30% of ALL students struggle with some aspect of learning. Most of these struggling students have average to above average IQ scores. In other words, they have plenty of ability, but something isn’t working quite right.
These students CAN be in regular or honors classes and learn as easily as the rest of the class, BUT it takes the right kind of help in order for them to really thrive in school.
Last week we started looking at some common mistakes that many parents inadvertently make when their child or teen is struggling in school.
Mistake #2 – Assume A Learning Problem Just Isn’t That Big A Deal
“School isn’t everything.” “He can read, he just can’t spell.” “He does well at math, it’s just reading he has trouble with.”
These are all signs that there is a larger learning issue going on.
Learning problems don’t get smaller if you ignore them. They always get worse.
If it lasts for a few weeks, it needs attention. It won’t go away, but it will get worse.
And these days, being a good learner is essential to getting and keeping a job. Having the ability to read, write, spell, comprehend, will allow people to gain new skills as the job market continues to change.
The future employment of every student in school now is connected to their ability to learn.
Underlying Processing Skills Support Learning
Learning, including speaking, paying attention, organization, reading, spelling, math, and writing is built upon a foundation of underlying processing skills. These are skills such as auditory and visual processing, attention, body awareness and control, memory, and reasoning. These are not typically taught, but rather are assumed to be in place when children go to school. When any of these underlying skills are weak, it can cause students to struggle more than would be expected.
The great news is that these challenges can be changed. While there are no simple, overnight solutions, most learning and attention challenges can be dramatically improved or completely corrected through developing the weak underlying skills and remediating the affected academic areas.
Bright but struggling students CAN be in regular or honors classes and learn as easily as the rest of the class, BUT it takes understanding and developing the weak underlying learning/processing skills at the root of the problem.
Is your child struggling in school? Don’t assume it isn’t a big deal. Take the first step towards correcting the problem:
Quick Answers
Will a learning problem go away on its own?
Learning problems don’t get smaller if you ignore them. They always get worse. If it lasts for a few weeks, it needs attention.
Why does learning matter for my child’s future?
Being a good learner is essential to getting and keeping a job, and the future employment of every student in school now is connected to their ability to learn.
What underlying skills support learning?
Skills such as auditory and visual processing, attention, body awareness and control, memory, and reasoning. These are not typically taught, but are assumed to be in place when children go to school.
Jill Stowell, M.S.
Founder and Executive Director of Stowell Learning Centers and bestselling author of At Wit's End and Take the Stone Out of the Shoe. For more than 40 years, Stowell Learning Centers has helped children and adults correct the root causes of dyslexia, learning, and attention challenges. More about Jill
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