They may avoid school, have trouble with schoolwork, or feel unable to pay attention. They may not want to play as much, avoid certain kinds of play, or lose interest in things they once enjoyed. They may be sad or seem to have less emotion or feel guilty about things they did or did not do related to the traumatic experience. They may feel depressed or have suicidal thoughts. None of these risk factors means that the child will definitely have problems, but the risk factors increase the probability a child or teenager might develop problems after an extremely stressful event.
School can be a major healing environment as the child's most important routine.
Educate school personnel about the child's needs. Reassure the child that it was not his or her fault, that adults will try to take care of him or her, etc. Adults can be most helpful if they take care of themselves and get help for their own distress, since children and adolescents may respond to adults' feelings and reactions. Most children and adolescents will recover within a few weeks with such support. However some children may require more help.