SAINT LOUIS PARK, Minnesota — There's nothing like a parent's intuition and following it could save your student a lot of struggling with distance learning.
"We really tell families to listen to those gut feelings," said Dr. Ethan Schwehr, a Psychologist with The Learning Center at Groves Academy in St. Louis Park.
Schwehr outlined some of the signs of potential learning challenges.
"At younger ages, we're going to see difficulty with learning their letters, learning their sounds with rhyming, maybe with spelling. They may seem like they've learned or mastered a concept on one page, and by the time we get to the next page, it seems like they completely forgot that concept," explained Schwehr.
With older students, you may see teens struggle with how fast they're reading or comprehending the material.
They could also have trouble just tracking assignments or time management.
"We would have children that would complete their assignments, and would forget to hit the submit button, that last step within that distance learning," recalled Schwehr.
And all this can have effects beyond academics.
"Do they not get as much enjoyment because they can't do sports activities or other extra-curriculars or hanging out with friends because their time is consumed by doing homework?" questioned Schwehr.
Once you see the signs, what's next?
Schwehr suggests, "I think a good thorough assessment is a good first step."
The psychologist explained that an assessment can confirm whether a learning challenge is present and it can give parents a road map to different services you can try with your child.
The Learning Center at Groves Academy can do those assessments in addition to speech and language services, tutoring and diagnostic services.
Instructors work with children as young as five-years-old.