1st grader not performing up to her potential

[maggiemoo10]

Hi, I'm trying to understand what might be going on with my 6 year old. She is in 1st grade this year and hates school. She cries when it's time to go and says she wants me to homeschool her. When I ask her why she doesn't like school she tells me it's too long, she's bored, she's not learning anything that she didn't already know, or the teacher takes too long to explain/teach things to the class. In class she is an introvert, she doesn't actively participate, doesn't raise her hand, and daydreams. 

We had a conference recently and the teacher said that my daughter isn't really one of the top students in math. This struck me as odd since a lot of the stuff they are learning my daughter has known or been capable of doing for several years now. In addition to this, her Perceptual Reasoning score on the WISC a few months ago was greater than 151 with the extended norms so I assume she should be pretty proficient in math. I'm not sure why she isn't performing in school. 

I have also at times had concerns that she could have high-functioning autism or aspergers, especially when she was younger. Or could it just be her giftedness? Should I be concerned about the discrepancies between indices (i.e. VCI vs. PRI)? Are there certain profiles that could suggest HFA or aspergers?

WISC-IV 

VCI 124

PRI 151

WMI 141 

PSI 112

FSIQ 149

*From what I understand the extended norms were used to calculate the FSIQ but not the score for PRI and WMI, so those would technically be even higher. She hit the ceiling on Matrix Reasoning, Picture Concepts, and Digit Span.

Her teacher and I are trying to figure out what is going on with her, why there is a discrepancy between school and home. I was just hoping maybe somebody here has been through something similar and can offer advice. Thank you!

[whatsnextmom]

Being unhappy at school can pull down achievement drastically. My eldest falls apart in unsuitable environments. She doesn't act out... she just fades away. We experienced it prior to her grade skip in kindergarten and then again her first 2 years of high school. Put it this way, at age 5, this is how she described school "sometimes I close my eyes and scream in my head." In high school, she started getting "C's" in her best strongest subjects. She was depressed and couldn't muster enough will to force herself to do the work. She pulled away from her friends and family, locked herself away in her room and disappeared. It's not for lack of self-advocating skills or the ability to bring work up to ones own level. She's actually really good at these things but sometimes there is only so much you, yourself can do to improve a bad environment.

In our case, the elementary and middle schools really stepped up and we were able to give her an excellent educational experience with the use of whole grade acceleration, subject acceleration, differentiation and excellent teachers Then, when high school was failing and unresponsive to her needs, we moved her into an early college program and she's thriving again not only in grades but in emotional happiness. 

I'll add that DD didn't like math for many years and that pulled down her achievement in that area too. It does often include a lot of repetition necessary for average peers but redundant for the high ability child. Early math is big on rote memory which actually wasn't one of our DD's gifts (her strength is in concepts.) She didn't start pulling forward in math until middle school and now she's 15 and taking college statistics in college and loving it.

Anyway, my advice is to start talking about some for of acceleration. It doesn't have to be whole grade. Moving her up to 2nd grade in reading and math may help a good deal even if she's easily beyond second grade. Find out what her in-class options are. Continue to encourage your DD to do her best even when the work is below level but also push for more accelerated options despite her current in-class production. Put together any materials that show what she's doing at home... book lists, any stories she writes for herself, ect. 

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

Originally Posted by whatsnextmom 
 Put together any materials that show what she's doing at home... book lists, any stories she writes for herself, ect. 

That's a great idea!  Have her build her own portfolio of her best work.  Put her in charge of her education, so she has something to care about.  Then use the portfolio to work with her teacher to get her correct academic placement.

Although at first I was going to suggest that you should homeschool her.  Poor child, sounds like she is suffering in her environment. 

A professional assessment of her development (for AS) is a good idea too. 

[KCMichigan]

Originally Posted by EarthRootsStarSoul 

That's a great idea!  Have her build her own portfolio of her best work.  Put her in charge of her education, so she has something to care about.  Then use the portfolio to work with her teacher to get her correct academic placement.

I agree this is a good idea.

Part of the idea I would explore would be the disconnect between what she CAN do and what she IS doing in the classroom.

I would meet with the teacher and discuss your concerns.

A few things that pop out are that she is crying, test scores and school performance, and you are concerned about HFA.

1. I would address the crying/anxiety. Try to do some social stories about 'what to do if__________'. Sometimes a little structure helps kids scaffold it to help themselves more. Getting over the initial anxiety can be the hardest. Role play scenarios like " I have a question......
 " I dont understand the directions......"      " I am all done with my work......." " I know the material......." and give her some empowerment to self-advocacy. Especially if she is quieter and less likely to stand out in a classroom.

2. The school/test score difference is something I would look at. A few things. Sometimes the format of achievement and IQ testing is something that 'fits' a childs personality and/or the setting allows the child to perform at their best. The setting and environment of assessment is much much different than school. What was her processing speed score? That can also impact ability to complete work and follow the classroom directions.

If you have a kid that does well in quiet, one on one setting then the testing setting is likely to enable him/her focus and really connect to the tester.

In school the presentation of teaching, the noisy format, the distractions of other kids/routine, the speed, the feedback from the teacher , the curriculum/methodology,etc can all impact classroom performance.

Also, who and how comprehensive was the testing? Did they do achievement testing as well as WISC (cognitive)? A difference in achievement testing and cognitive testing may show learning disablities. Or the most basic of achievement testing may not catch poor executive functioning, audio processing, fine motor, and other more subtle concerns that could impact school performance while still having a high cognitive testing.

Or is writing a difficulty? Even if your DD knows the material-- writing load increases in 1st and some bright kiddos struggle with the difference in verbal knowledge and ability to get it on paper.

3. I would explore HFA if you have concerns. It is very possible the noise, action, etc of the classroom could be causing sensory distress. (hypo /hyper alertness, sensitivities, etc). A child that is sensitive to a classroom setting can struggle to focus and really disconnect from the environment which would impact classroom participation and work.

Lastly, I would try to set up something with the teacher and your child. A connector of sorts, like a handshake, a daily sticky HI note, or a 'check-in' at math to just touch base if she has questions/is paying attention/completed work. Sometimes kids that dont seek one on one attention really really benefit from the teacher checking  in on them individually, they dont get as lost in the crowd.

Have you checked her vision? Sometimes vision stuff pops up at this age and can really impact classwork. A simple eye exam can rule it out. Kids that do well with close work but have may have trouble seeing the board or vice versa. 

Bring in a portfolio of work your DD has done at home independently. See what the teacher thinks and how it reflects what they are doing in the classroom: also discuss is small changes such as seating, challenge work and/or differentiated work, a classmate support (not academic but more of a positive role model that  participates in discussions appropriately), more one on one from the teacher/aide, etc.

Also see if the style of teaching meshes well-- a very strong auditory learner or a strong visual learner, etc may have a teaching style that does not match their style of learning. This can led to frustration on the part of the student.