Children at Risk
by Jane Bluestein, Ph.D.
Children at risk for destructive, compulsive, and/or addictive
behavior patterns may exhibit any of the following characteristics.*
(Most are also applicable to adults.)
Low self esteem
Do not feel valued and secure in the family
Do not feel valued and secure in school
Do not feel listened to; believe that their opinions are unimportant
Lack a normal tolerance for frustration
Have unrealistic expectations of selves, others, situations
Difficulty seeing connection between their choices and the outcomes
of their choices
Difficulty predicting outcomes of possible choices; difficulty thinking
things through
Difficulty seeing alternatives or "ways out" of problem situations
High degree of despair; belief that they cannot positively and realistically
affect or change their lives
Negative, pessimistic
Difficulty expressing feelings constructively; tendency to "stuff"
feelings and/or blow up
Compete for power with most adults (and, often, peers)
Difficulty taking "no" for an answer
Difficulty balancing consideration for others with consideration for
selves
Have few interests; may watch a lot of TV (use as a drug)
Rarely invite other kids to their homes
Lack a strong belief system
Difficulty solving problems or making decisions
Tendency to blame, avoid responsibility OR tendency to act and feel
overly responsible for other people
Difficulty asking for help
Difficulty thinking independently; easily talked into things
Tendency toward people pleasing, compliance, approval-seeking,dependency
OR rebelliousness, bullying, abusiveness, hostile behavior
Reluctance to try new things, fear of failure OR recklessness
Perfectionistic, self-critical OR seemingly indifferent
Difficulty finishing projects or assignments OR compulsive involvement
and overachievement
Rarely share feelings and thoughts with at least one family member
Poor school performance; dislike of school; poor attendance OR superachiever
Delinquent behavior; school misbehavior
Friends who use drugs or alcohol
Favorable attitudes toward drug use
Early first use of drugs or alcohol
Family patterns and adult behaviors
of at-risk children may include:
Family history of substance abuse and addiction
Family history of codependency, compulsive behavior
Family pattern of verbal, physical, sexual, and/or ritual abuse
Family pattern of inconsistency or neglect; lack of accountability to
family for behaviors or whereabouts OR overinvolvement and control;
lack of privacy, boundaries with other family members
Family patterns of reactivity, rigidity, perfectionism, dishonesty,
double standards, shaming, blaming, mistrust, all-or-nothing thinking,
disempowering, martyrdom, intolerance, future/past orientation, boundary
violations, self-righteousness, denial, and/or enabling.
Family drug use; use of illegal drugs around children; heavy recreational
drinking in the home; adults involve children in their drug use (for
example, asking the child to get a beer or light a cigarette for the
adult)
Family patterns of dismissing feelings, distracting or “rescuing”
from feelings, or using feelings as a basis for shaming, blaming, or
making the child wrong.
Infrequent or inconsistent expressions of love and acceptance; conditional
love based on specifics such as appearance, achievement, social competence,
performance, or how well the child takes care of the adult’s needs,
(rather than on unconditional worth of the child)
Infrequent expressions of recognition, validation, acknowledgement;
praise expressed to manipulate and control.
*Everyone experiences some of these “risk factors”
from time to time. The presence of many risk factors does not condemn
students to be drug abusers, nor does the apparent lack of these characteristics
mean they will avoid problems. However, students who frequently characterize
many of the factors described above–without intervention and support
for changing patterns–are typically at greater risk than students
who do not.
Adapted from Creating Emotionally Safe Schools, by Jane Bluestein,
Ph.D. © 2001, Health Communications, Inc, Deerfield Beach, FL.Originally adapted from, among other things, How to Drug-Proof
Kids (by Jodi Freeman, The Think Shop, Inc., Albuquerque, NM, 1989);
"Risk Check for your Child," (handout from Garfield Middle School,
Albuquerque, NM).
Buy this book.
Read what people are saying about this book.
Related handouts:
Dealing Successfully with your Students’ Parents
Getting Away with Success
Motivating Cooperative Behavior
Rules and Boundaries
Behavior Management: Intervention Strategies
Win-Win Strategies for Administrators
ADHD Look-Alike Conditions
The "Ideal" Student:
Kids for whom traditional classrooms are ideally suited (and why so many non-traditional learners struggle in these instructional environments).
Ways to Reach More Students
Multiple Intelligences
Water and the Body
Other handouts by Dr. Jane Bluestein
Complete alphabetical listing of all handouts on this site.
Articles and excerpts by Dr. Jane Bluestein
Complete
alphabetical listing of all articles on this site.
Complete listing of all articles and handouts in Spanish or French.
Books, Articles, Audio and Video Resources and other Resources by Dr. Jane
Bluestein
Humor and Fun: Brighten your day with fun facts, short pieces about kids, pets and work, and hilarious things kids say, do and write. Includes items you can share with kids or use as a springboard for discussions and activities.
Hire Jane: Everything you need for your next conference or professional development event
Jane’s Calendar
Click here (or on the image to the left) to see Jane’s schedule. Click here for a map with links to dates that she will be in your area.
Help support this site
The content on this site is free. You are welcome to download, copy, distribute, or use the material (with proper attribution) in any way you feel will be helpful. Your support will help us continue to maintain the site, add new content, hire translators and tech support consultants, and keep the site ad-free. Any support is much appreciated.
Direct links to free stuff on this site:
articles and excerpts • handouts • materials in Spanish and French • videos and podcasts • links to other sites and resources • ideas, tips, and experiences of other educators • humor and fun
