Is It LD or Something Else?

I have a six-year-old first-grader who is having great difficulty in school this year. He won't do his work in school. The teacher says she goes over the instructions with the class on how to do the papers and he still won't do his work. He's very quiet and will do his work for me at home, even though sometimes I have to insist. He can do the work most of the time. He only needs help reading the instructions, and then he can usually do fine. He has to wear glasses when he reads or writes and he hates that. He also has a problem with self-esteem and needs a lot of encouragement all the time.

He had very little trouble in kindergarten last year. He could read sentences, but this year he has trouble with it. I know he loved his kindergarten teacher. She was so uplifting and gave him a lot of encouragement and praise. He did fine in her class.

Do you think he has LD or just a self-esteem problem? He's not hyper or anything and he's a good child. We've tried taking away his privileges and that just makes it worse. I'm so frustrated. Any suggestions?

Since you say your son was able to do more last year than this year, that makes me think that the problems are not related to a learning disability. If he had a serious illness over the summer, or a serious head injury or some other significant trauma, that might account for this problem. Make sure to have his pediatrician examine him to give him a clean bill of health.

Also make sure that his visual problem has not worsened. You may want him to see a developmental optometrist to help you understand the relationship between his eye problem and the work he is expected to do in school. Some kids have problems with eye tracking and coordinating the muscles of the eye, and this can make reading and writing very difficult.

I think the key to this problem lies in your son's attitude toward himself as a learner and his relationship with his teacher. Taking away his privileges won't be successful, but asking his teacher from last year to step back into his life probably will. Even if she's not in the same school, a visit with her followed up by a few phone calls, postcards, or emails can do a lot to get him back on track and feeling good about himself. He may miss her and the positive feelings that she gave him last year. This year's teacher may also benefit from a consultation from last year's teacher in order to understand the strategies that helped your son do as well as he did. Too often in schools, each grade is seen as its own territory. What a waste of those warm and wonderful relationships that get nurtured for nine months. Make this goodness last. Give Ms. Kindergarten a call.

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