Middle to High School

Learning challenges in middle school and high school can really set a student back.

Students should be able to look back on middle school and high school with memories of wacky science experiments, new and exciting concepts in biology, and books that took them to places they never knew existed. Unfortunately, many students who struggle in school will reflect on their middle school and high school experiences and remember how much they hated reading, how poorly they did on tests, and the humiliation they felt.

At SLLC, our mission is to turn those painful struggles into successes. Through years of continued education, attending conferences, constant review of journal articles, meeting with other professionals, and a passion for helping children, SLLC is able to offer the best evidence-based learning programs. By pre- and post-testing all of our clients, we have been able to study which programs work most effectively to remediate specific deficits in order to allow for academic success.

Individualized standardized assessments allow SLLC to determine the specific program which will most benefit your child's needs. If your child has had an assessment from another professional, a review of the assessment will be made to determine the best intervention. Additional assessments may be necessary if an appropriate treatment approach cannot be determined.

Approximately 15% of the general population is estimated to have some type of learning disability. Dyslexia affects one in five children. However, most of these children are not identified until after third grade. Many children experience failure and become defeated, losing interest in reading. This is why it is imperative to get help as soon as possible. Many children are mislabeled as defiant or lazy. This is mostly untrue. After all, who is motivated to do something that is difficult?

After the appropriate assessment battery has been administered, we hold a meeting with the parents and/or student to explain why learning has been so difficult and recommend appropriate intervention.  Many schools are willing to accommodate school work and/or learning environments if a specific weakness is documented. Sally Shaywitz, M.D., co-director of the Yale Center for the Study for Learning and Attention, states that dyslexia robs a child of time; accommodation returns it.

Learning disabilities inflict pain. Children are complex and possess strengths in a variety of areas. But, for 13 years (kindergarten thru 12th grade), their self-esteem is based on academic success. Your child may express reluctance to attend school, moodiness, or tell you "I'm not smart." Often, children with learning disabilities specifically in reading will do anything to avoid reading aloud at school or pretend to have forgotten an assignment to hide their weaknesses.

The key to success is to get help as soon as possible. It is never too late. At SLLC, there has never been a parent who stated they acted too soon.

Suggested Readings

  • A Mind at A Time by Mel Levine, M.D.
  • Beyond Baby Talk: From Sounds to Sentences - A Parents Complete Guide to Language Developmentby Kenn Apel, Ph.D., CCC-SLP and Julie J. Masterson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
  • Delivered from Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell, Ph.D.
  • The Late Talker: What To Do If Your Child Isn't Talking Yet by Marilyn C. Agin and Lisa F. Feng
  • The Mislabeled Child by Brock Eide, M.D, M.A. and Fernette Eide, M.D.
  • Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, M.D.
  • When The Brain Can't Hear: Unraveling The Mystery of Auditory Processing Disorder by Teri James Bellis, Ph.D.