By Dr. Audrey Reid

Children who do not perform well in school do so for a variety of reasons. Fortunately, there exist a number of steps parents may take to address the problem and help kids reach their full academic potential.

The most common obstacle to school success is failure to master reading fundamentals. Reading comprehension is the foundation for academic success in any subject. Before Johnny or Susie can master history, science and even math, they must be able to read and understand what they’ve read.

In solving math problems, Johnny and Susie must understand what the question asks, what facts are needed to solve the problem, what inferences might be made, how to sequence the procedures to be used, and what conclusions might be made.

Help With Reading Skills

Some signs that Susie needs help with reading might be:

• She is still sounding out each word at an age when her peers read fluently.
• She skips over letters, syllables, or even entire words or sentences.
• She uses her fingers to keep track of the words or sentences.
• She reverses letters, such as b and d, although this might be normal at an earlier age.

To address her reading deficiencies, Suzy might need help beyond the classroom.

The Home as a Positive Learning Environment

Children learn by example. If Mom and Dad are readers, Susie and Johnny will likely read.

Parents should take time to read to their children. One way to inspire interest in reading and knowledge of literature is to use the classics, such as The Swiss Family Robinson, or Alice in Wonderland. By reading one chapter each evening, or part of a chapter, children’s interest is piqued. A sense of expectation arises as to what will happen in the next chapter.

If Susie is doing her homework in front of a television that’s turned on, she definitely is not doing the work correctly. If she studies alone in her room which has a TV set or video games, there is a strong chance the work is not being done. The argument that “I like to study with the television (or radio) turned on” is not conducive to a proper and effective study environment.

Parents indeed do have the task of creating a distraction-free learning environment and monitoring their children’s homework and studies. Many schools now post the school work assignments on the Internet so that parents may do a more effective job of monitoring.

Addressing Language Barriers

I encourage my multilingual parents to speak to their children in the language in which the parents have correct grammar and pronunciation. If that language is not English, parents must take the additional step of exposing the children to proper English. Although TV viewing time should be limited, some children’s educational programs, along with preschools can be valuable resources. Notable examples can be found in Vegas PBS children’s programming in after-school hours and Saturday mornings.

Language acquisition by children whose native tongue is a language other than English can be helped immensely by use of English in the home. If one or more parent can speak English, the use of English in the home every day should be encouraged.

An easy way for a parent with rudimentary knowledge of English to address children in the home is to use English in commands: “Please make your bed. Pick up your clothes. Straighten up your room. Do your homework now.” And so on.

Educating Children With Specific Skills Deficiencies

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a federal law, requires public schools to provide free assistance to children with disabilities, including hearing, vision, speech and language, mental retardation and the like. In Clark County, virtually every elementary school has accommodations for children with learning deficiencies. On the east side near Eastern Avenue, there’s an entire school dedicated to helping children with learning deficiencies.

After School Enrichment

Parents who decide to get additional help outside the school setting should look for educators who are able to evaluate the child’s academic strengths, weaknesses, and learning style, teach the skills the child needs, and provide concrete tools for measuring progress.

One of the most effective and efficient approaches is to enroll the child in a learning center to receive remediation for a learning problem. Attending tutoring daily or several times a week, the child begins to gain confidence in his or her ability to learn. Each small success in overcoming a learning obstacle awakens in the child enthusiasm, plus a thirst for more learning.

Each student is different. A learning center will begin with a thorough diagnostic test to pinpoint weak areas. The center’s representative then meets privately with the parents to review the results and recommend a personalized program of remedial instruction for the child. Depending on individual needs, the program can focus on reading, mathematics, study skills, writing, phonics, or at the high school level, exam preparation.

Audrey Reid, M.D., M.P.H., is director of the Huntington Learning Center in Las Vegas. She may be reached at 702-367-2372 or areid@hlclasvegas.com.