You may be feeling like this, but I do hope not!
When your child, falls behind their siblings and/or their peers in reading, spelling, remembering instructions, homework and has problems processing language at speed despite being:
- verbally ‘bright’,
- the best efforts of school have been employed
- brilliant parenting (obviously!)
- And you are possibly faced with a long educational psychologist’s report.
What are the most likely feelings you will experience?
- Guilt – that you have done something wrong as a parent
- Blame – perhaps it is the teacher’s fault/ my in-law’s family……?!
- Fear – that your child is not going get in to the school you want, pass exams, get to university, get a good job
- Worry – that you don’t know what to do.
- Envy – of other parents who do not have the same problems
- Confusion – over the report and what it all means
- Flight – you move the child to a different school!
Which is why you need to gain knowledge to be your child’s advocate, know the questions to ask at school and how to work with the teacher, how to help your child at home and what to do in the half terms and holidays. You need to know and feel confident that you are doing the best you can. All of these areas will be dealt with in the following sections.