Parenting is all about accepting responsibility, a sacrifice thousands to millions of parents all over the world do daily. one of such is having the ability to help a slow learning child improve in his or her learning academic skills
So right on this article, we are going to discuss how to help a slow learning child improve in his or her learning skills, be it as a parent, guardian, or teacher
One of the difficult things parents have to go through is accepting that their child is a slow learner, most parents want their child to be smart and quick to learn
And again, most parents always want to run away from the fact that their child takes his time to study details and components of something over and over again to understand it, as against the light speed his fellows learn at. Sure, this is one of the challenging times for parents but they need to exercise patience and grow with the child
Your child is not necessarily dumb because he cannot comprehend something as quickly as his friends or peers, as much as this might make you angry and act based on your emotions
It is advisable to take it easy with him or her if he falls into the category of slow learners.
Before we go into the details and steps to help you train your slow-learning child, we will quickly discuss who a slow learner is. so
Who is a Slow Learner?
A slow learning child reaches his developmental markers at a much slower rate as compared to his peers. Some persons naturally just hate slow-learning kids because they
think that they are dumb and they piss them off. However, they are not dumb, they just take their time to learn things intricately, learn the details, and every other thing that you might originally not think of.
In as much as this makes them appear slow, it makes them more intelligent. Oftentimes, these kids tend to be neglected by their parents first and that gives them some sort of feeling that they are different and not wanted by even their parents, or that something is wrong with them and no one wants them.
Although they are kids this kind of treatment leaves a long-lasting negative effect on their psyche.
How does a slow-learning child behave?
A slow learning child finds it difficult to reach developmental milestones, which are divided into 4 categories, namely: developmental, social, personal, and educational.
The Developmental
This is when your child finds it difficult to grasp what you would otherwise refer to as a simple idea. Sometimes kids too find it hard to talk at their tender ages, ages where most kids have started to communicate already.
Little things that you think are easy to grasp, they find it difficult, and their learning paces are slow in that regard.
The Social
This is when a child has a learning deficiency and usually rather plays with kids younger than him and tends to behave in that manner too.
These sets of kids are usually known as introverts, because of their quiet and reserved nature. They find it hard to move at the same pace as their peers, so they are sort of left behind and are left with no other set of friends than the ones they are older than.
The Personal
Kids who have this learning disability usually have problems controlling their emotions; they get angry or upset easily, they show anxiety and other inner expressions, they tend to be scared which usually leads to a lack of confidence.
This kind of kid tends to not have confidence in them or command authority later in life.
The Educational
These children have difficulty grasping what is given or taught them. They may be intelligent in other things but as soon as it involves education and process information given to them
They become inefficient. You might not know that these sets of kids could be intelligent in other aspects of life until you engage them.
Causes of Slow Learning
It is not known yet what the cause of slow learning is but some things are speculated to be the cause:
Trauma:
Maybe at some point in your kid’s life, they have experienced trauma before which is slowing their learning process. This trauma could be in the form of emotional, psychological, physical, or mental.
If your child has been through some sort of trauma or shock before, it causes could be reasons why he has not developed the way he should
Sometimes it takes them a while to come back from it, other times they might have to live with it. However, with the assistance of a therapist, they could be talked out of it.
Always Solving Problems for them:
When you are always solving your kid’s problem, chances are that he or she would become a slow learner. If he were not left to challenge things himself, he would most likely never know how to until someone comes to his rescue and this would make them withdraw from the reality of things and not know what to do when such a situation comes up.
How can you help a slow learning child?
There are ways to help a slow learning child without hurting their feelings or making them aware that something is wrong with them,
Because that way, it would send a message to them that they have a problem that needs to be solved which might be a source of depression or low self-esteem.
Don’t Compare Them to Their Peers:
Comparing children to their peers gives them a feeling that they are not good enough and that their peers are better than they are and that their peers should be used as the standards for their life.
Don’t scream at Them:
In as much as you as parents are frustrated and want to scream at your child head off, you might want to take caution as this may further worsen his or her condition.
You should speak to them quietly and lovingly, when they get the message that they are loved, they would want to put in more effort to learn quickly and make you happy.
Praise:
For every little thing that they do, you should cultivate the habit of praising your kids as a parent and also reward them rightfully with physical presents (Gifts)
Make sure that you are genuinely praising their little efforts and not just trying to make them happy by being insincere.
Just be real and sincere in your praises to your kits, when they make mistakes praise them and on other hand, call their attention to the mistakes they may have made and get them corrected
Sometimes slow learners are ready to learn if they get the love they deserve, love makes all things possible when it comes to parents relating with their kids
In whatever way your kids behave, they are your kids and they need your love, care, and attention, you should do well to give them, and gradually, with time, they will adjust.
This tip ‘How To Help A Slow Learning Child” applies to both parents, guardians, and teachers. just apply them to your kid and see how smart they will outgrow their slow and poor learning abilities
ALSO READ: Mother’s day and the growing syndrome of Baby mama
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Usman
I'm a prolific content and creative writer with over 10 years experience. My books and articles have been published in many self publishing platforms including Okadabooks and Draft2digital. I'm impeccable too, when it comes to proofreading and editing contents. In conclusion, I have a natural flare for words!
