Prospective Families

• Why isn't my child learning in school?
There are many reasons a child might not perform up to their potential in school – an illness, a family move, a divorce, or other life-changing situation. But if your child is consistently struggling in school, and you can't figure out why, they may have an undiagnosed learning difference or disability.
• What is a learning difference or disability?
A learning difference or disability is a neurological problem with how the brain receives, processes, stores, and/or retrieves information. In other words, when information goes in, it may be detoured, fragmented or lost at any point along the path to output. Of course, this profoundly affects learning. Learning differences are often accompanied by other neurologically-based problems like attention disorders, speech problems, and fine and gross motor difficulties, to name a few. These various neurological problems are often genetic, or may be caused by any other condition affecting the brain.
• What does a learning disability or difference look like?
You know your child is smart, you know that you do all the right things as a parent, your child can see and hear just fine, but they are just not doing well in school! You are frustrated, they are frustrated. You are not crazy – your child may have a learning difference or disability.
• What are the most common types of learning differences?
Communication Disorder
Reading Disorder
Written Language Disorder
Attention Disorder (with or without hyperactivity)
Non-Verbal Learning Disorder

• Why is my child so stressed?
Despite seemingly contradictory behavior, there is nothing a child wants more than to please their parents and teachers. If a child has an undiagnosed learning difference, parents and teachers have expectations that the child cannot meet. This causes an enormous amount of anxiety about school and the work that their peers can do and they cannot. Your child doesn't know what's wrong – they are trying, but when they are unable to succeed in school, they act out, they get in trouble, they shut down. It's a signal to their parents and teachers that something is wrong.
• How do I explain all this to people?
To adults you could say, "Justin has a neurological condition that affects the way he learns. There is no cure, but we are going to learn how to manage it so that he will be successful." And he will.

To your child you could say, "Everyone is different. Short or tall, brown eyes or blue. Everyone learns in a different way, too. This school will be able to teach you in the way that your brain needs to learn." And we will.

• What should I do now?
Have your child tested right away. You can do it through the public school system, through a private psychologist, or through Summit Academy. Once you have the results, you will have a good starting point for making a plan to help your child. The public school system tests for free, but there is often a long wait time. There is a fee for testing through a psychologist or through Summit Academy, but you can usually get in fairly quickly.
• How will Summit Academy meet my child's needs?
The teachers and staff at Summit Academy understand children with learning differences. We have small enough classes to really focus on your child's particular issues, and we pay as much attention to their social and emotional development as we do their academics. We have curriculum and strategies designed to ensure the success of your child. A successful child is a happy child. Happy child, happy parent!
• How is Summit Academy different?
• We do not have a prefabricated program - instruction is prescriptive and adaptive. That means we figure out what your child needs, and adapt the teaching methods to fit.
• Mornings are devoted strictly to math and literacy, and students are grouped based on achievement level and the teaching method or approach needed.
• Small instructional groups allow a quiet, structured classroom where all the students are active participants.
• Ongoing assessment is used to assure that concepts and skills are mastered, not just covered.
• A student/teacher ratio of 15/2 is not the same as 7.5/1! For the core subjects of math and literacy, we have 7- 8 students in a room with one teacher. Other schools have 15 students in a room with two teachers. Same ratio, huge difference! The more people in the room, the more distraction - especially for students with ADHD or CAPD.
• What are some symptoms of learning disabilities?
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