What to do for a Struggling Child in First Grade

One of the things that happens when you study psychology is that people will have the tendency to ask for help with things that they think you should have the solution for. Of course that happens for a lot of different occupations, doctors, plumbers, electricians, bankers, you get the idea. Friends and family will come looking for answers or advice because it’s what you do for work.

One of those things that people seem to keep asking about is when their child has just started school and seem to be having some problems with their classes. I’ve personally had family, friends and even friends of friends come to me with this problem.

I should point out now that the solution that I’ve found to be the most common cause is but one possibility, however every time that I have been asked this, it has turned out to be the answer and so it is the first thing I will tell the parents to check out when they ask me.

The thing though, is the first time I was asked this I was still a student and to be completely honest, had not come across this answer in any of my classes or text books, even though I had done a lot of work on childhood development. Truth be told we had focused on abnormal behaviour and possible mental and physical conditions that can cause that behaviour, which of course, when I was first asked why their son was having problems in class that is what I told them. I gave a list of possibilities that, to be perfectly honest (and in hindsight) was not only wrong but the wrong thing to say.

You see, the solution, as to many things in life, was perfectly simple and easily fixed. What I have learned to do, and have done repeatedly over the years, is to recommend they get their child’s eyes tested. Every single time I’ve been asked why a child is having difficulty at school, except for that first time, I’ve suggested they get the child’s eyes tested, and every single time that has been the problem. A simple visit to an optometrist to get a pair of glasses, and they quickly catch up to their classmates.

I’m not saying that it will always be the answer for every child everywhere, but it does make me wonder how many go to the other answers before even considering the simplest.