Getting an education is important, but even as an adult you will remember that school wasn’t always a walk in the park. While adulthood comes with its challenges too, it is important as a parent to have some compassion for their young children and teenagers who might be struggling at school and be on the lookout for signs that this could be an issue. If you have been worried as a parent but aren’t quite sure, here are a few examples of indicators that this is happening.

  1. Your Child Often Claims to be Ill

Unless there are ongoing health issues that your child is facing, it is uncommon for them to be ill at least once a week or more. If they are claiming to feel too unwell to go to school frequently, and there are no obvious signs of illness, it might be a desire to avoid going to school. This could be due to issues with other children in their class, a teacher they don’t like, or they could be struggling academically. It is important to note that this will be impacting their mental health, so you should ask them gently about what is going on and why they don’t want to go to school.

  1. They Are Acting Up in Class

Another sign that your child might be having difficulty in school is if they are starting to act up in class and be disruptive to other students or disrespectful to their teachers. If this is happening, it is worth taking a meeting with some of your child’s teachers to find out what has been going on, and what steps they can recommend for a resolution. If this problem persists, you may want to think about using child mental health services to see if professional therapists can get to the root of the issue. 

  1. You Have Noticed Their Grades are Dropping

If your child’s grades are starting to take a downward spiral, this is another cause for concern. Academic pressures can take a big toll on children and teens’ mental health, and this can in turn result in a loss of interest in subjects that they previously enjoyed and excelled at. Other problems that could be resulting in this include depression or they might not be getting the right support from teachers if they are struggling to keep up.

  1. They Appear to Have Little Social Interaction with Other Children

Some people are naturally introverted and like spending time by themselves, and this is nothing to worry about. However, if your child appears to spend all of their time alone, or they were previously sociable and now seem to have little to no contact with their friends, it could be due to bullying or other issues that have made them want to retreat from spending time with others. Social isolation can have very negative impacts on an individual’s wellbeing and may even affect their ability to forge relationships in adulthood if the problem is severe enough. 

If you have noticed one or more of these signs in your child, there is a good chance that they may be struggling at school. Do ask them if everything is OK, and perhaps reach out to the school to see if they can give you any further insight into what the problem might be.

By Manali