Autism:

Restricted repetitive pattern of behaviour, prefers particular type of toy or food only, avoids eye contact, socially withdrawn- prefers to stay alone, poor communication skills, does not make friends, lacks emotions.

ADHD:

Inattention, poor concentration, gets distracted easily, avoids schoolwork/homework, Hyperactive &Impulsive, doesn’t sit in one place, disturbs others, Impatient-always

in a hurry, keeps getting injured frequently, underperform in studies

Conduct Disorder:

Frequent fighting, Bullying, Lying, Stealing, Destroying property, Cruelty to animals, Running away from home. Temper-Tantrums

Mental Retardation:

Appears to be lagging behind other children of same age, requires help in self-care, slow at learning, poor academic performance

Separation Anxiety Disorder:

Excessive fear over separation from loved ones, constant worry of something wrong happening to loved ones, refusing to go to school because of fear about separation, Nausea/Headache/Stomach-ache etc on occasion of separation

Oppositional Defiant Disorder:

Actively disobeying rules, Excessive rudeness and uncooperativeness with parents or teachers

Eating disorders (Anorexia, Bulimia)

Strong fear of getting FAT, extreme steps taken to reduce body-weight (eating too little, forcibly vomiting after eating etc.)

PICA:

Craving for dirt/ice/chalk/clay/other non-nutritive substances, thumb sucking, pain abdomen, generalized weakness, frequent infections, mood swings

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD):

Repeatedly washing or cleaning, repeatedly checking locks/gas stoves etc, repeatedly counting, Any other activity resulting in tension or anxiety, repeated mental images/fears that something may go wrong, getting irritated with self for wasting time &energy

Acute stress reaction:

Sudden increased stress &anxiety following exposure to traumatic or stressful events, unusually angry, anxious, depressed or engaging in too much or too little activity, person may feel fearful &helpless

Bullying:

Bullying is defined as use of one’s strength or status to intimidate, injure, or humiliate another person of lesser strength or status, it can be Physical / Verbal / Social /

Cyber bullying, it may affect mental /physical health & well-being of the victim

Depression:

Feeling sad, not willing to talk to anyone, not enjoying anything, getting tired easily, difficulty concentrating, sleeping too much or too little, crying frequently, staying away from friends, thoughts of self-harm/suicide

Psychosis:

Suspiciousness, fearfulness, hearing voices not heard by others, talking to self, irrelevant talk, decreased social interaction, odd behaviour/mannerism, poor self-care/ hygiene, unprovoked anger/hostile behaviour

Specific Learning Disorder:

Difficulty in learning new things, slow reading/writing reading mistakes, frequent spelling mistakes, poor mathematical skills, avoids writing, not able to perform well in exams despite working hard

Substance abuse:

Sudden change in behaviour, decreased interest in studies, deteriorating academic performance, unduly preferring to stay in particular groups, frequent anger

outbursts, irritability, unduly secretive behaviour, lying, direct or indirect evidence of abuse of alcohol/smoking/inhalants/ ganja etc.

Childhood abuse:

Withdrawn behaviour, school refusal, startled response, declining academic performance, poor concentration, sadness, disturbed sleep, clinginess to parents, reports of bad touch/physical/sexual assault, getting uncomfortable in the presence of specific person(s)