Why is my child struggling at school when no one is sure why?
Some children struggle most when communication demands increase in the classroom. This can happen even when a child is bright, well behaved or trying very hard.
Your child may seem quiet, distracted, tired, unsure, silly, avoidant or overwhelmed, especially when instructions are long, lessons move quickly or there is a lot of background noise.
Sometimes communication difficulties are obvious. Other times, they can be hidden beneath confidence, behaviour, attention, effort or emotional wellbeing.
This can affect learning, confidence and how your child feels about school.
What this can look like
Your child may:
- seem unsure, quiet or withdrawn in class
- try hard but still struggle to keep up
- copy what others are doing instead of understanding the task
- avoid tasks that involve listening, talking, reading or explaining
- say “I don’t know” or “I don’t care” when work feels difficult
- seem well behaved at school but become exhausted or upset afterwards
- act silly, distract others or become the “class clown” to cover up difficulty
- get told they are not listening, not trying or not concentrating
- seem capable in some situations but overwhelmed in others
What may be going on
These difficulties may be linked to language needs, Developmental Language Disorder, attention and listening difficulties, auditory memory difficulties, social communication differences or learning needs.
Sometimes children appear to be coping because they watch others, follow routines or copy what their classmates are doing. Other children may use humour, avoidance or behaviour to take attention away from something they find difficult.
This does not mean every school difficulty is caused by a communication need, but it is important to consider whether your child is struggling to understand, process, explain or keep up with the language demands of the classroom.
How assessment helps
A speech and language assessment looks at how your child understands spoken language, follows instructions, answers questions, explains ideas and manages communication in learning situations.
This can help identify whether communication is contributing to your child’s difficulties at school and what support may be needed.
Assessment can also help identify useful classroom strategies, therapy targets, parent guidance or school recommendations.
How I can help
I provide online assessment, therapy and practical recommendations to support your child’s communication and learning.
This may include parent guidance, school advice, written reports or therapy focused on understanding language, vocabulary, sentence structure, following instructions, explaining ideas or communicating more confidently.
The aim is to help your child feel more understood and access learning with greater confidence.
Not sure if this sounds like your child?
That’s okay. You do not need to know the reason before asking for help.
Book a free 15-minute consultation and we can talk through your concerns together.