Your child begins to learn pre-reading, writing and math skills as early as preschool. When a child struggles to learn these beginning skills, it may be an indication that they do not process information in the way it is being presented. If the child continues to lag behind their classmates in attaining any of their academic skills, they may experience a sense of defeat and lose confidence in themselves as a learner. As the child falls further and further behind their grade level, the possibility for them to catch up is diminished. Your child’s teacher is looking at their class as a whole and expects to have a variety of learning levels in their students. They may not know your student well, and, therefore, may not suspect a learning problem exists. The teacher may say things like “Your child doesn’t finish their work,” “Your child daydreams during lessons,” or “Your child doesn’t listen.” These behaviors can be an attempt by the child to mask or avoid difficulties they are experiencing. You, however, know your child, their strengths, their weaknesses and when an academic subject is difficult for them. Trust your instincts as a parent when you think a problem exists and seek help. This can be done at your child’s school or through an educational professional in your community. All academic skills require a variety of learning processes to absorb and retain new information. Reading is required in most areas of school. A child who is not a good reader will have difficulty throughout their studies. However, to say a child struggles with reading does not give us the information we need in order to help the child to be a better reader. There are many aspects to reading such as, sound awareness, phonetic skills, whole word identification, speed and fluency of reading, and how well the student understands what they have read. We need to evaluate what area of reading presents a problem to the child.
Next, the breakdown in learning processing must be identified so that recommendations can be made that are specific to the child’s way of learning. This holds true for math and writing, also. The earlier the learning problems are identified and help is provided, the better chance the child has at keeping up with their grade level and being a successful learner.
Laurie Adachi is an Educational Psychologist. She provides assessment of learning needs for all ages, educational consultation for parents and teachers, and assists students and parents in accessing appropriate educational services and placements. She can be reached at 661-255-2688.