Characteristics of Depression in Children
Physical/somatic complaints
Irritability
Difficulty concentrating on tasks/activities
Short-term memory impairments
Difficulties with planning, organizing, and executing tasks
Facial expressions or body language indicating depression
or sadness
Hypersensitivity
Poor performance and follow-through on tasks
Inattention
Forgetfulness
Separation anxiety from parents or caregiver
Characteristics of Depression in Adolescents
Decreased self-esteem and feelings of self-worth
Mild irritability
Negative perceptions of student’s past and present
Peer rejection
Lack of interest and involvement in previously
enjoyed activities
Boredom
Impulsive and risky behavior
Substance abuse
What It Looks Like in School
Complaints of feeling sick, school absence, lack of participation,
sleepiness
Isolation from peers, problems with social skills, defiance
Poor work completion
Forgetting to complete assignments, difficulty concentrating
Refusing to complete work, missing deadlines
Working slowly
Easily hurt feelings, crying, anger
Poor work completion
Distractability, restlessness
Poor work submission, variable academic performance
Crying, somatic complaints, frequent absences, school refusal
What It Looks Like in School
Self-deprecating comments
Defiance with authority figures, difficulties interacting
with peers, argumentativeness
Pessimistic comments, suicidal thoughts
Isolation, frequent change in friends
Isolation and withdrawal
Sulking, noncompliance
Theft, sexual activity, alcohol or drug use, truancy
Acting out of character, sleeping in class
who first strongly recommended that
Rita’s family physician evaluate her to
determine whether further referral to a
child psychiatrist was appropriate.
The school’s intervention team, the
school psychologist, and Rita’s parents
together developed an individualized
plan of accommodations and instruc-
tional strategies to help Rita cope. After
determining some appropriate interven-
tions, the team met with Rita to discuss
these possibilities and get her feedback;
they knew this would increase the
chance she would buy in. All the players
involved agreed to meet monthly to
review Rita’s response to the interven-
tions, ensure that their actions were
helping her, and make any modifica-
tions needed.
Establish a Touchstone Teacher
Rita and a teacher from the resource
room in her school, Ms. Hunt, began
meeting weekly to help Rita develop
specific goals for how she could manage
better academically, socially, and in
terms of behavior. Ms. Hunt was chosen
because, as a resource teacher, she
had flexibility to meet with Rita and
could coordinate services with all of
Rita’s teachers. They met each Monday
morning to review any work that Rita
completed over the weekend and to
set goals, targeting four areas in which
depression typically affects students
most strongly: work completion, work
submission, social interactions, and
physical activity.
