The weather is warm and school is almost finished for another year. Summer is beckoning you but the questions begin. How can I help my child have a more successful school year? Should we review what they have learned? Would this be a good time for a tutor? How can I help my child to be more organized?
Many students struggle in one way or another. While we all relish those lazy days of summer and desire to relax, forget about the worries, and pretend it will all turn out fine, oftentimes we find ourselves back in the same trenches come fall. It doesn’t have to be that way. Students have approximately 10 weeks of summer vacation. That time can be utilized to develop new learning habits, fill in learning gaps or identify learning problems. We know that students typically lose learned information over that long break. So your choice really becomes should I allow my child to chill out this summer knowing they will face another challenging year or should I begin to do something proactive to make a difference in my child’s learning experience?
If you do want to make a difference this summer, begin by determining your child’s needs. Start by speaking with the educational experts that know your child. Ask their teachers or school counselor. They may have a recommendation for the type of help that would be beneficial to your student’s learning needs. If you need further assistance, an educational psychologist can provide consultation services to you to help you on your way. An educational psychologist has experience with learning issues including motivation, anxiety, behavior, learning processes, academic problems, organization and school expectations.
The summer is also a good time to find out what you child’s learning strengths and weaknesses are. This can be accomplished with an evaluation. Full evaluations are comprehensive and look at all areas to ascertain a complete picture of the way your child learns and then provides recommendations for learning in the classroom, studying at home, organizing themselves and the like. Don’t allow another summer to pass you by.
For more information, contact Laurie Adachi, MA, LEP, ABSNP at 661-255-2688.
