When smart kids struggle in school, it’s confusing and frustrating for all involved. In my experience both as a parent and working with thousands of parents, we suffer along with our kids and we will do anything to help them be happy and successful. But since kids don’t come with instruction manuals, we have to figure it out as we go. Making mistakes is unquestionably part of the process of figuring things out. We’ve been looking at some mistakes that many parents make when trying to deal with their children’s learning challenges. Here’s Mistake #4… Mistake #4 – Assuming That…
Read MoreWe’ve been looking at mistakes that parents inadvertently make when their children struggle in school. The first 2 were Waiting too long before looking for help Assuming that learning struggles just aren’t that big a deal Here’s #3… Mistake #3 – Thinking Students Will Grow Out Of Learning Problems Parents are often told or believe that maturity will take care of learning issues. Learning problems are caused by the way that the brain processes information. It’s not a matter of trying harder, or waiting until they get older. Until the brain is trained to process information differently, the same learning…
Read More30% 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…
Read MoreNo Wonder Our Kids Are Struggling Research tells us that 30% of the population across the board has some degree of difficulty with the key auditory skill that supports efficient reading. One in five students are now thought to have dyslexia. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) says that at least 5 percent of American children have ADHD. Most of these struggling students have average to above average IQ scores. In other words, they have plenty of ability, but something is getting in the way of their learning and performing in school as expected. In my experience, parents always want to…
Read MoreWe are getting one of those rare rain showers here in Southern California this morning. It’s pretty amazing to me how instantly the hills and lawns green up with a little bit of rain. Spring showers really do bring flowers! Year after year, we have seen that spring also seems to bring with it some special stressors for families, especially those with struggling students. I think Spring Fever is a real thing! As students, parents, and teachers hit the home stretch before summer, anxiousness increases. There are pollens in the air causing allergies and accompanying irritability to flair. Everyone has…
Read MoreMy husband, David, writes a business tip for private practice owners every week. I thought I’d share part of this week’s tip with you because it’s about change – something we all want for our struggling students, yet something that comes with it’s own set of ups and downs. He writes (and I concur)… Recently, Mondays have become my favorite day of the week! It’s not that I love work so much that I can’t wait to get started. It’s not that I hate the weekend and want to do something different. It’s because of Hulu. If you don’t know…
Read MoreA parent was sharing with me recently about her son’s struggles in school. He dreads going to school and comes home almost daily saying, “I’m not smart enough.” The school has offered this boy a 504 Plan, which will allow him to have accommodations in the classroom, such as fewer spelling words, taking tests in a quiet room, and a copy of another student’s notes in order to study. The parent was told, “These accommodations will make things easier for your son.” In despair, Mom says, “I don’t want the school to make things easier. I want them to actually…
Read MoreI just saw a commercial on T.V. that terrifies me a little bit. It shows a proud young couple with their toddler who is learning to recognize numbers and letters and even learning to read through an app on his iPad. Wow! A toddler learning to read! He’s going to be great in school, right? Not necessarily. Because believe it or not, recognizing a few words is really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all of the skills needed to be an automatic and independent reader. As enticing as technology is, it’s old-fashioned playtime that helps…
Read MoreYesterday was President’s Day and it brings back memories from my childhood of my parents saying, “If you work hard enough, you can do anything. You could even be president of the United States someday!” What a great message for our kids! As parents spend hours and hours and hours wading through tears, avoidance, and arguments to get homework done each day, it may not seem that “if you work hard enough, you can do anything” applies to their kids. And that seems so unfair. Why should kids who are as smart or smarter than their peers, be limited in what…
Read MoreMy mom and I have season tickets to the Rubicon, a wonderful little professional theater in Ventura, CA. Yesterday we saw a play that takes place towards the end of WWII. The main character is a young man, Raleigh, who had enlisted in the army but was discharged before he could serve because he has epilepsy. Raleigh’s mother, a crotchety older woman, is embarrassed that her grown son is not serving in the war, saying that he has always been lazy – that whenever he doesn’t want to do something, he has these “fits” to get out of it. Of…
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