Children who have learning difficulties are not lacking in intelligence, but instead have not be instructed in ways that do not match the way they learn. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, a very common reason for school failure is the presence of a specific learning disability. A child who has a difficult time learning may have underlying mental health symptoms that are contributing to her learning problems. The National Center for Learning Disabilities reports that learning disabilities can affect a person's ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, reason and do math.
Step 1
Evaluate the child for specific learning difficulties and underlying mental health disorders. Understanding the specific learning difficulties and determining if any underlying mental health disorders exist can help determine the appropriate intervention strategies. Schedule an appointment for the child to be evaluated by the school psychologists. Discuss the need for appointment with the child. Prepare the child for the evaluation, but going over what will happen at the appointment. Take the child to the appointment.
Step 2
Follow the recommendations provided by the evaluating psychologist. These may include involving the child in tutoring or therapy, among a variety of other interventions.
Step 3
Develop an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, for the child. According to the TeensHealth website, the IEP is developed by a child's school to lay out the child's strengths and weakness, and develop a plan of learning activities and interventions that will make it easier for her to learn. Get the people who are involved in the academic achievements of the child to participate in the development of the IEP, such as school social workers, teachers, psychologists and parents.
Step 4
Make sure the IEP is followed. Push for the child to receive quality revaluations of his IEP. Tell the child about his IEP. Ask the child to inform you if the steps or interventions step up with the IEP are not followed. Make school administrators aware if the child's IEP is not followed.
Step 5
Involve the child with after school programs that will improve her learning outside of classroom. Many after-school programs provide children with tutors and time to finish troubling homework assignments. Make the after-school program aware of the child's specific learning difficulties. Ask the staff to focus on helping the child through positive means to make advances in her learning.
Step 6
Engage parents in the child's learning. Give parents tasks to do at home with their child that will help the child overcome his learning difficulties. Encourage parents to be supportive of their child and refrain from criticizing his ability to learn.
Step 7
Maintain the child's learning when school is not in session. If learning is not maintained over long academic breaks, such as the summer, a child's skills can drop off and will require more interventions when school begins. Enroll her in academic camps. Develop a reward system to encourage her to continue reading over the break.
