Loss of Interest in Learning

It seems an innate part of being human that we love to learn. It seems even more to be a part of our nature that we love to learn when we are young. Our brains are hungry for information. Our world is new and unexplored and we are eager to make sense of it all. What a shame that a learning disabled child is at greater risk of losing that zeal for learning. Beaten down by challenges to their intellect, enthusiasm is crushed almost over night when a child enters school and goes from being a “take on the world” kid to “I can’t do anything right” youngster and never wants to go to school again. You can imagine that a child who has trouble reading will hate those subjects in school that rely heavily on this skill. They may excel for a time in science as long as student performance is based on hands-on activities. Mildly disabled students may perform successfully in elementary school only to run into serious problems in secondary school. Mounting frustration converts into chronic stress for many kids and the end result can be out right avoidance. Kids use illness to avoid school but the physical complaints can be real. Pressure to perform mixed with repeated failure can induce fatigue, headaches, stomach aches, and other ailments. It is important for parents to understand what their child may be experiencing from the child’s point of view. Our message here is that a loss of interest in learning, whether abrupt or seen over a long period of time, warrants intervention. Do not wait.

With that said, a learning disability is not always the culprit when a child loses interest in learning. Other factors could be at play and should be taken into consideration. Our main concern for purposes of this website is that should a learning problem exist, information is readily available to reduce the chances the disability will be overlooked. Becoming familiar with other circumstances which may suggest a learning disability is present when in fact it is not, can help you in making an informed decision. Some such circumstances are family problems, health problems, poor instruction, an inadequate curriculum and certainly puberty. Signs that your child’s interest in learning may be on the decline may include consistent general complaints about school, persistent complaints that the school work is too hard, frequent complaints of boredom, refusal to talk about school at all, or displaying shame over his or her schoolwork.

Contact The Learning Center to Determine if Your Child Has Learning Disabilities