Family problems are reflected in the report card. Poor grades show the family's report card.
There is only a short time left before the schools go on semester break. Instead of punishing the child for a report card full of poor grades, it is necessary to evaluate the situation together. A poor report card does not mean that the child is lazy. Problems such as Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, learning disabilities, social phobia may be one of the underlying factors. Factors such as communication problems within the family, divorce, birth of a sibling can also affect school success.
[haberyatay=3-causes of a weak report card]
Clinical Psychologist Aynur Sayım from Üsküdar University NP Feneryolu Medical Center said that the report card is an evaluation of the child's development.
The child is not responsible alone
Stating that the child should not be held solely responsible for a report card full of poor grades, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Aynur Sayım said, "The report card is the child's development assessment. It is an indicator of genetic characteristics and psychosocial factors. We can say that it is a concrete indicator of the child's learning, emotional and social development and adaptation during the semester."
There are three reasons for a poor report card
Stating that every child has an innate intelligence, attention and learning capacity, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Aynur Sayım stated that it is possible to count three reasons for poor report cards and listed these reasons as "reasons originating from the child himself, reasons originating from the family, reasons originating from the school-environment". Specialist Clinical Psychologist Aynur Sayım explained these reasons as follows:
Causes originating from the child: Some psychiatric disorders and learning capacity. Problems such as intellectual disability, borderline or high intelligence, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), specific learning disabilities, conduct disorder, social phobia and physical disabilities.
Family-related causes: Family communication problems, divorce, loss, trauma, chronic illnesses in the family, birth of a sibling, problems with the sibling, change of home-city-school, and bankruptcy.
School-environmental reasons: School change, lack of guidance for the child's individual differences, insufficient school-family cooperation, teacher-related reasons and traumatic experiences.
Poor report card does not mean that the child is lazy
Aynur Sayım noted that the report card is an evaluation that gives us information about how the child performs the learning processes both structurally, psychologically and behaviorally for a year, "The report card does not give information about the child's personality. A bad report card is a feedback that the child has difficulty in learning processes. The child is not the only responsible for a bad report card. A bad report card does not always mean that the child is lazy."
ADHD may be a special learning disability problem
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Aynur Sayım pointed out that children with low grades may have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), special learning disabilities, intellectual disability, conduct disorder, school refusal, separation anxiety, performance anxiety, test anxiety, depression, social phobia, problems between parents, sibling jealousy and discipline problems.
Parents should listen to these suggestions
Stating that the responsibility for broken grades does not only belong to the child, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Aynur Sayım gave the following advice:
"Punishing, judging and comparing the child for a bad report card will not solve the problem and will make the solution more difficult. This situation requires a family assessment. The family should be in cooperation with the school and the teacher. If there is a problem, it is wrong to wait for a year, measures should be taken immediately. A child-adolescent psychiatrist's evaluation is necessary. If the solution is delayed, the child may have other behavioral problems and psychiatric and psychological conditions accompanying the picture. Conditions such as depression, bedwetting, introversion, aggressiveness, adaptation problems, sleep-appetite problems, school refusal may occur.
Family attitudes should be examined
The child's intelligence and attention should be evaluated, personality analysis should be made and family attitudes should be examined.
A child cannot achieve in a two-week vacation what he/she cannot achieve in a semester. The best approach would be not to force the child, but to take action towards a solution. It should not be expected from the child to follow a strict study program during the holiday, but if there is a situation that needs to be supported by special education, it may be appropriate to do additional work under the guidance of an educator.
Punishment is not a solution
Getting angry, yelling and punishing a child with a bad report card is not a solution. We know that children and young people who are afraid of their family's reaction are very anxious and even commit suicide or run away from home. "We love you in every situation, you are valuable and important to us. Let's try to find out where the problem is and try to solve it together." The best approach would be to get expert help, counsel the family, implement a compensation program for the child/young person and allocate time for sports activities and rest. Considering these reasons, I would like to emphasize that the report card is not only the evaluation of the child, but also the evaluation of the child, the family and the school. Therefore, the responsibility lies not only with the child, but also with the performance of the child, family and school."
Aynur Sayım said, "It takes time for problems to occur, the child and his/her grades have given these signals until the poor report card" and added, "It is our preference to get help before reaching this stage, but there is always a solution in every way. The help of a child-adolescent psychiatrist and a psychologist working in the field of child-adolescent should be sought and a program should be made."
The school also has important duties
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Aynur Sayım stated that the school also has important duties in solving the problems and listed them as follows:
"Child-family-school cooperation should be carried out regularly and interactively, joint decisions and approach should be adopted. If there are school-related problems, the problem should be solved by working with the administration and guidance counselor. If the child is a mainstreaming student (a student requiring a special approach and program), the child should be supported and followed up with an individual program. Informative seminars and training programs for teachers should be enriched."
