The Difference Between In-School Accommodations and Root Cause Intervention: Why Addressing Learning Struggles at Their Source Matters
When your child faces learning struggles, it’s natural to want to do everything in your power to support them. Schools often respond to these challenges by offering accommodations—extra time on tests, modified assignments, or seating arrangements that reduce distractions. These measures can reduce a child’s stress and create a more manageable learning environment, but are they really solving the problem? To truly help students overcome their learning difficulties, it’s crucial to understand the difference between in-school accommodations and root cause interventions.
Accommodations & Intervention: What You Need to Know
The Role of In-School Accommodations
In-school accommodations are adjustments made within the classroom to help students manage their learning struggles. These adjustments can range from allowing extra time on tests, providing written instructions in addition to verbal ones, or seating a student closer to the teacher to minimize distractions. Such accommodations are well-intentioned and can indeed make the day-to-day learning process less stressful for students. They offer a way for children to “get by” academically, ensuring they can meet minimum requirements without overwhelming stress.
Research* shows that while accommodations can help reduce anxiety and improve classroom behavior in the short term, they don’t address the underlying issues causing the learning struggles. For instance, if a child has weak working memory, providing extra time on tests might help them get better grades, but it doesn’t improve their working memory capacity in the long run.
As a result, while the symptoms are managed, the root cause remains untouched, potentially widening the learning gap over time.
The Problem with “Getting By”
While accommodations can make learning more manageable, they come with significant long-term implications. When students rely on accommodations without addressing the root cause of their learning difficulties, they may miss out on critical skill development. Over time, this can lead to a widening gap between them and their peers, as they continue to struggle with the same challenges year after year.
Studies on learning outcomes have shown that students who receive only accommodations without targeted interventions are more likely to experience ongoing academic difficulties, lower self-esteem, and decreased motivation.
This is because accommodations often create a sense of dependence, where students come to rely on external adjustments rather than developing the cognitive skills needed to overcome their challenges independently.
Moreover, as students progress through school, the demands on their cognitive skills increase. Without interventions that build these foundational skills, students may find it increasingly difficult to cope with academic tasks, leading to frustration, disengagement, and in some cases, dropping out of school.
Why Root Cause Intervention is Essential
Root cause interventions, like those offered by LearningRx, take a different approach. Instead of focusing on managing symptoms, these interventions aim to address the underlying cognitive skills that are causing the learning difficulties. This includes working on skills like attention, processing speed, memory, and logic and reasoning—core areas that are essential for effective learning.
Research has consistently shown that targeted cognitive training can lead to significant improvements in these skills, resulting in better academic performance and greater confidence in students.** Several of these studies have shown that apart from intervention, skills actually decline over time.
Unlike accommodations, which are temporary solutions, root cause interventions work to close the learning gap by equipping students with the skills they need to succeed independently.
This not only helps them perform better academically but also prepares them for future challenges, both in school and beyond.
Why LearningRx is Different
At LearningRx, we focus on identifying and strengthening the cognitive skills that are at the root of learning struggles. Our one-on-one brain training programs are tailored to each student’s unique needs, ensuring that we target the specific areas where they need the most help. Unlike the generalized support offered by in-school accommodations, our approach is personalized, intensive, and designed to produce lasting changes in the way the brain processes the world.
Our methods are based on decades of research in neuroscience and cognitive psychology, and we continually update our programs to incorporate the latest findings in brain science.
While in-school accommodations can provide short-term relief and help students navigate their daily academic challenges, they do not address the root cause of learning struggles. Without targeted intervention, students are at risk of falling further behind, developing a reliance on accommodations, and missing out on critical skill development.
LearningRx offers a different path—one that focuses on building the cognitive skills necessary for long-term academic success. By addressing the root cause of learning difficulties, we empower students to overcome their challenges and achieve their full potential. Don’t settle for “getting by” when your child can truly thrive.
*Sparks, R. L., & Lovett, B. J. (2009). Long-Term Outcomes for Students with Learning Disabilities: Are Accommodations Enough? Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 7(2), 1-27.
**Results based on studies and past clients. Individual outcomes may vary
