A Greater School Experience

Most Schools Do Not Have a Universal Evaluation for Learning Skills

Typical IQ testing provides a composite of several cognitive-skill groups, but can be very misleading because it can mask individual weak cognitive skills. Countless children with average or even above average IQ scores are denied much needed assistance when they have one or more weak cognitive skills that make learning difficult or impossible. The first step to correct this is to provide a comprehensive cognitive-skill assessment.

However, the current educational paradigm has not been prepared to accomplish this task. The available tools used in evaluation have been resource-intensive and limited in use. Testing is primarily offered to determine eligibility for special education resources for only those children who have demonstrated learning difficulties. Unfortunately, most children are not tested, so any weaknesses in their cognitive skills are unlikely to be addressed.

So the first step is to show a child’s or children’s cognitive skill profile(s) and report(s) to teachers and educators. Informing them is a good idea and is in itself a breakthrough in their understanding of a child’s learning style. Do not be surprised if a school does not initially  understand or offer options to help.

Explain to them that the assessment sponsored by Cognitive First is not intended to diagnose, but rather to provide a baseline screening to measure progress and inform not only parents and children but teachers as well. By knowing the strengths and weaknesses of a student’s underlying cognitive/phonemic awareness skills, teachers are better informed and can make better decisions regarding a child’s classroom needs and any special needs, especially if those needs include an intervention or additional help like tutoring.

Typically teachers and learning specialists will welcome new insight into a child’s core reading and learning abilities. If a child’s evaluation indicates one or more weak areas keep in mind that this information may be totally new to the child’s teacher. And the teacher’s  immediate thought may be, “What can I do about it?”

The place to begin is with the insight the evaluation provides. That can lead to a better understanding of each child’s individual needs.

There are a variety of reasons that can cause learning and reading difficulties. Drawing from numerous studies determining the prime causes of learning problems in the U.S., approximately 10% are due to poor or inadequate instruction. Another 5% are attributed to one or more sensory defects such as hearing or vision problems. Up to 5% can be blamed on low motivation. The balance – roughly 80% of learning of reading difficulties among U.S. students and adults – are the direct consequence of a cognitive skill weakness.

Poor or inadequate instruction could be a factor for a child at school, but blame is often placed on teachers for conditions they cannot control and needs they cannot meet. Even when a school is not readily prepared and equipped to meet a child’s cognitive ability needs it is important for them to gain from the insight and understanding available from the evaluation of the child’s cognitive skills.

The school can focus on the new awareness and keep the ‘what’s next for the child conversation as a separate topic.’ With cognitive evaluation and intervention as needed, children can develop the full potential of their learning skills and be prepared to achieve a higher level of academic performance.