What causes behavior issues in middle schoolers?

Middle school can bring about new changes and challenges for your child. This is the time in which they will experience hormonal changes and embark on their journey towards discovering who they are, who they want to be, and where they feel like they fit in. The journey towards these discoveries can be trying, exhausting, overwhelming, and sometimes full of drama. So what happens when middle school marks negative changes in your child’s life? Well, don’t panic. Behavior issues in middle schoolers are not uncommon. You are not alone and there are things you can do at home to make this trying time a much more pleasant experience.

The Common Causes

Your middle schooler may exhibit behavior issues differently than another child. They may have aggressive outbursts, problems following directions, or a bad attitude in general. No matter the fashion that they exhibit the negative behavior in, you should understand the potential causes. These causes could include any of the following:

Experiences being bullied
Peer pressure
Desire to fit in
Self-confidence struggles
Feelings of loneliness

You should have a conversation with your child before accusing them of feeling a certain way. Get to the root of the cause before you take action.

Earning the Grades

When your child’s behavioral issues impact their school performance, this definitely warrants intervention on your behalf. Education should be the priority. It is important that your child feels safe and well equipped to get the knowledge they deserve at school. However, they must also know there are consequences for poor behavior. You should communicate with your child’s teacher to learn ways you can be a good resource in helping your child succeed and improve. Here are some other quick tips for helping them improve their behaviors and school performance:

Communicate. You should have a conversation with your child. Be transparent. Let them know that their current behavior/school performance is not acceptable. Let them speak and you should listen. Flesh out the reasons why things are not going smooth and start a plan to improve.
Set expectations. You should come up with attainable and maintainable goals for your child to strive for. They should be aware of the expectations also. When they reach these, rewards could be at the end. However, if they do not, make them aware of consequences.
Create a study schedule. Structure can benefit middle schoolers in lots of ways. You should create a regular schedule in which they designate time to school work at home. Committing time to studies at home pays off in the classroom.

Asheville Academy can help

Asheville Academy is a therapeutic boarding school for girls ages 10-14 who struggle with learning, behavioral, and emotional diagnoses. This program is social, emotional, and academically focused in order to empower girls to move forward and transition smoothly back into their home and school life. Students gain a greater sense of confidence, ability to manage emotions, and the skills to communicate effectively. We can help your family today!

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