When children struggle in school, the most frequent advice they hear is to try harder. But a new book, Your Child Learns Differently, Now What? The Truth for Parents, challenges this familiar directive, arguing that effort alone is insufficient when a student lacks the foundational cognitive skills required for effective learning.
Authors Roger Stark and Betsy Hill, who lead BrainWare Learning Company, contend that learning depends on essential cognitive abilities such as attention, memory, processing speed, executive functions, auditory processing, and visual processing. These skills enable students to understand, retain, and apply information. When these skills are weak or uneven, students may exert considerable effort yet still fall short. In such cases, telling a child to try harder can increase frustration without addressing the real barrier to academic success.
The book, published by Seabiscuit Press, targets parents of struggling learners, students with uneven academic performance, and children whose school experience is marked by frustration, anxiety, homework battles, or declining confidence. Stark and Hill encourage parents to look beyond surface-level explanations and ask a more meaningful question: Does this child have the learning foundation needed to succeed?
To support this inquiry, the book presents a five-step framework designed to help parents shift from pressure and frustration to understanding, skill-building, and guided support. It does not dismiss effort, but emphasizes that effort must be backed by the right tools, guidance, and comprehension of the child's unique learning profile.
A central theme is the link between confidence and learning. When children are repeatedly told to work harder without seeing results, they may internalize a belief that they are not smart or capable. Stark and Hill argue that confidence is not a bonus but an integral part of the learning process. Children are more likely to persist when they experience progress and understand that their struggles have a logical explanation.
The book also questions temporary workarounds. While accommodations and support are important, the authors ask whether these measures help build long-term learning capacity or merely provide short-term relief. This distinction matters for families who aspire to see their child become a more confident, independent learner.
For parents seeking a practical path forward, Your Child Learns Differently, Now What? offers a clear message: struggling students often need more than pressure; they need parents and educators to understand how they learn, identify barriers, and implement support that builds the skills necessary for success. The book is available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.
