Red Flags to Listen for in Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent teacher conferences are happening, and with them come lots of questions… Is my child doing what he should be? Are there any new problems that we can catch onto early? Is this year really going to be as hard as last year?
These are valid concerns and as you listen to your child’s teacher, there are some warning signs that point to a deeper skill issue at play. Weak cognitive skills make it SO much harder for kids to focus, read, remember, and learn, and here are some of the common phrases that point to these weaknesses.
Parent Teacher Conference Warning Signs:
“Your Child Seems Distracted or Unengaged.”
Disengaging from what’s going on is a coping mechanism that many kids’ brains use to avoid stress. While many people think of ADHD as just hyperactivity, inattentive ADHD is also a frequent issue.
This doesn’t mean that at the first mention of this you need to go and chase down a diagnosis for your child. But it does mean that examining their cognitive abilities could be a helpful way to get them more motivated and engaged in learning!
“Your Child is Resistant to Reading Out Loud.”
Reading is a complex thing. Even if your child can read decently well on their own, a resistance to reading out loud shows a deeper issue of confidence in themselves. Building reading fluency is an important skill to help your child be more sure of themselves in these situations!
“Your Child is Disruptive and Hyperactive.”
Usually when you hear this, you are not surprised. You know your kid. You know how hard it is to get them to sit still or stay on task at home or in sports, and the classroom is no different. For many kids who present with these behaviors, weak attention and working memory are at the root cause (but it could be other things as well).
Check out these tips for helping kids with ADHD focus better and learn more easily.
“Your Child Needs Constant Direction and Support.”
This is a sign that your child is not self-motivated or self-regulating. Needing to constantly be told what to do next is a sign of weak executive function which includes your ability to organize thoughts, make a plan, and execute appropriate action.
Again, this probably doesn’t shock you when you hear it. You see this at home, with your child complaining about being bored, always asking “what should I do next?”, or needing constant supervision and guidance when completing a task.
When a teacher notices this, they may recommend some in-school accommodations (like more time on tests, completing them verbally, or having more aide support for your child.) Of course this makes sense; your child’s teacher could never provide this level of support to all the students in a class.
But the reality is that these accommodations aren’t going to help your child grow this skill. Sure they may get better grades or appear to make progress, but they aren’t addressing the underlying cause of this inability to think for themselves.
“Your Child is Behind Where They Should Be.”
Whether it’s in reading, math, spelling, writing, or some other critical school skill, it is hard to hear that your child may be behind. If you are sitting in a parent-teacher conference and are taken by surprise at how much your child has slipped, it could be time to take a deeper look.
Kids with weak cognitive skills don’t outgrow learning struggles. Instead, the longer you wait to intervene, the further behind they will fall. If your child is floundering, finding out why can help you give them the tools they need to succeed.
“Your Child is Always the Last to Finish Tests or Assignments.”
Being the last to finish takes its toll on your confidence. Especially for kids who feel the pressure to perform well in classroom environments, always being the last one to finish may push them to work more quickly and make more errors, resulting in poorer performance.
Slow processing speed, weak working memory, and poor attention can all contribute to slow work. Just pushing your child to work faster won’t work unless these foundational skills are being addressed.
What Are Your Next Steps?
If you sat through a parent-teacher conference and wondered, “now what?”, we are here to help. The things you do to support your child can open up easier learning for life.
The reality is that most in-school resources are not geared towards growing your child’s independence and ability to learn better. They may create better outcomes, yes, but they do not improve learning skills.
This is why what we do is different. We don’t focus on school material—we focus on the brain. We build the skills your child needs to have in order to focus, think, learn, read, and remember.
