Looking Beyond a Diagnosis: When your Child is Struggling at School
It can be distressing to watch your child struggle at school. You know they are intelligent, capable and trying their best. Yet reading, writing and spelling seem harder for them than for other children. Perhaps they are becoming frustrated, losing confidence, or starting to believe they are “not good enough.” When children struggle with learning, […]
My Child is Trying Hard at School, but still Falling Behind
It’s worrying when you can see your child is doing their best, but still falling behind with reading, writing and spelling. You know your child is smart and capable – but they are falling behind no matter how much effort they are putting in. Perhaps you’re feeling stuck, as I once did, wondering how best […]
A Developmental Approach to Dyslexia
When their child is struggling to read, parents often worry that their child might have dyslexia. Briefly, dyslexia is a term used to describe a condition where a person finds reading difficult, despite having normal intelligence, and receiving normal classroom instruction. Normal Stages of Child Development Based on my experiences during the last 20 years, […]
Should I Have my Child Assessed for Dyslexia?
It’s normal for parents to worry when their child seems to be falling behind at school, particularly with reading, writing and spelling. Often asking the question “should I get my child assessed?” What is Dyslexia? Children described as being dyslexic therefore have normal intelligence, but for a number of reasons, struggle with learning to read […]
Building the Foundations for Learning
We often think learning begins when our child starts school, but babies are learning from the moment they are born … and even before. Learning is about much more than reading, writing and academic success. Every day, children are taking in information, making connections, developing new skills and learning about themselves and the world around […]
Why Children Need to Feel Safe to Learn
Many children struggle at school—not because they aren’t capable, but because they don’t feel safe enough to learn. When Learning Feels Hard When your child is struggling at school, the answer isn’t always about trying harder. You might notice your child: struggling to focus becoming easily anxious or overwhelmed refusing to go to school shutting […]
When School Feels Unsafe: Understanding Your Child’s Nervous System
Many children struggle to learn in a traditional classroom. Some begin to avoid school, miss days, or even refuse to attend altogether. Over time, the experience can become so overwhelming that they simply give up. These behaviours are not random. They are bringing us a message. Rather than focusing only on what we see on […]
Learning is More Than Just Trying Harder
Many parents feel concerned when their child starts to struggle at school. You may have noticed: difficulty learning to read or write trouble concentrating frustration, anxiety, or loss of confidence reluctance to go to school after school meltdowns It can be confusing—especially when your child is trying their best. If this feels familiar, you’re not […]
Is It School Anxiety or Something Else?
When your child is struggling at school, it can be hard to know what’s going on. You may be wondering: Is this anxiety? Is it ADHD? Is it a learning difficulty? How It Can Look Children who feel overwhelmed may: struggle to concentrate appear restless or distracted avoid schoolwork become emotional or seem overly […]
When School Feels Too Much for Your Child
Some children find school overwhelming. Sometimes, just going to school can feel really difficult. Even when they want to do well, they may struggle to cope with: noise and sensory input social demands pressure to achieve simply being with so many people in an enclosed space What You Might Notice school avoidance or refusal […]