Heading Off Academic Trouble in College

Over the past few weeks we have heard from a number of college students who were dismissed or suspended from their schools because they had failed one or more courses or did not meet the required GPA standards set by their programs. Some of these students had long standing learning challenges; others had never previously encountered academic difficulties. But they all had some things in common and their experiences may help you or your college student avoid going down the same road.

• Medical and emotional crises can take a toll on academic performance. If your son or daughter has a medical problem - mononucleosis, an extended bout of the flu, or a sleep or eating disorder - it's important to monitor how their illness is impacting their ability to attend class and complete their work and exams. Likewise, students with depression -- whether long-standing or newly evident -- may be unable to meet their school obligations. When these situations arise it is often best to take a medical leave or arrange for "incompletes" in the affected courses. This is preferable to one or more failing grades.
• Keep in mind that colleges have no obligation to remove a failing grade from a student's record, no matter why that student might have failed. An "F" on a transcript stays there, even if the course is repeated successfully later, and this can have an impact on graduate school or employment applications, as well as driving down a student's GPA.
• The sooner students with diagnosed disabilities of learning, attention, or executive functioning arrange for accommodations with their college's Office of Disability Services, the better. Accommodations -- things like extended time on exams, special arrangements to get class notes, and other helpful supports -- are never offered after the fact. If a student needs accommodations and doesn't arrange for them with the Office of Disability Services, or gets them but doesn't use them, there is no "do over" for the classes involved. 
• When a student without a history of learning problems suddenly runs into academic difficulties in the more demanding setting of college, it is time to investigate why this is happening. A neuropsychological and academic assessment, such as the kind we do here at The Yellin Center, can shed light on previously undiagnosed learning, attention, or emotional problems and provide strategies to help the student succeed.
• College students are legal adults, but the fact remains that the part of the brain that is involved in decision making, judgment, and other executive functions -- the prefrontal cortex -- continues to develop until around age 25. As difficult as it may be for parents to monitor their college student's academic performance or medical or emotional well-being, parental involvement can be crucial for a student who is struggling with academics because of these kinds of issues.
• Colleges generally have procedures for academic warnings during the course of a semester and for appeals from academic suspensions or dismissals. However, by the time a college has determined that it is necessary to suspend or dismiss a student, the college administration generally believes that "taking a break" from school may be in the student's best interests. Re-admission may require the student to demonstrate that he or she has taken steps to deal with their problems, including showing satisfactory grades at another school in the course or courses that the student failed. 

By monitoring your college student's academics and being proactive when problems may arise, families can help their students avoid academic failures and make sure that they are on track for success in their college careers.

Study Links Early Snoring to Behavior Problems

A sleeping toddler snoring away may seem cute to parents and other observers, but a new study in the journal Pediatrics raises concerns about the impact of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) -- loud, persistent snoring -- on the future development and behavior of children.

Researchers enrolled 149 child/mother pairs in a prospective study that tracked snoring through the child's third year and categorized the children as non-snorers, transient snorers (who snored at age two or age three but not both) and persistent snorers.The choice of the age group of two to three years was based upon the fact that SDB is known to peak during this period.

The study found that there was a significant increase in behavior problems in the group with persistent SDB even when adjusting for such factors as gender, race, and socioeconomic status. These behavior problems included hyperactivity, depression, and attention. The findings of this study are consistent with findings of studies looking at older children and which hypothesize that the interruption in sleep caused by SDB can interfere with neurological development.

Two other significant findings in this study were that children who were breast fed were less likely to have SDB and that a low socioeconomic level made it more likely that a child would have transient or persistent sleep disordered breathing. None of the children who were fed breast milk for more than a year developed SDB but one-quarter of those who never were fed breast milk or who were fed it for less than one month developed SDB.

The study authors note that interventions to treat snoring have been shown to be helpful and urge that children be screened for sleep disordered breathing. They also stress the positive impact of breast feeding and urge that parents consider this protective factor when making feeding decisions.

Photo: Elizabeth / Creative Commons (modified)

Depression in Teenage Girls

A newly released report from SAMHSA, the national Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, notes that an average of 12% of girls between the ages of 12 and 17 -- some 1.4 million teens -- experienced a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year. 

The report utilized information from the 2008 to 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. 

In contrast to the data for girls, the rate of MDE for boys in the same age group was 4.5%. Furthermore, the rate for girls rose from 5.1% to 15.2% between the ages of 12 and 15. Data also indicates that older teens are more likely to get treatment for MDE. About 33% of girls ages 12-14 received treatment while 40% of those ages 15-17 had treatment for their MDE.

The SAMHSA report noted that the increase in MDE in girls coincides with the onset of puberty and urges targeting middle school teens with prevention and intervention efforts to minimize the occurrence of such depression and to mitigate its impact. Pamela S. Hyde, SAMHSA's Administrator noted "It is crucial that we provide adolescent girls the coping skills and social supports they need to avoid the onset of depression, and to offer behavioral health services that foster resilience and recovery if they experience it."

SAMHSA was established by Congress in 1992 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

The National Institute of Mental Health website has a wealth of information on depression in teens, including a link to a teen focused booklet with answers adolescents may have about the symptoms and treatment of depression.

Photo: D. Sharon Pruitt / Creative Commons

Depression in College Students

The National Institute of Mental Health has released a new publication on Depression and College Students. Written largely in a question and answer format and available for download, the booklet is designed for college students themselves and is intended to address the findings of a 2009 study which found that nearly 30% of students at two and four year colleges described themselves as "so depressed that it was difficult to function" some time in the preceding year.

The booklet notes that untreated depression can lead to self-medication with illicit drugs or alcohol, which can lead to secondary consequences such as engaging in unsafe sex. Of even greater concern, students with depression are more likely to consider suicide, which studies have shown is seriously considered by 6% of all college students and attempted by 1%. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds.

What we like about this publication is that it focuses on ways to recognize depression and on how to get help for yourself and for a friend or classmate, as well as an explanation of various treatment options.

Two helpful resources that are not mentioned in the booklet are the organizations NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which offers resources and support to individuals of all ages and Active Minds, which has groups on many college campuses. Active Minds describes its role as "to increase students’ awareness of mental health issues, provide information and resources regarding mental health and mental illness, encourage students to seek help as soon as it is needed, and serve as liaison between students and the mental health community."