What to do when your kid is struggling in school

Patty McKeown (left) helps her daughter, Erin, a student at The College School at UD, master her reading skills.

4:34 p.m., Aug. 17, 2005--If your child is having problems in school, listen to your child’s teacher and listen to your child. That’s the advice from Jeanne Geddes-Key, Emily L. Phelps Director of The College School at the University of Delaware.

The school, under the umbrella of UD’s School of Education, serves students in grades 1-8 who have learning, attention, mild social/emotional and or mild behavioral issues and also serves as a learning and research resource for UD students and faculty.

“Some parents feel that when a teacher reports a child is struggling with class work or has behavior or attention problems, that the teacher doesn’t like the child. That is rarely the case,” Geddes-Key says. “An experienced teacher usually can spot when a child is having long-term problems.”

“Children may be telling you they need help when they frequently say the work is too hard or they don’t understand it. Some children would rather appear ‘bad’ than ‘dumb’ to their classmates, and take out their frustration with school work by poor behavior,” she says.

For children with dyslexia or reading and writing disabilities, some of the signs may be mirror writing or reversals--mixing up b’s and d’s, such as mistaking bat for tab, Geddes-Key says. Other children can sound out words but not understand what they mean or what they are reading. Others may understand what they are reading, but have trouble decoding the words so that reading takes them a long time.

“Another group of children may read on grade level but have trouble with math,” Geddes-Key says. “They have a poor concept of numbers, a poor sense of time and may not understand the meaning of money.”

The good news is that there is help, Geddes-Key says. Child Find, a government-sponsored program that is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), helps identify children and their families who may benefit from early intervention or education services. Parents may request an evaluation from their local school district, even if their child does not attend district schools.

“The school district will do some simple screening that may help pinpoint any problems or do more in-depth testing and a psycho/educational evaluation if warranted,” Geddes-Key explains.

“The tests indicate different factors. For example, if a child has a high IQ and a low performance, that’s a red flag that there may be a learning disability,” she says.

“Once a problem has been identified, then an accommodation plan to help the child can be developed and remedial help can begin. Early intervention is important,” she says.

Some parents feel that attention deficit disorder (ADD) is over diagnosed and are wary of treatments, Geddes-Key says. If ADD is identified, it is important that a pediatrician or children’s hospital diagnoses it and treats it appropriately, Geddes-Key says.

Parents shouldn’t panic if a child is doing well in school but does not test well on a standardized test, Geddes-Key says. There may be other factors involved, such as confusion about how to take the test. Discuss that concern with school officials before the child takes another standardized test.

“The important thing is to celebrate a child’s strengths,” Geddes-Key says. “Although academics may be difficult for a child, the child may have other gifts, such as a talent in art or music. Parents can encourage children to achieve in these areas.”

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