the use of this behavior.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• Takes hours to complete homework
• In this particular case, the child
  seems to labor or procrastinate over the work.
  Frequent trips to the kitchen for food, or to the
  bathroom, or to get a drink, or sharpen a pencil,
  will delay the possibility of perceived failure.
• This symptom also occurs if a child is under
  tension and cannot concentrate for long periods
  of time. He/she will tend to "burn out "quickly
  and day dream the night away.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• Finishes homework very quickly
• In this type of symptom the child's major
  objective is to get the ego threatening situation
  (homework) over as quickly as possible.
• Every attempt is made to "rush through the
  assignments with little if any care or patience.
  Getting it over as quickly as possible almost
  makes it seem as if it never existed.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• Can't seem to get started with homework
• When a childs anxiety level is very high it
  makes it very difficult to "start the engine."
  Like a cold engine on a winter day, you can turn
  the key and it revs but never turns over. This
  type of child acts in the same way.
• They may spend a great deal of time getting
  "ready " for the homework by arranging their
  books, sharpening pencils , getting the paper
  out, opening the textbooks, getting a glass of
  water, going to the bathroom and so on , but
  never really starting their assignments.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• Frequently brings home unfinished class work
• This symptom is frequently exhibited by students
  for several reasons. One reason is a low energy
  level and therefore problems dealing with tasks
  involving sustained concentration.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• The second reason may involve the concept of
  learned helplessness and may arise when a parent
  constantly sits next to a child when he/she is
  doing homework.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• The third reason may involve the child's need
  for attention. Bringing home unfinished class
  work necessitates some parent's need to sit with
  them and complete the work.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• Consistently leaves long term assignments until
  the last minute
• Avoidance of school related tasks, especially
  long-term ones, is a frequent symptom of children
  with low energy levels. It would be like avoiding
  paying a big bill when you have very little
  money. You may "hide the bill or forget it
  exists. Magical thinking is a frequent dynamic
  mechanism of children who are highly anxious.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• Complains of headaches, stomachaches, etc before
  or after school
• Very high tension levels over an extended period
  of time may result in somatic (bodily)
  complaints. These complaints, while real to the
  child, may indicate an avoidance of an
  uncomfortable or ego deflating situation. When a
  child has a pattern of these types of complaints,
  then the teacher needs to see this "signal" as a
  symptom of a more serious problem.

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Avoidance Behavior Patterns

• Exhibits "spot light "behaviors
• "Spot light behaviors are any behaviors that
  bring the focus of attention to the child i.e.
  calling out, laughing out loud, and getting up
  out of seat, annoying other children. When this
  occurs it is usually a release of tension.

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Energy Drain and its Effect on Behavior and
Learning

• Everyone possesses a certain amount of psychic
  energy to use in dealing with the everyday
  demands and stresses of life.
• In normal development there is a certain amount
  of stress but because of an absence of major
  conflicts which tend to drain energy, the
  individual has more than enough to keep things in
  perspective.

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Energy Drain and its Effect on Behavior and
Learning

• Consequently, the division of energy usually
  results in what we call positive behavior
  symptoms. These result (more often than not) when
  a child is relatively "conflict free" and may
  take on a certain pattern

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Energy Drain and its Effect on Behavior and
Learning

• However, when serious conflicts arise, the
  available energy must be "drained away to deal
  with the conflicts like white blood cells to an
  infection.
• Since energy must be drained away there is less
  available energy to keep things in perspective.
  In this case the resulting negative behavior
  patterns