A new school year in Shanghai often brings about a mixed bag of emotions for both children and parents alike. The excitement of a new grade, new teachers, and new friends can be offset by the worries that come with a demanding academic curriculum. Such challenges can be particularly daunting for children who struggle with formal learning disabilities and attentional disorders such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia or Dysgraphia, just to name a few. And while these conditions can undermine a child’s ability to perform optimally in a mainstream classroom setting, the right amount of care, attention and collaboration between parents and school representatives will allow children with even the most significant of learning challenges to thrive academically as their learning abled peers do.
What the Research Tells Us
According to a 2014 study published by the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), approximately five percent of students in the American public school system have been diagnosed with a formal learning or attentional disorder, while it is estimated that an additional 15 percent of students have learning challenges that are either not diagnosed or not formally addressed by the school system in which they are enrolled. While the study would further note that incidences of learning challenges in students were on the decline thanks to early intervention strategies and enhanced teacher instruction, it was also indicated that there continues to be a public misperception that learning challenges observed in children were solely the result of laziness and/or an unsupportive home environment.
As the NCLD points out though, “Learning disabilities actually arise from neurological differences in brain structure and function that affect a person’s ability to receive, store, process, retrieve or communicate information.” I will often caution both parents and school representatives to avoid getting caught up in the ‘blame game’ as they seek answers and explanations for a student’s academic struggles, and rather to focus on working collaboratively to effectively intervene and support the child’s specific learning strengths and challenges.
Tips for Supporting Your Child’s Educational Experience
1) Advocate in advance.
Over the course of my three years in Shanghai, I have always been impressed by the international school community of counselors and their willingness to support a child in his or her learning needs. As a parent, try scheduling a meeting prior to the upcoming school year with your child’s counselor that will allow you to sit down together as a group to discuss how you can work collaboratively to ensure that your child has a positive educational experience in the coming year.
2) Involve your child in the process.
Children are often times quite sensitive to their learning struggles and may worry about the potential for further stigmatization if they receive additional educational accommodations provided by the school. Allow your child to convey his or her learning needs and to provide input as to what the support plan will look like. After all, no one knows your child’s needs better than him or herself.
3) Consider a comprehensive psycho-educational assessment.
If you know that your child struggles academically but are uncertain as to whether he or she meets the criteria for a formal learning disorder, having a comprehensive psycho-educational assessment performed by a well-trained clinician can help to tease this out. Learning centers like Olivia’s Place, The Essential Learning Group, and Redwood Development Center are able to provide such assessments, as well as conducting meetings with parents and school representatives to help ensure that the child receives specific educational accommodations necessary to help maximize his or her learning potential.
Dr. Balfanz is the Senior Clinical Psychologist at American Medical Center, a comprehensive medical and mental health service clinic for children, adolescents, adults, and families living in Shanghai. For more information on clinic services, contact Dr. Balfanz at: nate.balfanz@amc-shanghai.cn or visit his website at: www.drnatebalfanz.com
