-With younger children: Acting irritable or moody; withdrawing from activities that used to give them pleasure; routinely expressing worries; complaining more than usual about school; crying; displaying surprising fearful reactions; clinging to a parent or teacher; sleeping too much or too little; or eating too much or too little.

-Behavior changes in teens:  significantly avoiding parents; abandoning long-time friendships for a new set of peers; expressing excessive hostility toward family members.

 -Young children and teens may express feelings of distress through words such as "worried," "confused," "annoyed" and "angry." Be aware of your child or teen acting out in unusual ways in other settings or expressing feelings of stress by saying negative things about themselves, others, or the world around them (e.g. "No one likes me," "I'm stupid," "Nothing is fun.").

- Understand that "feeling sick" such as stomach aches and headaches may be caused by stress. If a child makes excessive trips to the school nurse or complains of frequent stomachaches or headaches (with a clean bill of health by their physician), or if these complaints increase in certain situations (e.g., before a big test) that child may be experiencing significant stress.

 Lastly, seek support.  Parents, children and teens do not need to tackle overwhelming stress on their own.