Parent-teacher conferences can feel overwhelming—especially if you’re raising a neurodivergent child with ADHD, dyslexia, or another learning difference. You want to know how your child is doing, where they’re struggling, and what you can do to support them. But sometimes, the conversation gets stuck on grades or behavior reports, leaving you with more questions than answers.
The good news? By asking the right questions, you can get meaningful insights into how your child learns and how you can build a team to help them succeed.
Here are some practical, insightful questions to bring to your next conference:
1. How does my child learn best in your classroom?
This helps you understand whether your child thrives with visuals, hands-on activities, step-by-step instructions, or lots of movement. Teachers often notice patterns that can guide you in supporting learning at home.
What’s important to note is that there is no solid research that indicates teaching to a child’s “learning style” is beneficial in the long run. In fact, often a learning style is just a label for a struggle. If they are a “visual learner,” they have trouble with visualization (the ability to think in pictures). If they are a “tactile learner,” they may struggle with attention or working memory (the ability to stay on task and engage with information while using it).
At LearningRx Irvine, we can help you identify WHY your child struggles to learn in certain contexts or styles.
2. What signs do you see when my child is struggling?
Neurodivergent kids often mask challenges, especially if they’re trying hard to “fit in.” Asking this question can reveal whether the teacher sees signs of frustration, zoning out, avoidance, or slow work completion that might point to underlying cognitive struggles.
3. Where do you see the biggest gaps between effort and results?
Sometimes kids work incredibly hard but their output doesn’t match the effort. This can be a red flag for weaknesses in processing speed, working memory, or attention—areas that go beyond classroom instruction.
4. How does my child handle multi-step directions or transitions?
Difficulty following through on instructions or switching tasks can signal weaknesses in executive function skills. Knowing this helps you identify whether your child needs support with planning, organization, or flexible thinking.
5. Are accommodations helping, or do you see ongoing struggles?
Accommodations like extra time or reduced workload can relieve stress, but they don’t solve the root of the struggle. This question helps you understand whether supports are making a difference—or whether your child might need additional intervention.
It’s important to distinguish here: accommodations may help build confidence and lower frustration, but they don’t do anything to build the skills that are behind the struggle. Rather than continuing to accommodate, brain training at LearningRx Irvine builds up the skills that students are weak in—so they become more confident and capable, independent learners.
6. What strengths stand out in my child?
It’s just as important to learn about your child’s strengths as it is to identify challenges. Teachers may notice creativity, leadership, problem-solving, or empathy that you can nurture at home. Recognizing strengths also helps balance the focus on struggles that happens so often with neurodivergent kids.
Beyond the Classroom: Building the Skills That Make Learning Easier
The insights you gather at a parent-teacher conference are incredibly valuable—but they often reveal deeper struggles that the classroom alone can’t fix. That’s where LearningRx comes in.
At LearningRx, we go beyond accommodations and tutoring to strengthen the brain’s core learning skills—like attention, memory, and processing speed—that are often at the root of learning differences. By targeting these skills, we help neurodivergent kids build confidence and independence that carry over into every subject.
If your conference leaves you wondering how to better support your child, consider taking the next step with a LearningRx cognitive skills assessment. It’s a powerful way to uncover the “why” behind your child’s struggles and create a personalized plan for growth.