Why is My Child Getting Poor Grades?

When children get poor grades in school, a parent's initial thought may be that the child isn't trying hard enough or isn't doing his or her homework. However, there are several other possible reasons your child is doing poorly in school that should be examined so that you can give your child the help he or she needs.

Trouble in the classroom: Problems in the classroom may account for your child's poor academic performance. One problem that may be occurring is that your child is having difficulty understanding the material being covered in class. If this is the case, you should talk to the child's teacher and examine if the child would benefit from a tutoring program.

Your child may also be performing poorly academically because he or she cannot see the board. It may be necessary to take your child to an ophthalmologist to have his or her eyes examined.

Depression: Sometimes children or teen perform poorly academically because they are depressed. Some other signs of depression include appetite changes, changes in sleep patterns, loss of interest in the things one used to find interesting or fun, and crying spells. If you notice any of these signs in combination with poor academic performance, you may want to take your child to the school counselor or make an appointment with a child psychiatrist or psychologist.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is a psychological disorder in which children possess difficulty paying attention. If your child suffers from ADHD, you might notice that he or she does not appear to be listening to you when you talk to him or her, makes careless mistakes often, possesses difficulty waiting for his or her turn, blurts out answers to questions before they have been fully asked, squirms in seat, climbs about in situations where it may not be an appropriate behavior, interrupts often, and possesses difficulty organizing and finishing tasks or activities.

You should talk to the child's teacher in order to see if these behaviors occur at school as well as at home. If they occur in numerous situations and occur often, your child may be suffering from ADHD. You may want to consider taking your child to a child psychiatrist or psychologist to have him or her evaluated for the condition.

Other: Of course, there is always the possibility that your child is putting his or her academic career and homework on the back burner. If this is the case, you may want to consider positive reinforcement for good grades on tests, homework, and on report cards. Positive reinforcement may motivate your child to care about his or her academic performance.

Always ask your child or teen what is going on before making any assumptions about why he or she is not doing well in school. When you openly communicate with you child, he or she is more likely to be open and honest with you. When this happens you will be able to obtain any help your child needs academically, mentally, emotionally, and/or physically.