How to Know if They Truly Can do the Work Before Assigning Blame for Poor Results

May 31, 2022

No child makes a conscious decision to make life miserable for themselves. If they are failing to meet the expectations being placed on them in school, there could be and most often is, something making it significantly difficult for them to do so.

If you’ve ever had a child that has struggled to keep up in school or follow directions and have wondered how to help, you’re not alone. Statistics Canada reports that 3.2% of Canadian children have a learning disability – that’s the equivalent of one child in every school bus full of children.

Causes

The reasons why children struggle vary, but data suggests that most learning difficulties are the result of specific differences in the way the brain processes information. They are never about a child not wanting to succeed or not trying hard enough. Early intervention plays a significant role in identifying areas of struggle and helping parents and educators adopt a path of remediation.

Symptoms

Your child may benefit from an Educational Assessment if they:

• Seem unable to read the books being read by the class

• Can’t spell the words they are trying to include in their writing

• Struggles with the math sheets that are part of their homework

• Have difficulty understanding and following instructions

• Have trouble remembering what someone said

• Frequently lose or misplace homework, schoolbooks or other items

• Have difficulty understanding the concept of time

• Resist doing homework or activities that involve reading, writing or math, or consistently can’t complete homework assignments without significant help

• Act out or shows defiance, hostility or excessive emotional reactions at school or while doing academic activities, such as homework or when asked to read.

The Reasons May be Impossible to Identify

The processes by which we learn are incredibly complex. Reading, spelling, writing, success with math, and the ability to comprehend written and oral language are the end result of many areas of ability coming together in unison.  In other words, many things have to take place behind the scenes in order for learning to unfold. A disruption in the any of these intricate systems, can result in a learning deficit.

Educating Parents for Empowered Decision Making

At Novaread, many of the families we serve come to us with varying degrees of educational needs. The first step is
administering a comprehensive Educational Assessment to establish which of their child’s skills have capacity for improvement. Essentially determining your child’s learning profile. Assessments emphasize a child’s strengths and provide information on how we can support areas that need attention.

Using this information, we implement programs that help us achieve the
desired results– happy kids who are confident, thriving and meeting grade level curriculum expectations.

The information provided by assessments help us hone in on a child’s learning and behavioral needs to better understand which methodologies and interventions to implement. We set them up for success from the very beginning by targeting specific areas that need attention and support–for example, fluency when reading, accurate spelling, efficient writing and the ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide with ease. We’re able to extract important information that can help us accurately assess how to best help a child who is struggling.

At Novaread, we believe in helping children realize their learning potential. We help build confidence by showing children that education is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. We listen, advocate on your child’s behalf and encourage self-advocacy. The road ahead can feel lonely and hard for both parents and children who are in the midst of understanding the complex layers involved in diagnosing and remediating learning difficulties. Novaread is here to help, guide, instruct and listen.

Happy Kids!