Warning Signs that Children May Become Violent
From the May 2001 Education newsletter.


The North Carolina State Board of Education’s Department of Public Instruction has produced a brochure, "An Educator’s Guide for Prevention and Early Intervention," with tips for educators on identifying students who may become involved in disruptive or violent activities. They’ve graciously given us permission to share a portion of it with our subscribers.


Early Warning Signs of Disruption, Crime, and Violence: Maladaptive Responses to Stress and Frustration

Signs that a Student is Being Overwhelmed By or Avoiding Stress and Frustration:

• Rejected: Has trouble making or keeping friends, is disliked by others or feels alienated from 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• Withdrawn, depressed or lonely: Walls him/herself off from further or possible rejection, frustration, or failure

• Picked on: Is singled out for teasing, criticism or abuse by friends, adults or family

• Failing or Underachieving: Is routinely not succeeding with school work, making friends or having fun

• Victimized: Is an easy target or scapegoat for others’ threats or attacks

• Drug use: Uses drugs to escape from or cover up problems or discomfort

• Suicidal: Considers suicide as a way of ending severe emotional pain

Signs that a Student is Acting Out Stress and Frustration:

• Disrespectful: Treats others unkindly
  
  
• Rejecting: Dismisses or criticizes others
  
  
• Rebellious: Does not respond to adults’ or authority figures’ requests or efforts to interact
  
  
• Bitter: Feels cheated or shortchanged, or has a chip on his/her shoulder
  
  
• Bullying: Threatens, bullies, or is aggressive toward others
  
  
• Unaccepting: Is intolerant of different lifestyles, color or gender of others
  
  
• Threatens violence toward others or property, or is violent toward others or property
  
  
• Carries weapons
  
  
• Is self-destructive or takes extreme risks
  
  
• Exhibits deviant, sadistic, or bizarre behavior

How to Help in School at the First Signs of Problems:

• 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 problem situation (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

The brochure advises educators that not all students who exhibit these warning signs become violent and recommends that schools take the time to observe students and gather as much information as possible before acting on their concerns. Care should be taken to be sensitive to student needs and not be too quick to judge or stereotype a student as troubled or dysfunctional.

For the complete brochure, along with other suggestions for keeping your school violence-free, visit the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Safe Schools web site.

The National School Safety Center has produced "Working Together to Create Safe Schools," a six-page brochure that offers strategies on how schools can work with parents, school board members, and community leaders to enhance school safety. The brochure can be downloaded in a PDF format by accessing NSSC’s web site.

For information on helping young people with emotional or behavioral difficulties move into the world of career-oriented education, work, and independent living, check out Transition to Adulthood: A Resource for Assisting Young People with Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties, edited by Hewitt B. Clark & Maryann Davis.