HOW TO HELP in School at the First
Signs of Problems
CAUTIONS IN USING EARLY
WARNING SIGNS
• Help the student succeed and feel good about
him/herself, whether academically, behaviorally or
socially
• Keep parents informed, involved and responsible
for their children’s behavior
• Offer instruction or group discussion for learning
social skills, solving problems, resolving conflicts and
managing anger
• Temporarily remove a student from a problemsituation (e.g.Time Out or Chill Out)
• Ignore or punish inappropriate or undesirable
behavior, and reinforce appropriate or desirable
behavior
• Provide mentoring, feedback, support and
guidance to help the student succeed
• Offer or arrange for counseling for the student or
his/her family, when needed
• Mediate or arrange for mediation to help a student
work through differences or conflicts without
resorting to violence
Care must be taken in interpreting and acting on early
warning signs:
Additional community and agency help
• Mental health clinic, or counselors or therapists in
private practice
• Pediatricians, or public health departments or clinics
• Juvenile justice or court counselors or officials
• Not all children who have troubling thoughts, feelings,
or intentions will automatically have behavior problems.
• Not every child who exhibits warning signs will
become a dangerous, violent or criminal person.
• Troublesome signs, symptoms or indicators exhibited
by a child are not the same as a professional diagnosis
or identification that something is wrong with him/her.
• Signs should be considered in the context in which
they occur–including consideration of the situation,
and the developmental level and demographics of
the child.
• It is sometimes easy to stereotype a student who
exhibits warning signs, and too quickly judge or
identify him/her as dysfunctional.
Therefore, warning signs simply offer hypotheses about
a student, which necessitate that the school:
• Over a period of time, gather as much information as
possible about any signs of concern. Multiple signs are
more convincing than any single signs that a student
has serious emotional or behavioral problems.
• Constantly seek to corroborate, test and validate
hypotheses about a student, in order that the resulting
conclusions are as solid and defensible as possible.
• Be sensitive to the child and careful when responding
to any signs, in order not to make matters worse.
An
Educator’s
Guide
for Prevention and Early
Intervention
EARLY WARNING SIGNS
For Identifying Students At-Risk
of Being Involved in Disruption,
Crime or Violence
For more information or assistance, contact:
Department of Public Instruction,
Alternative & Safe Schools Section
www.dpi.state.nc.us or call: 919-715-1890
Public Schools of North Carolina
State Board of Education
Department of Public Instruction
Alternative & Safe Schools Section
Division of School Improvement
EARLY WARNING SIGNS of DISRUPTION, CRIME and VIOLENCE
Maladaptive Responses to Stress and Frustration
INTRODUCTION
The Public Schools of North Carolina are doing better
than ever in educating our students. However, some of
our students are struggling to cope with the pressures
of today’s society.These students need significant
support and guidance from adults in order to succeed.
Teachers often provide this support and guidance;
however, in spite of the best efforts of many teachers
and parents, some children continue to experience
difficulties. It is important for teachers and other
educators to be informed about warning signs that
children may exhibit.This brochure is intended to be
a resource to educators as they learn to identify and
respond to early warning signs.
CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED with
USING the SIGNS
• As we await signs that can truly predict dangerous
outcomes, the warning signs brochure can help in
preventing potentially dangerous outcomes.
• Some of the more serious signs (e.g. abusing animals,
chronic bullying, experimenting with drugs, attempting
suicide) demand that adults act quickly and decisively
to stop the behavior, and then seek help for the child
(see "How to Help" section).
• All school personnel should work collaboratively
with parents to improve and interpret the warning
signs and effectively intervene with the child who
exhibits them.
BENEFITS of IDENTIFYING WARNING
SIGNS
BEING OVERWHELMED by or
AVOIDING Stress and Frustration
By responding to early warning signs, educators may:
Silent, Indirect or Internalized Warning Signs
• Rejected: Has trouble making or keeping friends, is
disliked by others or feels alienated from others
• Ignored, Disrespected or Unsupervised:
Is not paid much attention or is not highly regarded
by others
• Isolated: Avoids others rather than risk feeling
rejected or criticized
• Withdrawn, depressed or lonely:Walls him/herself
off from further or possible rejection, frustration or
failure
• Timid or Fearful: Is afraid of challenges or other
people, even if there is nothing to fear
• Picked on: Is singled out for teasing, criticism or
abuse by friends, adults or family
• Powerless or Hopeless: Sees no point in trying
again after repeated rejection, frustration or failure
• Failing or Underachieving: Is routinely not succeeding with school work, making friends or having fun
• Distrustful: Is suspicious of or avoids others out
of fear
• Victimized: Is an easy target or scapegoat for
others’ threats or attacks
• Help prevent and reduce the number and severity
of incidents of disruption, crime and violence
• Produce safer and more orderly schools, classrooms
and school buses, which will lead to better teaching
and learning for all
• Contribute to the prevention and early resolution
of at-risk outcomes for students
• Contribute to greater success and well-being
of students
• Improve the quality of life in school for students
and educators
Signs of more serious difficulties
• Drug use: Uses drugs to escape from or cover up
problems or discomfort
• Suicidal: Considers suicide as a way of ending
severe emotional pain
ACTING OUT Stress and Frustration
Overt, Direct or Externalized Warning Signs
• Disrespectful:Treats others unkindly
• Rejecting: Dismisses or criticizes others
• Rebellious: Does not respond to adults’ or authority
figures’ requests or efforts to interact
• Controlling:Wants to take charge
• Provoking: Gets others flustered, frustrated, upset
or angry
• Blaming: Places responsibility or fault on others
• Attacking: Strikes out at others, whether they
deserve it or not
• Destructive: Harms others, animals or property
• Bitter: Feels cheated or shortchanged, or has a chip
on his/her shoulder
• Bullying:Threatens, bullies or is aggressive toward
others
• Angry: Is hostile about or toward others
• Abusive: Abuses, persecutes or is cruel to others,
either physically, verbally or sexually
• Unaccepting: Is intolerant of different lifestyles,
color or gender of others
• Dishonest: Lies, steals and cheats
Signs of more serious difficulties
• Affiliates with other kids who are in trouble
• Rages out of control
• Threatens violence toward others or property,
or is violent toward others or property
• Carries weapons
• Seeks revenge toward others
• Doesn’t show remorse for actions
• Is self-destructive or takes extreme risks
• Exhibits deviant, sadistic or bizarre behavior