If I had to do it all over again…

As a young mom, I remember being told to take a “wait and see” approach as my child struggled through the first three years of elementary school. Yes, the school implemented extra support, but it never made the difference or put him in step with the other children. He started to show signs of depression as school became the place where he was most likely to not succeed.

If I had it to do over again, I would have requested he receive a psycho-educational evaluation at the end of first grade. The signs were all there, but I was told year after year to wait and see.  I eventually had a private evaluation done. The testing diagnosed three learning disabilities and that he was 4 grade levels behind in reading. Once we knew what was really going on, the school instituted an IEP and increased services to him. I also provided him with as much one-on-one dyslexia tutoring as we could afford. He eventually caught up and began to flourish, but I will always regret not knowing to insist on the testing earlier.

The common offering of “wait and see” isn’t the answer for a child that has struggled for more than 2-3 months with school. Parents listen to your gut on this one. Pay attention to how long your child has been struggling. If your child has been struggling this whole year or if it has been year after year…. I urge you to make a written request to your child’s school for a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation or you can obtain testing privately.

Testing gives you a foundation to move forward, offering guidance on how you and the school can help your child reach true potential. As Thanksgiving approaches, I am thankful for my boy, who bore the weight of my ignorance and worked so hard to overcome his obstacles. Our team here at SEALKIDS is thankful for all the children we serve, they inspire us every day with their hope, their promise, and their hard work. Happy Thanksgiving and God bless your families and our service members.

—Suzanne Vogel