The Foreign Service Journal, June 2014

64 JUNE 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL WHEN SCHOOL IS HARD What do you do when your child is struggling in school? This primer can help get you started on identifying and solving the problem. BY M I CHE L L E GRAPPO W orried about your student’s progress at school? Whether your child is 6 or 16, it can be difficult to know where to begin when he or she is struggling.. In the following, I outline an approach that can facilitate real change, starting with an overview of some of the most common difficulties. The first step, however, is to have your child’s hear- ing and vision checked. (Don’t forget to include testing for color blindness.) Sometimes a new pair of glasses solves everything! Common Concerns Reading . In the realm of academics, reading is the number- one referral concern. It is a concern not to be taken lightly, either. Researchers have found that after third grade, it becomes signifi- cantly more difficult to acquire basic reading skills. Common problems include difficulty sounding out words and automatically recognizing common (e.g., “sight”) words. In high school, comprehension is more frequently reported as a problem. In fact, comprehension may be compromised at any age if there is a deficit in basic reading skills. If your child is receiving a reading—or any other—interven- tion, ask whether it is research-based and targets the child’s specific weaknesses (have specific weaknesses even been identi- Michelle Grappo has worked in American International and state- side private and public schools. She is a nationally certified school psychologist and now works as an educational and therapeutic consultant. EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT fied?). Be wary of hodgepodge interventions by instructors who are not credentialed in the areas of reading or special education. Writing . It is rare, in my experience, to receive a writing referral that is not connected with other concerns, such as reading, motor skills, speech or behavior. Writing referrals generally fall into two categories: mechanical difficulties and production difficulties. The former could include trouble with handwriting (e.g., hold- ing the pencil, hand fatigue, forming letters, spacing). An occu- pational therapist should evaluate these difficulties and develop a treatment plan for anything related to the fine motor and visual skills involved in writing, including recommending technological accommodations. Production difficulties can consist of trouble developing ideas, putting them on paper and organizing them. Sometimes a child just needs help in the form of graphic organizers and idea genera- tion strategies; sometimes the issue goes deeper. Math . Mathematical difficulties are also typically of two types: basic calculation and problem-solving. In truth, math difficulties often stem from complex patterns of weakness in visual-spatial abilities, language development, abstract reasoning and/or memory. Interestingly, students who move frequently may seem to have a math disability, when the real issue is gaps in knowledge due to varied curriculums and timelines. A student who struggles with basic calculation will often struggle with higher-order problem-solving, as well. Just as in reading, you have to have the fundamentals down so you can devote your cognitive energy to more advanced problems. An experienced educational or school psychologist should assess true math disabilities.