Introduction

Some children seem to have always struggled, not just with school, but with each stage of development from a very early age. Other children have no apparent difficulties until they reach a particular grade in school where the demands on them increase substantially. Often, a parent is the first to notice that a child is struggling. Sometimes, it is a teacher or the child who lets the parent know that things are not going well in school. And still other children have health issues that impact that child’s ability to learn.

However the issue is brought to a parent’s attention, we suggest that the first step should be to observe and speak with your child. Is he struggling with homework? Does your child ever read for pleasure, or is reading too difficult to really enjoy? What does your child say about school and her teacher? Are there signs of school avoidance, such as the morning stomach ache, anxiety, or behavioral problems that seem to worsen on school days? Each child is different, but most children know when they are not succeeding in school and the sense of frustration and failure that this brings can manifest itself in many ways.

Next, speak to your child’s teacher. He or she can be an enormous source of information and guidance about what goes on in the classroom and where your child’s strengths and weaknesses lie. Speak to the teacher not just about academic difficulties but about your child’s behavior. Is he comfortable with other children? Does she have friends? Does she have difficulty sitting still or listening during a lesson? What are your child’s strong points? Does he like music or art or athletics? Every child has strengths and it is important to nurture these and to build upon them even as you deal with problems that need attention.

Occasionally, a teacher may not be the best person in the school for information. If that is the case in your school, there still should be someone in the building you can turn to for a frank discussion about your child. This can be the guidance counselor, a social worker, school psychologist or even last year’s teacher.

Once you have gotten a sense of what your child and his teacher (or school) consider to be a problem, your next discussion should be with your child’s pediatrician. It is important to rule out a physical cause for academic problems. Hearing, vision and other systems should be examined. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every struggling student could become a happy achiever with just a pair of glasses? It is almost never that simple, but this important step should not be skipped.

Most pediatricians get little training about learning and school issues. Your pediatrician may have an interest in this subject and be a terrific resource. But many busy practitioners simply do not have the background or the time to be of substantial assistance. The American Academy of Pediatrics believes this is an important subject and urges pediatricians to become involved in these areas. We have held training programs to help young pediatricians to become more knowledgeable about these subjects. Check out our page for physicians for more information on these initiatives.

Some learning problems can be addressed by the simple steps you have already taken. Some extra attention from the teacher, a tutor after school, or even a change of your child’s seat in the classroom may be enough to resolve minor problems. If that is the case, all you need to do right now is to keep a close eye on things to make sure your child continues to do well in school. There are also services available in many schools – reading support, speech and language therapy and others – which can be made available to your child on a limited basis without needing to turn to the Special Education system.

Often, however, the issues your child faces are more complex and cannot be resolved by changes in the classroom, speech therapy once a week, or after-school tutoring. If that is the case, you may need to turn to your school’s Committee on Special Education, sometimes called the IEP Team because this is the team that develops the student’s educational plan. Before taking any action, take a few moments to read one or more basic guides to the special education process. The New York State Department of Education has published a Parent’s Guide which provides a helpful overview but has not been updated in several years. Other helpful resources that give an overview of this process include publications from:

• Advocates for Children of New York (New York City procedures)
• The New Jersey State Department of Education
• The Connecticut State Department of Education
• A general guide by the National Center for Learning Disabilities

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