Academics: What's Needed for Success

Many years ago, I figured out that I had a very intelligent son. Though he was bright, he wasn’t able to learn or test well in a typical classroom.  Why was that?  When I worked with him one-on-one he often did very well.  I quickly learned two things.

1.He had uneven development.  There were areas that were beyond that of his peers.  At the same time he lagged behind other children his age in other areas. 

2.He had what I call, under the water line skills, that were not in place.  Lack of these caused difficulty in his learning.  This was especially true in the larger classroom environment.

The next few weeks we’ll look at these “under the water line skills” that can inhibit a child’s academic development.  The cause may stem from by disability, traumatic experiences in early childhood or delayed development.  We will cover these areas:

·      Language (vocabulary)

·      Executive Functioning

·      Attention

·      Sensory differences

·      Auditory processing

·      Visual Processing

·      Spatial Concepts

·      Working Memory

Join me on this journey beyond ABC’s and 123 in finding some links to help your child find academic success.