Adjustment   Problems

  Returning to School  

Even before the COVID-19 disruption, teachers experienced a range of students having trouble adjusting to a new school year. And before schools closed last year, many already were addressing traumatized students. With the new school year, it is likely that these and other students (as well as families and staff) will have difficulty readjusting to school. Of particular concern are those with lingering anxiety reactions, those who have been traumatized, and those grieving over someone who died. And, of course, any student who has a learning, behavior, or emotional problem is likely to need some supports. The first weeks back are a critical period in the transition process. Besides reactions to the mitigation practices, some students are experiencing difficulties adjusting to new classes, new schools, new teachers, new classmates, etc. It is particularly poignant to see a student who is trying hard, but just can’t handle classroom and school requirements.     

Over the first few weeks, teachers realize quickly who has and hasn’t made a good adjustment to their classroom and to the school. This is the time to address any problems before they get worse. If adjustment problems are not addressed, student motivation for school dwindles, and behavior problems increase. Misbehavior often arises in reaction to learning difficulties. Whatever the cause, it is imperative in the first month to be proactive so that school adjustment problems are addressed as soon as feasible. Here are some steps to take:   

 (1) Quickly identify any student, family, or staff having adjustment problems.  As school gets underway, teachers can readily identify those students who are having difficulty readjusting to school. (And administrators can monitor and identify staff who are having adjustment problems.)                                                                                                                      

(2) Provide personalized supports to aid those with minor adjustment problems (The focus here is on students. For staff support, see Promoting Staff Well-being and Preventing Burnout as Schools Re-open http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/staffwellbeing.pdf .) This is the time for student support staff to team with teachers in their classrooms to intervene before problems become severe and pervasive and require referrals for out-of-class interventions.                                                                                                                

(a) Here are some guidelines to begin problem solving in addressing students in need:

• Enhance personal contacts with these students and their families to ensure a positive working relationship.

• Focus first on clarifying a student’s assets (e.g., positive attributes, outside interests, hobbies, what the student likes at school and in class).

• Ask about what the student is finding as problems at school.

• Explore the reasons for problems (e.g., Are students feeling overly anxious? Grieving? Traumatized? Are assignments seen as too hard? as uninteresting? Are students embarrassed because others will think they don’t have the ability to do assignments? Are students picked on? rejected? alienated? Problems at home?)

• Explore other possible causal factors.

• Explore what the student and those in the home think can be done to make things better (including extra support from a volunteer, a peer, friend, etc.)                                                                                                                                          

(b) Here are a few strategies for strengthening the environment to support student success. Based on information about what is causing problems:

• Emphasize learning and enrichment options that are of current greatest interest and which the student indicates wanting to pursue
• Temporarily deemphasize areas that are not of high interest
• Enhance and teach new personal coping strategies
• Provide specific academic and social supports and accommodations as needed
• This is the time to intensify use of common practices. For example: Is the student frequently distracted?                                                                   

Common practices are to • identify any specific environmental factors that distract the student and make appropriate environmental changes • have the student work in a group with others who are task-focused • designate a volunteer to help the student when s/he becomes distracted and/or starts to misbehave, and as necessary, to help the student make transitions • allow for frequent "breaks" • interact with the student in ways that minimize confusion and distractions (e.g., keep conversations relatively short; talk quietly and slowly; use concrete terms; express warmth) Does the student need more direction?  

Common practices are to • develop and provide sets of specific prompts, multi-sensory cues, steps, etc. using oral, written, and other guides as organizational aids related to specific learning activities, materials, and daily schedules • ensure someone checks with the students frequently throughout an activity to provide additional support and guidance in concrete ways (e.g., model, demonstrate, coach) • support student efforts related to self-monitoring and self-evaluation and provide nurturing feedback keyed to the student progress and next steps Is the student having difficulty finishing tasks?                        

Common practices are to • modify the length and time demands of assignments and tests • modify the nature of the process and products (e.g., allow use of technological tools and allow for oral, audio-visual, arts and crafts, graphic, and computer generated products)                                                                             

(3) To accomplish the above: Enhance use of aides, volunteers, peer tutors/coaches, mentors, those in the home, etc. not only to help support student efforts to learn and perform, but to enhance the social support network. Encourage structured staff discussions and staff development about what teachers can do and what other staff and volunteers ( student support staff, resource teachers, mentors, etc.) can do to team with teachers in their classrooms to enable school adjustment. Focus on what seems to be working; enhance staff development to address what’s not working.                                                                                                                                                                       

(4) Initiate specialized assistance and referrals when necessary for those who have major adjustment problems. For students who are still having major adjustment problems after significant efforts have been made to help, it is time to use the school's referral processes to ask for additional support services. Of course, as such services are added, it becomes essential to coordinate them with what is going on in the classroom, school-wide, and at home. For more on this see Addressing School Adjustment Problems http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/adjustmentproblems.pdf                                                                        

A Few Cautions about Screening and Identifying Students at this Time                                                            

As indicated above, teachers are able to identify students who are not doing well at schools; so are parents. What is or isn’t done in response to such identifications determines whether students are appropriately helped. The way schools respond also affects whether they contribute to or counter trends to overpathologize and stigmatize children and youth. With these matters in mind, consider the following:                                                                                                                                                                     

 (1) Rather than adopting a universal screening instrument, schools should use the funds to develop a system of student and learning supports that responds quickly and effectively when teachers and parents identify youngsters experiencing problems.

(2) COVID-19 has had an emotional impact on almost everyone, but it is presumptuous to assume that the majority of students are suffering from severe emotional distress and are traumatized. Many are quite resilient. The first steps for schools involve (a) providing academic and social supports for all who need it, (b) fostering a caring climate, (c) identifying those students who need something more, and (d) providing the added assistance they need.                                                                                                                         

(3) Don’t assume that just adding a few more personnel is the best approach in addressing the needs of identified students, and don’t assume that a multi-tiered model (MTSS) is a sufficient intervention framework to improve how schools (and communities) help students. Appropriate and effective support for students requires a major transformation in how student and learning supports are provided.

Words bolded by the Editor

Excerpt from: The Center at UCLA Co-Directors Howard Adelman & Linda Taylor vol 25 no 12  Sept 2021