*This is PART 2 of a 4-part series “HELP AND HOPE for Struggling Students”

The first few days of school are over. Routines have begun to take shape. Is your child ready to tackle this new school year? OR is he already feeling overwhelmed or discouraged?

How does a student with sensory processing struggles manage in a classroom with so many sights and sounds and smells? Will the student struggling with auditory processing difficulties take in all the teacher’s directions? How does a student struggling with visual tracking difficulties focus on all the pages of printed material?

These students work so hard day after day to keep up with all that is required of them.

It is simply HARD WORK! And perhaps they haven’t yet even had a formal diagnosis of these struggles. They just feel ‘dumb’. Or they’ve been called other names. Remember, these students don’t know any different. They have lived with these struggles all of their lives, but as the work load has increased and expectations have grown, their frustration escalates. The result? Poor grades, frequent meltdowns, behavioural outbursts, physical health symptoms – headaches, tummy aches, and the list goes on.

How can we, as parents and educators, change this downhill spiral for these students? Let’s acknowledge that these struggles are NOT a result of their lack of effort. This is not laziness! Oh, perhaps they try to take the easier road or refuse to do the really hard stuff. Wouldn’t we all? Why is it that ‘school’ is so easy for some and so hard for others? Is that fair?

Let’s take a deeper look at what’s going on and encourage them on this challenging road!

As an NILD Educational Therapist, I feel privileged to be a part of these student’s lives, offering HELP and HOPE. In my one on one therapy sessions, I have witnessed huge academic gains along with amazing confidence boosts! And this is true for all of our therapists trained by NILD Canada. Our methods address the underlying perceptual and cognitive deficits and use the student’s strengths to work on these weaknesses.

Last week on this blog, we shared the video of two sets of parents who found HELP and HOPE with NILD Educational Therapy for their child. This week we will hear from students who have experienced the benefits themselves. Watch this short video and hear their stories:

Last Week: Parents Find HELP and HOPE for Struggling Learners

Next Week: Teachers Look for Support in their Classroom