Dr. Lawrence Lennon

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October 2, 2018 by Larry Lennon

For the love of children…

THE UNDERACHIEVING CHILD

PART I
By Lawrence B. Lennon, Ph. D.

 

It usually begins early—first, second, or even third grade. Underachievement starts to show itself around the fourth and fifth grade when homework is assigned. It typically gets worse in middle school. In high school the problem often becomes a disaster. A bright child who should be getting all A’s and B’s brings home a report card with C’s and D’s and sometimes even F’s.

Teachers provide parents with the same message: “We know he is capable of doing so much better, but he doesn’t seem to care. If only he would pay attention in class, hand in his homework…” Parents listen silently, often frustrated and angry. They don’t understand. Their other children have done exceptionally well and now they are being told they have a child who is failing. Their strategies of pleading logic (“It’s important to hand in your homework, get good grades and to go to college.”) and authoritarian power (“You’re grounded, no TV and no phone privileges!”) have failed. They are ready to give up.

About this time parents often turn to so-called “experts” and sometimes receive terrible advice. “He is just going through a stage; ignore it and he’ll eventually outgrow it.” or “Let him fail and eventually he’ll pick himself up.”

Underachievement is a national problem with far-reaching consequences. It jeopardizes children’s futures and deprives them of deep inner satisfaction of feeling competent. Underachievers usually suffer from low self-image and lack of confidence, and they emotionally drop out of school. I have never seen a child who is doing poorly in school who feels good about himself.

The causes of underachievement are as varied as children are varied. The problem may be simply due to poor study habits, poor organization or a lack of internal discipline. It could be symptomatic of more serious problems such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse or marital discord between the parents. Perhaps it is the result of learning disabilities, impaired vision or hearing or a neurological handicap. Sometimes underachievement is the result of interplay of several physical and psychological factors. More often than not, underachievement is the result of an acquired attitude of helplessness (“I can’t do it.”) or defiance (“I won’t do it.”).

Regardless of its origins, the results of underachievement are almost always the same: a bright child’s talents are wasted and emotional consequences occur.

To address this problem of underachievement, let me begin by suggesting two operation premises:

  1. Every child needs and wants to feel competent by succeeding in school; and
  2. Educating children is the primary responsibility of the parents—not the teachers.

Most parents readily accept the first premise but balk at the notion that they are responsible for education their children. But it is true. Parents delegate much of their responsibility for education their children to the teachers, but the parents are ultimately responsible for seeing to it that their children are well educated. Parents should support the teachers and follow through at home with what they have been taught in the classroom. For the sake of the children, parents and teachers should be united to expecting, within reasonable boundaries, children to meet the following six criteria:

  1. Attend all classes and be on time;
  2. Pay attention to what is being taught;
  3. Read the assigned material;
  4. Hand in completed and accurate homework;
  5. Do well on quizzes and examinations;
  6. Behave properly.

When a child begins to do poorly in school, academically, socially or behaviorally, parents’ inner alarms should go off. Underachievers typically do not recognize that they have a problem; or if they do, they will not admit it. A poor report card is a clear message to parents that they must do something to help their child.

The first step in helping an underachieving child is to recognize that there is a problem. The second step is for parents to realize that they have the responsibility to constructively intervene.

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September 19, 2018 by Larry Lennon

for the love of children…

THE UNDERACHIEVING CHILD

 PART II
By Lawrence B. Lennon, Ph. D.

 

If parents accept the premise that it is their responsibility to help their underachieving child (which I hope they do!), I wish to offer some suggestions that have proved to be successful:

  1. Talk to your child. Show your concern. See if there are any personal problems at home or at school which can be resolved. But remember, regardless of any problems which may be present, children need to succeed in school.
  2. Talk with your child’s teachers to see the teacher’ perspectives. Ask for suggestions as to how you can help reinforce at home what is being taught in the classroom. Support the teachers.
  3. Set up a quiet study spot, well lighted and free of auditory and visual distractions. A child’s bedroom is usually the worst place for an underachieving child to study; there are too many distractions. The kitchen table, the bathroom, or a special study area where a child can be monitored usually works quite well.
  4. Set up a positive reinforcement schedule for good school behavior, good study habits. And especially for good efforts and good grades. Depending upon the child’s age, hugs, stars, prizes, etc., are great motivators.
  5. Institute a weekly monitoring system so you can know immediately if your child is handing in his homework, doing well on quizzes, and behaving himself in class. Let the teachers know what you are doing and ask for their cooperation. Without information from the schools, you are beat! Underachievers are typically not the best message carriers. Go directly to the teachers. Exercise your right and love for your child.
  6. Make sure any missing assignment is completed and handed in even if it is long past due. Poor test performance indicates a lack of knowledge and preparation. Parents and child should review and correct every exam on which the child did poorly.
  7. Check your child’s homework and require corrections to careless mistakes or sloppy work. When your child genuinely does not understand something, parents should become tutors.
  8. Quiz your child before every exam. Be sure your child understands the material. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
  9. Make sure your child does all extra credit projects. Underachievers need all the help they can get. When teachers make extra learning experiences available, parents should require this extra effort of their children.
  10. When a child continuously misbehaves in the classroom, parents should periodically attend class with the child. The message being “If you continue to choose to not be responsible, I love you enough to be in school to help you.”The best motivator—bar none—is success. Success breeds success. If a child is doing well, continue with encouragement and support and let him fly. If a child is underachieving, continue with encouragement and support, but add direct guidance. We as parents must never stand by and watch our children seriously jeopardize their futures and self-esteem by failing.Let our love for our children be matched by our courage to help them when they need it.

The best motivator—bar none—is success. Success breeds success. If a child is doing well, continue with encouragement and support and let him fly. If a child is underachieving, continue with encouragement and support, but add direct guidance. We as parents must never stand by and watch our children seriously jeopardize their futures and self-esteem by failing.

Let our love for our children be matched by our courage to help them when they need it.

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September 19, 2018 by Larry Lennon

for the love of children…

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

by Lawrence B. Lennon, Ph.D.

 

Is your child easily distracted, impulsive? Does he have a short attention span and trouble organizing and completing tasks? Is his school work messy? Is he underachieving in school? Do teachers say he doesn’t concentrate, has trouble remaining seated, and is constantly fidgeting and manipulating objects? If you answer yes to any or all of these questions, maybe your child has an Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or what’s better known as ADHD. But, then again, maybe he just needs more discipline.

ADHD is a popular term being used more and more by parents, teachers, and mental health professionals. Today, more than ever, many of our children are being medicated to control this type of behavior. But is ADHD just a “catch all label” under which every active child who misbehaves is placed? Some professionals believe it is so, while other professionals strongly disagree. So what do parents do?

As with all major decisions affecting the well-being of a child, there is no substitute for an inquisitive, well-informed parent. To provide one perspective, which hopefully concerned parents will include, I submit the following observations:

ASSESSMENT
There is no one way to determine if a child has ADHD and competent professionals may often disagree. But if the ADHD diagnosis is given, I strongly recommend that it be used only if a multidisciplinary assessment is performed involving input from the parents, the child, teachers, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist. When a consensus of opinions is reached about a child’s behavior among these team members, then the diagnosis of ADHD is warranted. If there is not a consensus, another opinion should be sought.

CAUSES
There is no single cause for ADHD. The same behavior (interrupting others, not listening when spoken to, constant squirming in a chair, shifting from one uncompleted activity to another, etc.) can be due to central nervous system abnormalities, but also can be attributed to boredom, chaotic home life, physical abuse, poor discipline, and attention-seeking purposes.

TREATMENT
If ADHD is determined by thorough assessment to be present then treatment is available. The selection of the most effective treatment approach is based upon what is known about the origin of the disorder as well as information about the environmental variables that may be sustaining inappropriate behavior. For example, medication alone may be helpful for a child who has central nervous problems but is unlikely to help a child who is reacting to a disruptive home environment. Psychotherapy is usually effective in helping children who are having trouble concentrating and obeying because of emotional problems. However, when therapy alone does not appear to be changing a child’s overactive behavior, the combination of counseling and medication may be necessary.

When a child is continuously exhibiting disruptive behavior at home or at school, the parents need to intervene. The resolution of the problem begins with a thorough assessment of a child and this should include an understanding of what is causing and perpetuating the behavior. Parental involvement in the treatment is not only a responsibility but a right.

Previously published in Indy’s Child

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Lawrence B. Lennon, Ph.D. LLC. · 4857 Brentridge Court, Greenwood, IN. 46143 · Phone: (317) 313-7281
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