Help your child if depression affects his academic performance
If depression is affecting your child’s academic performance, here’s how to help! Do not miss these tips.
Depression is a very dangerous mental illness, especially for teenagers and children who do not understand why they are sad when all their peers feel good and enjoy life all the time. It is very important to know what are the symptoms of depression in adolescents and children so that in this way, it can be identified as soon as possible to seek help from a professional.
When a child or adolescent has depression they will need professional help but in addition to that, you can also help them improve with some tips. Read on to understand it better.
PROFESSIONAL CARE
It is imperative that children and adolescents with depression get professional help to treat depression, this is important even before thinking about improving school grades. Without a good emotional state, grades will not improve no matter how hard you try.
Getting treatment for your child’s depression can help relieve some or all of the symptoms that affect learning. Your psychologist or psychiatrist will provide you with specific lifestyle strategies that will help improve depression over time and with consistency.
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STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SCHOOL
It is very important that you meet your child’s teacher as soon as possible. If you meet your child’s teachers before he begins to have difficulties, you will be able to have open communication and they will know what is happening at all times in order to put the necessary educational strategies to avoid school failure due to emotional problems.
With an open dialogue established between you and the school, you can share observations about changes in your child’s behavior and school performance.
CONTROL ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE WITHOUT OVERWHELMING
Often children and teens who are depressed begin to fall behind in silence about school performance. YOUR child can simply stop participating in group activities. It may not complete the work and the teacher may not realize why it is happening … teachers are more likely to notice noisy and annoying students compared to students who are left behind quietly, not disturbing anyone.
Talk to the teachers to find out how your child’s grades are going and find out if his performance is declining, if he needs support in a specific subject, or if his academic performance is worsening since he began to have episodes of sadness.
SCHOOLWORK MODIFICATIONS
If your child is falling behind on homework, it’s hard to catch up. If you think your child is having trouble catching up, try tutoring his teacher in private to discuss your child’s circumstances. Let them know that your child is struggling with depression but that no one has to know, just let them know so they understand some behaviors that you hope will be temporary.
Then ask your educational professional if there is a way to reduce school work to a manageable minimum until it improves. You may need to keep track of their improvements and modifications that your child’s teacher has been able to facilitate without also giving a favorable treatment.
A TRUSTED EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONAL
Tweens and teens in high school see multiple teachers throughout the school day . If your child is not assigned a tutoring teacher, find a teacher who can fill that role with your child. It will have to be a teacher that your child feels a certain affinity or that at least feels comfortable talking with him. In this way you can ensure a regular point of contact during the school year.
ORGANIZATION AND DAILY TASKS
Fluctuating energy levels can make studying difficult. Help your child figure out when they are starting to feel tired so that he can take a short break, before wasting all his energy on pushing himself too hard. You need to find ways to divide your tasks into smaller, more efficient ones to avoid becoming overly fatigued or overwhelmed.
Instead of your teen working continuously for a full hour on homework, he can rest 15 minutes after 45 minutes of study. Or when you get home from school you can rest before getting on with your homework. It is important that you make sure that your child has stable study routines every day, that he has a daily study place with all the materials within reach. Creating a homework routine will help you get in the habit of putting your work in the same place, ready to go back to school. This reduces the need for your child to think and remember where they put their work, reducing the amount of thinking they have to do to get their work done.
ENCOURAGE SOCIAL INTERACTION
Children with depression often have a negative view of interactions with their peers or friends. You may have noticed that your child spends less time with his friends or the teachers may notice that he does not want to participate in group activities. Help your child to find an after-school activity that motivates and interests him so that he learns positive social skills and also feels good doing the activity he wants to do.
This could be an activity related to art, sports, music, reading … let them choose the activity that may interest them the most. You can also ask your child’s teachers about social interactions in class. Once teachers understand that your child’s depression may be affecting his social behavior in the classroom, the educational professional can take steps to facilitate socialization in class. You can look for more compatible coworkers or intervene if they see that your child is having a difficult time relating to other students.
These tips can benefit your child with depression to improve not only his academic performance but also his emotional well-being. It is very important that in addition to following these tips, you follow the instructions provided by the psychologist or psychiatrist to perform in parallel both at home and at school.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.