As children begin school, some parents initially sense that something is not quite right with their child’s abilities but are unable to put their finger on the exact nature of the problem.  What they know is that their child is struggling and not keeping up with the rest of the class. In the case of older students, parents notice that their child is working much harder than the other students to maintain the same level of achievement.  There can also be inconsistencies between abilities in differing subject areas.  Alternatively, other parents feel that their child is intelligent but their achievement at school is not in sync with their potential.  In each of these cases, parents feel there is a problem but don’t understand why.

As children progress through school, parents rely on educators to notice any  learning challenges and begin the process Save of examining why a student is having difficulty.  Although an initial evaluation may provide a diagnosis, it may also signify that further inquiry, assessment and intervention (outside of the school’s capability) is needed to uncover the full scope of the problem.

Most school systems offer classes for children with learning disabilities, where the teaching is done in a group setting with a generalized curriculum aimed at addressing the most common learning disabilities.  In certain cases, parents come to realize that while these remedial classes are a beginning, they are simply not enough.  These parents recognize that their child needs to receive specialized and intensive help not to simply “manage” their learning challenges but to overcome them.