When My Child Needs Help-Asking the Right Questions

By now everyone should be settled into the new school year and back in some semblance of a routine. Right? Maybe? Ugh!

We are nearing the end of the first six weeks and those first report cards should be telling parents about how their children are doing in regard to his behavior, emotional regulation, reading, writing, and math.

So, how is it going?

How do the grades look?

Is your child doing well?

If not, a meeting with the teacher is in order.

As daunting as that may seem, don’t put it off. Schools want the best for their students, they want and need them to succeed, but they can’t do it alone. It takes a team. Your support, your questions and your input will contribute to a viable and affective plan.

For the last 20 years, practitioners and researchers have been working to perfect how we intervene with children who hit bumps in the road during their school careers.  Out of that research, has come a problem solving model that ensures students who fall behind have access to instruction that works.  When you sit down with your child’s teacher ask the following well researched, specific questions:

• How is my child doing compared to children the same grade?
• Is my child performing the same as his peers, if not what are the specific skill deficits?
• How do you, the teacher and the school, measure emotional/behavioral and academic progress?
• What interventions are available to help my child and what is the schedule for intervention services?
• How can we monitor the progress of my child prior to the next report card so we know if the intervention is working?
• What can I do as a parent to support my child’s learning at home?

As you gain answers to these questions try not to worry. No two children are alike and they each respond to their own special recipe for success. These questions will assist your child’s learning team as you create a successful plan for learning together.