Learning Disabilities: Is Your Child Slacking Off or Struggling?

School is back, and so are the anxieties of some of the parents and students.  While school may come easily to quite a few students, many who struggled last year and passed by the skin of their teeth, may find this year just as challenging, if not more.

The pressing question is, “Why are students having such a difficult time?” There’s never just a single cause that answers that question because multiple causes can exist for it. For example, consider a group of five students in Algebra who are all working on graphing quadratic functions. The concept alone sounds intimidating. Two students may comprehend it well, one needs step by step instructions after it has been explained and modeled, another may need additional one on one instruction accompanied by notes and steps, and the last still doesn’t get it and requires tutoring, breaking it down into smaller parts of instruction, remodeling, and whatever other strategies work for the manner that student learns best. Needless to say, that teacher has their work cut out for them, so determining the specific reason for the struggles, as well as how students learn best, is beneficial for both the student and the teacher.

The Responses

After low grades have been brought home for months and a series of phone calls from teachers have been received, parents want to know what’s going on. Yet, before discovering a reason, frustrations and a lack of information have sometimes caused parents to lash out and ask, “Why are you so lazy? Why haven’t you been doing your work or paying attention in class like you should be?” However, while there may be some validity to those questions, that isn’t always the case.

Consider a couple of scenarios: There are students whose grades are soaring high in one content area, yet hanging on for dear life in another.  At the same time, the grades of others are in jeopardy in almost every content area and need more extensive support to be successful. However, when students don’t advocate for themselves by asking for help in class or at home, it may appear that they aren’t putting in any effort.

As a parent and a teacher, I can attest to the fact that there are kids who hate school, and no amount of convincing, consequences, or bargaining will change that. Sometimes it just is what it is. They may lack motivation and have little interest in anything that has to do with school, despite what is done to counter it. But how can you tell if a student is slacking off, simply having some learning difficulties, or is experiencing something more serious, such as having a learning disability?

Learning Difficulties or Disabilities?

First things first, it’s absolutely normal for kids to have some level of difficulty in school when being introduced to new material. Though prodigies do exist, they are not the majority. Learning disabilities are characterized by several factors that range from mild to severe and affect an individual’s intellectual abilities. That includes, but is not limited to, how information is received, processed, comprehended, and communicated in academic and social settings.

Students with learning disabilities also have learning difficulties (meaning things are harder to grasp without guidance); however, a learning difficulty by itself does not impact a student’s intellectual abilities, nor does it always require the same type or amount of support that someone with a learning disability does. Seeking advice and assistance from a professional experienced in diagnosing learning disabilities is key, as well as looking for signs that your child may be experiencing something other than just being lazy in school.

Here are a few things to look for: trouble reading and writing, difficulty understanding basic concepts, memory issues, lack of focus, problems verbalizing thoughts, delayed speech, and child-like or lower-level speech. These are a minimal number of things to be aware of; remember that every learning disability has its own traits.

Keeping good communication with the teacher and examining your child's work samples is also beneficial.  Finally, having a solid support system while seeking ways to aid a student in being successful in their learning environment will also prove to be very valuable.