Mental health challenges like ADHD and anxiety have become increasingly common among children and teens. With how much time youth spend in a classroom setting, it makes sense that these challenges can manifest in how students engage at school, both socially and academically.

It’s normal for students to expect occasional bumps in the road. But there’s a difference between some everyday jitters the night before a big test and significant mental health challenges that can get in the way of a student’s success. 

If your child or teen is struggling, there is hope. Instead of getting frustrated with youth for acting out at school or unexpected drops in academic performance, schools and parents alike can work together to create better mental health support for students in and out of school. KVC Missouri provides specialized education resources like KVC Academy to help students who need additional support, but there are things you can do in a traditional school setting as well to ease the burden of mental health challenges. Let’s explore why mental health is so important to student success, both in the classroom and beyond.

The Overlooked Barriers to Learning

Mental health challenges are rising among young people. One in seven youth between the ages of 10 and 19 experience some form of mental disorder, according to the WHO (World Health Organization). Depression, anxiety and behavioral disorders are the leading mental health challenges among children and teens. These mental health conditions can be very disruptive to a teen’s education.

Just like someone with a physical illness wouldn’t be at their best in the classroom, mental health can also have a limiting impact. Teens dealing with mental health challenges may be more prone to withdrawing at school. They may have a hard time concentrating on lessons or have anxiety when taking tests and quizzes, even if they earned straight As in the past. Without proper mental health support for students, youth in crisis may start to defy authority, skip school or even struggle with self-harm and suicidal ideation. This is why it’s so important to provide support early on rather than letting mental health challenges compound on top of an already overwhelmed teen.

Common Mental Health Conditions that Impact Learning

Many mental health conditions can impact learning, and it’s important to recognize the symptoms so you can access the right mental health support for students. Think a student in your life might be struggling with a mental health condition that’s impacting them in school? If you suspect a youth may have one or more of these mental health conditions, consider a professional assessment as a first step toward support.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

When a youth struggles to concentrate at school and seems easily distracted, ADHD may be the cause. ADHD is a condition caused by differences in the development and function of the nervous system. The three types of ADHD include predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive/impulsive and combined.

A child or teen with ADHD may struggle with impulse control and concentration because of differences in nervous system development. ADHD looks different for every student of course, but some signs of ADHD might include: 

• Getting easily distracted
• Forgetting books in their locker or forgetting homework assignments, like worksheets
• Easily missing details or making simple mistakes
• Struggling to finish longer tasks (like an hour-long lab in a science class)
• Inability to sit still during quiet study time
• Frequent fidgeting
• Impatience and often interrupting the teacher or other students

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are not something that goes away over time. In fact, they tend to get worse if left untreated, growing so severe that the symptoms affect their ability to cope with daily life, especially at school. Students may struggle with anxiety about class and schoolwork itself, like feeling anxious about an upcoming test. But they can also face anxiety about other aspects of school, like friendship challenges. Signs of possible anxiety at school include:

• Not eating lunch
• Always seeming tired (at home, they may oversleep or struggle with insomnia)
• Difficulty concentrating during lessons or while doing homework
• Being sent home early from school with complaints of stomach issues or chest pain with no physical cause
• Increased irritability and difficulty disengaging from anxious thoughts, even if they’re irrational fears
• Becoming angry or upset easily, potentially having outbursts in the classroom

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD causes youth to have uncontrollable intrusive thoughts, feelings or fears. To get relief from these feelings or anxieties, they will turn to compulsive, recurring behaviors like counting tiles on the floor or washing their hands an excessive amount. Signs of possible OCD at school include:

• Not wanting to touch anything dirty or messy
• Overly worrying about getting sick when they hear a classmate is ill
• Needing everything to be perfectly organized and symmetrical, to a degree where they become upset or anxious if it isn’t
• Excessively washing hands, brushing hair or cleaning teeth
• Repeating tasks over and over, like re-reading a sentence or re-writing something until it looks perfect
• Avoidance behaviors, including skipping triggering activities 
• Significant anxiety surrounding performance and grades, like needing to get a high test score or needing to be praised for good work
• Late completion of homework or assignments because of fear that the work wasn’t done well enough to turn it in on time

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD develops in youth who have experienced something traumatic, making it especially common for youth in foster care. While PTSD is frequently experienced by war veterans, it can affect anyone who experiences something scary, shocking or uprooting, including children of any age. Signs of possible PTSD at school include:

• Avoiding certain people or places that may be triggering, possibly skipping school to avoid those places
• Losing interest in hobbies, electives or subjects they used to enjoy (i.e., failing science class even though it’s their favorite subject)
• Returning to outgrown behaviors like thumb-sucking or biting nails
• Becoming easily irritated, angry or even violent

What Students with Mental Health Challenges Really Need

The best mental health support for students comes from predictability, regulation and understanding. Students with mental health challenges need trauma-informed environments to set them up for academic and life success. Here is what parents and educators can do to meet students’ needs and build a better learning environment:

• Collaborate: Parents, school professionals and therapists should communicate frequently to develop support plans to empower students and determine the most effective accommodations.
• Regulate: Create predictable routines and provide sensory regulation to ease mental health symptoms in the classroom.
• Educate: Increase access to mental health professionals during the school day who can guide students on how to cope socially and emotionally.
• Support: Reduce stressors outside of school by making home a safe space to recharge or encouraging extracurricular participation.
• Diagnose: If you suspect a youth may be struggling with a mental health challenge, seek early identification to start the process of getting them the support they need.

Other Paths to Success: KVC Academy

When traditional classrooms aren’t ideal for students with ADHD, anxiety, OCD or trauma, there are other resources to help them prepare for a successful future! At KVC Academy, we welcome children and teens who struggle in traditional school settings and provide therapeutic, trauma-informed education tailored to their needs. If this sounds like something your youth could benefit from, explore our program to learn more about how early support can make a lasting difference.