By Melanie Dallas, LPC

When I was in elementary school – which, without revealing my age, might have been in the 1970s – it seemed there was always one bad kid. Perhaps he didn’t get along well with other students. Teachers were often angry with his behavior. He spent a lot of time standing in the corner. I even remember a traumatic event where a teacher flipped a kid’s desk upside down and made a really loud bang. My heart broke for that child (not so for the teacher – although I am certain such action was born of frustration).

Fortunately, school and classroom discipline has changed over the past 50 years, and so has our understanding of why some students might struggle, and how those struggles may affect their behavior.

Really, there is no such thing as a ‘bad kid.’ Rather, there are children who may face substantial challenges. Maybe the child is struggling with his (or her) own mental health or has a learning disability (they sometimes go together). Perhaps there is abuse in the home – physical, mental, even sexual – or parents or family members with substance use or mental health issues.

These struggles may come out at school as physical or verbal aggression, poor school performance, or frequent absenteeism. Some children may not have the words to describe their struggles, and 50 years ago we were unlikely to ask.

Thankfully, that has changed too. Today we know that labeling children as ‘bad’ when they are young can follow them through their years in school. But more important, we’ve learned that children can – and often will – tell us a lot about their struggles if we ask, and give them the opportunity and support and a safe place to talk.

One way children are being helped today is through the Georgia Apex program – a school-based program that pairs mental health clinicians with local schools. In most of the 60+ schools Highland Rivers provides Apex services, our clinician has a private meeting space and is able to see children during the school day – which is very convenient. Apex also helps entire families access counseling services, which is important for addressing broader home issues that may be affecting the child.

There are several agencies besides Highland Rivers that provide Apex in local schools – and parents should be sure to ask if Apex is available in their child’s school. If it’s not, the school counselor or doctor can likely recommend a mental health provider for your child if needed.

I wanted to write about all this because the start of school can be stressful – especially if your child is starting a new school (say, going from elementary to middle school), or if you are new to the area. The change can be even more challenging if school boundaries mean your child and his or her elementary school friends will go to different middle schools.

And middle school can be daunting for many other reasons, not least of which are the mental, emotional and physical changes our children begin to experience around that age. But because half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, parents may want to keep an eye out for anything that seems concerning.

Because of our growing awareness of young people’s mental health, children today are much more likely to get help than when I was in elementary school. And that’s a good thing – because the sooner a child who is struggling is able to get help, the better the long-term outcome. So if you are concerned – and you know your child better than anyone – reach out.

I am so glad awareness of how to help youth who struggle has changed, and hopefully, kids will never experience what I saw in elementary school. I want to wish all of our families and students, teachers and staff, a happy and healthy new school year.

Melanie Dallas is a licensed professional counselor and CEO of Highland Rivers Behavioral Health, which provides treatment and recovery services for individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders, and intellectual and developmental disabilities in a 13-county region of northwest Georgia that includes Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Floyd, Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk and Whitfield counties.