3 Steps for Addressing Learning Hiccups

It’s not always easy to determine how your student is performing in school. Although poor grades may be one of the more obvious signs, parents may assume their child or teen just isn’t putting in enough effort. After all, you know your student is smart. The only explanation that makes sense is that they’re just not “applying” themselves, right? Not necessarily. Here are a few signs we’ve learned for addressing learning hiccups.

Step No. 1: Educate yourself on the cognitive skills for learning. 

Also known as “brain skills,” cognitive skills are the foundational tools we use to think, learn, read, remember, and pay attention. These include memory, logic & reasoning, processing speed, attention, and auditory and visual processing. When these skills are strong, learning is fast and easy. When they’re not maximized, students can’t live up to their full potential in school, work, and life in general. 

Step No. 2: Ask these questions. 

It’s likely that if your student has a learning hiccup you’ve already picked up on some cues. Perhaps one or more teachers have mentioned that your student seems easily distracted in class. Or maybe the school has already taken measures to allow your student to take tests alone in a different setting. Or, if you’re like many parents who come to LearningRx, the nightly homework battle has taken its toll on your family. 

These concerns are probably indicative of a learning hiccup, but you may be able to recognize even more specific signs that your student’s cognitive skills could use a boost. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Does your student have trouble multitasking?  

2. Is your student easily distracted?  

3. Does your student have lots of unfinished projects because they jump from task to task?

4. Is reading comprehension a pain point? 

5. Does your student frequently ask, “What do I do next?” or say, “I don’t get this” because they feel stuck or overwhelmed?  

6. Does your student frequently forget names, perform poorly on tests, or forget things they used to know? 

7. Does your student need to read directions again in the middle of a project or have difficulty following multi-step directions? 

8. Does your student take longer than his/her peers to complete tasks at school or homework? 

9. Does your student have difficulties understanding or remembering what they read, reading maps, or doing word math problems? 

At LearningRx, we’ve found that cognitive skills sometimes come in clusters, so it’s possible that your student may have more than one cognitive skill that needs a tune-up. Not to worry! The one-on-one brain training programs at LearningRx are tailored to meet the needs of each student. 

Step No. 3: Schedule a Brain Skills Assessment for your learner. 

At LearningRx, every initial consultation starts with a Brain Skills Assessment. This test only takes about an hour and the results can help you pinpoint which skills are strong and which could use a boost to bring out your student’s full learning potential. 

Using the results of the Brain Skills Assessment, our team can create a personal brain training program to target and strengthen the skill or skills that need the most work. We’ll pair your student with a personal brain trainer who will work with them for the duration of their program. Using game-like mental exercises that are challenging but fun, you’ll see your student’s confidence soar as they get positive feedback throughout the program.  

Step No. 4: Research the difference between tutoring and brain training. 

While there’s no obligation to sign up for LearningRx personal brain training after you’ve received the results of your Brain Skills Assessment, many parents describe getting the results as an “Aha!” moment. Hearing that your student needs a tune-up for their processing speed in order to complete homework and tests as fast as their peers suddenly explains a lot! Or finding out that your child’s memory keeps them from retaining what they’ve read or heard might leave you actually feeling relieved, especially knowing there’s a way to strengthen working and long-term memory. 

And we’ll be the first to tell you that we understand your reluctance to try personal brain training, especially if you’ve tried other interventions like tutoring without any lasting results. But that’s not because tutoring doesn’t work; it’s simply because it’s a solution to a different problem.  

Learning is made up of two parts: educational content and the cognitive ability to apply that content. Tutoring is helpful when you need to deliver or redeliver academic material. For example, if a student missed a chunk of instruction due to an illness, injury, or a mid-schoolyear move, it can get them caught up on material they missed. 

But for students who are falling behind in multiple classes year after year, the problem is more than likely that their brain skills just need a boost to help them learn, understand, and remember the information they were taught (or read) when it was initially presented.  

Rather than reteaching the material in hopes that maybe it will “stick” this time, personal brain training addresses the root cause of the problem. By targeting and strengthening the foundational tools that your student needs to excel, they’ll be able to learn ANY subject faster and easier.  

If you’ve noticed the signs of a learning hiccup but thought, “But my kid is smart!” or “Well, tutoring didn’t work so why bother trying something else?” we encourage you to look into your options including cognitive skills assessment. By determining the root cause of your student’s academic struggles and understanding why not all solutions may be the right approach, you’re on the road to maximizing your student’s learning potential.  

Ready to get started? Find your nearest LearningRx center and schedule a Brain Skills Assessment.