Academic Indicators
Academic Indicators may include:
- Unexplained or repeated absences from class or lab
- Excessive procrastination, missed assignments, exams, or appointments
- Uncharacteristically poor preparation or performance
- Deterioration in quality of work or extreme disorganization
- Disruptive classroom behavior or erratic performance
- References to suicide, homicide, despair, or confusion in verbal statements or writing
- Repeated requests for extensions, special consideration or accommodations.
- Patterns of perfectionism (e.g. can’t accept themselves if they don’t get an A+)
- Overblown or disproportionate response to grades or other evaluations
Behavioral and Emotional Indicators
Behavioral and Emotional Indicators may include:
- Dependency or avoidance of advisors, mentors and/or instructors
- Direct statements indicating distress, emotional troubles, family problems or loss
- Angry or hostile outbursts, yelling or aggressive comments
- More withdrawn or more animated than usual (e.g.: avoiding or dominating discussions)
- Expressions of intense emotions
- Inappropriate responses
- Excessively demanding or dependent behavior
- Lack of response to outreach
- Shakiness, tremors, fidgeting, or pacing
- Displays behaviors indicating a romantic or other obsessive interest
Physical Indicators
Physical Indicators may include:
- Change in personal hygiene and/or a deterioration in physical appearance
- Excessive fatigue, exhaustion; looking tired; falling asleep in class repeatedly
- Visible changes in weight; statements about changes in appetite or sleep patterns
- Noticeable cuts, bruises, burns or begins wearing long sleeves to hide them/something
- Frequent or chronic illness
- Disorganized speech, rapid or slurred speech, confusion
- Unusual inability to make eye contact
- Coming to class blurry-eyed, unfocused or smelling of alcohol
- Physical signs or symptoms of frequent substance refer to the National Council On Alcoholism Drug and Dependency
Other Factors
Other factors may include:
- Concern about a student by his/her peers, teaching assistant and/or a significant other
- A hunch or gut-level reaction that something is wrong
- A student has a significant life changing issue happen in their life (e.g., family death, injury, diagnosis of illness for self or others they love…)
- The student has had many touch points or incidents in the community in a short period of time or over a long period of time