What To Do For My Child That Is Struggling In School

If your child is not meeting age or grade level milestones it is best to consult your pediatrician and/or someone at the school. Many times a parent will be told to “wait” or “don’t worry, he’s a boy” but this may be the wrong advice.

• Children that are behind in language skills at two or beyond should be seen by the pediatrician.
• If your child is f our or five and cannot remember the alphabet or numbers or has difficulty with speaking words correctly, you should seek guidance.
• If a child is six or seven and has the above and/or is struggling in school , you should talk to the teacher.

If the pediatrician or you decide to talk to the school, start with the teacher first. Ask the teacher how your student is functioning in the class relative to peers. You want the teacher’s honest assessment and if your child is struggling academically or working much harder than the other children to stay on task, your child needs to be evaluated by your pediatrician or by someone at the school.

Public schools use a system called RTI- Response to Intervention which pulls children that are struggling (usually in reading and often dyslexic) out of the classroom for a limited number of weeks. If your child is in RTI, you want to know what testing or evidence led to this decision. You need more information and not assurance that six or eight weeks fixed everything. Have your child read aloud and if it is difficult, slow, or with little emotion, your child needs to be evaluated for dyslexia.

Children with dyslexia are eligible for a 504 plan (accommodations) or an IEP (Individual Education Plan) if the dyslexia is moderate to severe. 504 plans will not guarantee (not a legal document) any educational programs, but for a dyslexic child it can include time and a half and text to speech. This will not teach your child how to read but is necessary for any dyslexic as they are smart but “read slowly and with much effort”. An IEP is a legal document and proscribes the “guaranteed” education for a child with “special needs” such as dyslexia. This is offered at Louisiana Key Academy because we have trained teachers and the specific curriculum for children with dyslexia. Most schools, public or private, do not have this.

The law is on your side even if the school resists your efforts to identify why your child is struggling and get the necessary education for success.