On Friday, the last bell will ring and students will receive their report cards. Stating that parents should make self-criticism in the evaluation of poor report cards, experts warn, "The reason for academic failure may be Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, Specific Learning Disabilities and mental retardation problems."
REPORT CARD IS NOT AN EVALUATION ONLY FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE!
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Specialist Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Ayık from Üsküdar University NP Feneryolu Clinic reminded that all students who have left behind a long and tiring academic year have started the countdown to receive report cards and said, "I wish all students to meet with beautiful report cards where their efforts are rewarded."
Pointing out that the report card is not only a document that shows the evaluation of the student, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Ayık said, "The report card can provide a lot of information about the student, as well as information about the family, behaviors and attitudes within the family, to what extent the family is aware of the child's problems and whether they have taken steps to help. However, unfortunately, the general attitude is to see the report card only as an evaluation of the child and the young person."
PARENTS SHOULD MAKE SELF-CRITICISM IN BAD REPORT CARDS
Stating that parents should not give sudden and excessive negative reactions to a report card full of poor grades, Asst. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Ayık said, "No matter what the circumstances of a bad report card, parents should investigate the factors underlying this result and do their part to eliminate the problem. In other words, they can actually use this as an opportunity to turn negative problems into positive results."
Emphasizing that the role of families is very important in both the behavior and academic success of children and young people, Ayık stated that the family should definitely appreciate the efforts of the child. Assist.Assoc.Prof. Dr. Başak Ayık said the following:
"The first place where each individual receives education, that is, the "first school" is primarily the family environment. The individual exhibits various behaviors in his/her own life according to the genetic characteristics he/she receives from his/her family, i.e. intelligence, learning skills, personality traits, temperament, as well as the behaviors and attitudes within the family. However, unfortunately, some parents may not take their own academic and personal lives into account and expect much more from their children than they can do. Consciously or unconsciously, they may expect goals from their children that they cannot achieve themselves. Each child's success should be evaluated according to his/her own capacity and effort. A success achieved without any effort should not be meaningful, and on the contrary, the efforts of a child who gets low grades despite making all the effort he/she can should always be appreciated."
INVESTIGATE THE REASONS BEHIND A POOR REPORT CARD
Emphasizing that the underlying causes of poor report cards should not be ignored, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Ayık said, "When poor grades are seen, it is the duty of parents to investigate the underlying causes and provide support to children and adolescents at the necessary points. Families who do not provide support and do not fulfill their duties in this regard should also take a share for themselves when they see bad report cards."
ATTENTION TO ATTENTION DEFICIT AND HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
"The most common condition we see as the cause of academic failure is Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder," said Başak Ayık, "This condition can be seen in three ways. In the first one, attention deficit and hyperactivity take place together, in the second case, the child's attention is good but may be extremely active, and in the third case, a child who is inactive and quiet may not have good attention. In the first two cases, the mobility of children can be noticed from the outside and we can take precautions with early application because it causes disorder in the classroom, but in the third case, it can be noticed too late because the child is not accompanied by a behavioral problem. Since the inability to maintain attention is not a situation that the person can do willingly, academic problems can be seen in this case."
Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Ayık continued as follows:
"The second most common condition is "Specific Learning Disability". This includes dyslexia (reading disorder), dysgraphia (writing disorder) and discalculia (math learning disorder). In this case, there is a disorder related to the learning areas and systems of the brain. When recognized, the child's academic life should be supported with appropriate therapies. Another common cause is mental retardation. As a result of the evaluation of child and adolescent psychiatry specialists, the diagnosis is made in detailed tests in patients deemed necessary. Apart from this, depression, anxiety disorders and some other psychological problems can also cause problems in academic life."
MATERIAL REWARDS NEGATIVELY AFFECT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY
Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Ayık also touched upon the issue of rewards that comes to the agenda with report cards. "Rewards have an important place in behavioral psychology and child development," said Başak Ayık, "The concept of reward varies from person to person. The report card gift-reward is usually started to be voiced at home from the beginning of the semester. 'If all of them get 5, I will buy you that toy', 'If you get appreciation, I will buy you that ... toy you want' or "If you pass your friend, I will buy you that ... toy you want." As can be understood from the examples, all of them are materialistic discourses that are usually presented to motivate the child but actually negatively affect the development of a sense of responsibility. During the student period, standard behaviors that a child should do should be defined. The child should do these tasks not for gain, but because it is a responsibility.
In recent years, unfortunately, the rewards offered to children are usually material. This can lead to the impoverishment of children's emotional worlds and make them materialistic and dissatisfied people. As I always tell my clients, emotional rewards should be preferred over material rewards."
REPORT CARD SHOULD NOT BE GREETED WITH EXCESSIVE ENTHUSIASM
Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Ayık said, "Another important point in this regard is not to greet a good report card with excessive enthusiasm. In other words, overreactions should be avoided in good report cards as in bad report cards. If the child thinks that his/her family attaches too much importance to success, he/she may experience performance anxiety and test anxiety in order to win their love and appreciation."
HOW SHOULD CHILDREN USE SUMMER VACATION?
Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Ayık also advised the following about the evaluation of the long summer vacation:
"Vacation is an opportunity to rest and renew. They should spend time for their favorite activities and participate in social events to relieve the tiredness of the academic year. I recommend them to read books and make it a favorite habit. It is an activity that will positively affect their self-confidence by increasing their vocabulary, their mental capacity and their ability to express themselves. If they have had a bad academic year, I wish them to somehow make up for the subjects they have missed during the vacation, so that they can spend the next academic year more comfortably."
How should families evaluate the holiday in terms of spending time together with their children?
Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Ayık finally made the following suggestions to parents:
"Unfortunately, today's parents do not have the chance to spend time with their children on vacation due to their busy work life. What is important here is not the amount of time spent, but the quality time we call quality time, time spent in effective communication and sharing. Regardless of the place, time and place, I recommend that they increase the amount of time spent on vacation or outside of vacation, where they communicate effectively as a family, to the extent they can."