Understanding the Emotional and Behavioral Aspects of Learning Difficulties

A child acting out is frequently a sign of frustration over failure or perceived failure. If a child cannot learn the way he or she is taught, that child might as well be in a foreign language class. Boredom, frustration, a sense of failure, can all lead to unacceptable behaviors. – July Bonnell

“I always tell people that from the moment a kid gets up in the morning until he goes to sleep at night, the central mission of the day is to avoid humiliation at all costs.” – Dr. Mel Levine

Question/Issue Link to resources
Learning disabilities and psychological problems
How emotions affect your child’s learning and performance in school
Behavior Assessment and Intervention
Behavior Intervention Plans
Resources for Behavior Intervention Strategies
  • Special Needs and Special Gifts
  • Addressing difficult behaviors
    Overview of how to handle difficult behaviors. Explains why it’ is important to deal with these in the child’s IEP, before the child hits high school zero-tolerance policies. If you wait until a crisis happens it may be too late and the child can end up in the judicial system.
  • Behavior Advisor website
    Provides thousands of tips on managing student behavior, and provides step-by-step directions for implementing a great number of standard interventions for promoting appropriate, prosocial behavior in students.