Dr Manju Antil (Counselling Psychologist and Psychotherapist)

The schools can help a lot by helping in the early identification of students with mental health problems, by keeping track of the student's overall performance in school, and if they notice any changes, they can inform the parents. They can also encourage the parents to share any changes in the student’s health or situation so that early identification is possible.

The teacher can observe the following signs for early identification:

• The drastic decline in the marks of the student.
• Taking frequent leaves from school or long-term absenteeism.
• Lack of focus on daily activities and classroom work.
• Sudden changes in behaviour like anger issues or fighting with the other children very often.
• Fatigue over a long period.
• Significant changes in play behaviour or taking too few changes in play activities.
• Generally feeling irritated or frequent mood swings, the child.
• Withdrawal from friends and wanting to be alone during the lunch break or other school activities.
• Less participation in activities.
• Each student will have different symptoms, so the teacher needs to keep track of the changes in the behaviour. If the teacher feels that a student might be having some mental health issues, then he/she can refer the child to the school counsellor or professional counselling services, who could, in turn, refer him to the relevant expert.
• The schools may take the following steps for students with mental illness:

Attendance:

• The school can have flexible school hours, or a special timetable can be made according to the child's needs.
• Some flexibility may be given for attendance and punctuality.
• A safe and quiet place can be provided for taking a rest or a break when the student feels over-agitated or restless.
• School staff may accompany the child to the resting place when needed.

Classroom management:

• Seating arrangements can be made according to the comfort of the child. For example, sitting next to their friend.
• Teaching should be clear and flow so the student knows what to expect next.
• Frequent positive feedback and encouragement should be given from time to time. This would help all children.
• They should be allowed to participate in classroom activities of their choice. Nothing should be forced upon them.
• If there is a history of suicidal behaviour, keep the child on watch.

Self-management for daily tasks:

• The students may be assisted while recording homework.
• They can use folders and files to organize notes.
• They can use a calendar to mark deadlines or submission dates of assignments, so they do not forget. They may also use a reminder on their phone.
• They can also use sticky notes to remember important things. They can put it on their desk, school diary, etc.
• The teacher may remind the child while transitioning from one lesson to another to prepare themselves for the next lesson.
• The teacher may also remind the child to check the books and notebooks that must be taken home for homework.

Lunch Break arrangements :

• The teacher should pay special attention to the child’s behaviour during the lunch break.
• They can be attached to a ‘buddy’ with whom they are comfortable and who can give company to the child to avoid isolation.
• The teacher can suggest or help them actively find their leisure time.
• Extra Curricular Activities:
• Simple tasks like organizing books, arranging bulletin boards, etc., may be given to help them to gain a sense of competence and self-worth and to boost their confidence.
• They should be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities of their choice according to their comfort.

Communication with teachers:

• The teacher can reach out to the students to build a good rapport and a healthy relationship.
• The student’s progress should be recognized, and they should be motivated very often.
• The teacher should accept the student’s difficulties and feelings caused by their health conditions.
• The teacher should avoid criticizing the students.
• The teacher should encourage the child to express and share their feelings openly. The teacher may reflect upon later on what they have shared.
• The teacher should remain objective, and they should not judge the child based on any subjective biases like caste, class, gender, religion, disability, etc.
• The teacher can also encourage the child to seek professional help from a counsellor.
• A Buddy system can be done. The student with a mental illness may be paired with a self-confident and helpful student to support the child emotionally.
• Mutual support and acceptance of the child among peers should be encouraged to help the child build a social circle.
• The teacher may observe interactions with other children and offer help and guidance on improving the child's social skills.
• The teacher should share things with the school administration and parents about the Child's behaviour with the consent of the child/parents if possible.
• The teacher should not be judgmental about students' behavioural issues, e.g., whether they are good or bad 

Classroom interaction:

• The teacher should use different teaching strategies to make learning more interesting for the students. Interactive sessions and practical experiences may also be planned so that the students are actively involved in the classroom.
• The teacher may provide the learning materials in advance; for example, the critical points of the next chapter can be given in advance so that the child knows what is coming next.
• The teacher can give written notes to the child to decrease the stress on memory, attention, and organization.
• Graphic organizers or essay writing frameworks may be used to help the students organize information efficiently.
•  Short breaks may be given during the lessons to avoid stress.
• The teacher can prepare worksheets and other teaching materials according to the child's needs.
• Mnemonics, mind maps, and other organizational skills can be taught to the child to understand concepts better.
• Instructions used in the classroom should be simple and short. Instructions should be given slowly and may be repeated whenever needed by using oral or visual prompts.
• Teaching accommodations such as adjusting the content's difficulty level or changing the teaching order can be made.
• Additional learning tools such as recorders and timers should be allowed by the school.

Classwork:

• The tasks given should be broken into smaller units.
• Task initiation may be facilitated by giving demonstrations or guidance.
• Additional hints or prompts like a reference to a particular book, chapter, section, etc., may be given to encourage and help the students.
• The students should be encouraged to develop good time management skills to manage their time correctly.
• Single-sided notes and worksheets should be given so that it is easy for the student to make notes along with the worksheet.

Questioning:

• Short answer questions like true/false, fill in the blanks, multiple choice questions, etc., can be used for the comfort of the child in case of disabling mental health conditions...
• The students should be notified well in advance about the upcoming tests or exams so they have enough time to prepare. Surprise tests, etc., should be avoided as it creates a sudden situation of panic, which affects the child's mental health.
• In the class, non-verbal responses like nodding the head, pointing the answer on the blackboard, etc., should be allowed.
• When questions are orally asked in the class, ample time should be given to answer so the student can process the question.
• Sufficient instructions or options should be given to help them to respond

Group discussion:

• The students can be grouped according to their comfort level.
•  The student’s participation in the group discussion may be facilitated based on their abilities and interests 

Assignments:

• Short assignments can be given so that it is not too much of a burden for the child.
• A choice of topics may be given so the students can choose their assignments.
• A framework with keywords or how to write the assignments can be helpful for the child.

Homework:

• Homework given should be of a minimum level suited to the child's learning needs to reduce the student's burden.
• Flexible submission dates suitable for all may be given. The deadline may be extended if the child has genuine reasons for not submitting the work on time.
• The difficulty level of the homework can be adjusted according to the needs and situations of the child.
•  Diverse submission formats like oral presentations instead of written ones or vice versa may be used according to the child's convenience.
•  The teacher may also email the homework to the parents or guardians, and written instructions can be given instead of oral ones so the students can refer back to them at home

Examination:

• Compensatory time may be provided so that the student can complete the exam and they do not panic. 
• Special seating arrangements or unique examination rooms may be provided for the child.
• The invigilator can remind the student to focus on answering the exam as they may tend to divert.
• Any other special exam accommodation may be given if the child's mental health professional is advised.
• Realistic expectations should be set about the child's performance so they do not feel discouraged or sad later at the time of results. 
• The teacher should not cut marks for non-academic reasons like poor handwriting, as it can demotivate the child.
• The teacher may provide important sections in textbooks to guide their exam preparation and to reduce exam-related stress. If possible, sample tests and exams may be given as a practice for children with a mental illness.
• The child may be allowed to eat and drink during the tests and exams if needed.
• Students with anxiety disorder may feel very anxious during exams. A scary environment should not be created before exams in the classroom, and the parents should also be encouraged to be as normal as possible at home.

Individualized Support Programme (ISP) :

An ISP can be made after a discussion with the parents, other teachers, and the school counsellor to cater to the unique needs that each child may have

Laboratory:

• They should be given preferential seating in the classroom to facilitate better listening or seeing the experiments being conducted.
• The students should be allowed to audio or video record the lab experiment so they can go home and recall them.
• A lab manual should be maintained where they can note/record the experiment conducted.
•  The child may be allowed to do simple tasks in the experiment to boost their confidence.
•  If students cannot do complex experiments, simplify them according to their comfort level.
• Lab instructions should be very simple and given one by one slowly so that the child has the time to process and understand them.
•  Extra time may be given to complete the experiment as the child may do the tasks slowly.