Could my daughter have a learning difficulty?

Q. My daughter is lagging behind her classmates – could she have a learning difficulty?

A. You don’t say what evidence you have that your daughter might not be doing as well as her peer group but the first thing you should do is to ask her teacher if you have good reason for your concerns. Your daughter may in fact be doing quite well but her teacher will be able to tell you if she has noticed any signs of a specific learning difficulty. Try to be specific about what it is that is troubling you but don’t let your daughter hear you voicing your worries!

If she does have a problem her teacher will give you guidance about how you can support her at home as well as explaining what the school is doing. Perhaps you could do some extra reading or practical maths with your daughter. Ask for a follow up meeting so you can be reassured that things are improving.

Meanwhile concentrate on praising your daughter for what she is good at. Children progress at different rates and sometimes they can plateau for a while. This is quite normal and nothing to worry about.

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