The student may:
- Display emotional lability
- Have frequent emotional meltdowns
- Be moody
- Cry frequently over “small” things like lost place in line or wrong answer
- Report through writing or verbal responses and stories they are upset, sad, feel bad, are angry, etc
- Frequently put head down
- Sniffle and whine
- Put forth little effort, do little work, give up easily
- Appear distraught, disturbed, sad
- Have eyes water and fight back tears and getting upset
- Have trouble pulling themselves together and calming down
- Cry to the point of hyperventilating
- Have trouble deescalating
- Lash out or hit while crying
- Refuse to be comforted, push others away
- Be unable to talk or verbally express concerns
- Rock, hold head or face in hands, turn away or turn back to others, put hand up, shake head “no”
- Not know what they want when asked
- Ask to be left alone
- Run away and seclude self
- Withdraw, want to be alone
- Mutter and talk to self
- Huff, puff, and grumble
- Appear stunned, wide-eyed, and unable to express emotions
- Put hand to mouth and flutter hands and/or arms
- Repeat same phrase over and over, for example, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!”
- Make statements like “I can’t do this”, “This isn’t happening”, “I can’t take this”, etc
