Learning differently: Help available for expat parents and children

Dr Kwan Bruhl from Ghana has worked as a clinical and cognitive psychologist at Brussels’ Community Help Service (CHS) since 2014. She explains some of the issues expat parents and children can be faced with at a new school in a new country.

What educational problems do you encounter among expat children?
It can be anything from specific learning disorders – dyslexia and ADHD – to dyscalculia, a mathematical disorder. These are very common. And sometimes there will be some type of intellectual difficulty. Our focus is mostly on children in the international or European schools. They are sent to CHS for assessment as they may be struggling to learn to read, to understand maths, to write properly, or with concentration. Some children have examination anxiety. I often see in the expatriate community that they put a lot of pressure on themselves to do very well.

Why is assessment important?
Usually a school asks a child to come to us for assessment. We get a diagnosis in place and come up with educational interventions and learning strategies. The assessment enables us to identify not only the child’s difficulties but their strengths too, as well as their learning style, so we can build on their strong points and compensate for the weaknesses. Sometimes, due to fear of judgement, parents are not open with a new school about some of the issues a child has had in a previous school, and it takes the school a long time to find out.

Can assessment be positive?
When a school suggests an educational evaluation, it might come as a shock, but it’s an opportunity for parents to get to know their child better. We don’t just look for the disorders. We also bring out the areas the child might do better in. A child who has a more verbal learning profile might do very well in literature, arts or history compared to science. This is what education assessment enables us to discover. All children want to do their best. When a child is trying and it’s not working, it’s very frustrating. Most children are relieved to have an explanation about why they’re not doing as well. Children are very smart; they know when they’re not following the group. It’s a relief for them to know that “it’s not that I’m stupid, this is just the way I learn”.

What support is available for children who are having difficulties?
The schools have learning support units to help the children, while here at CHS, we provide organisational skills support for children who have difficulty organising themselves within an educational environment. That means practical strategies, to organise their schedules, their books, to plan ahead for assignments. That’s a big thing, especially for children who have an attention deficit. The European schools are huge, and the children are expected to be organised early on. Sometimes the children are overwhelmed by the expectations, like finding the right books on the right day.

Are there alternatives to mainstream schooling?
Families may decide to do home-schooling if the child has a lot of learning disorders. There are others who choose to do A-levels – three or four subjects targeted in a certain area, and with less pressure – instead of the International Baccalaureate programme. And there is a lot of in-school support at primary level.

How do parents cope if their child has educational problems?
A lot of parents are afraid of judgement and of their child being labelled. There is a lot of anxiety involved in moving to a new country, and shock when the first thing they hear is that they should get their child tested. They might feel guilty and wonder what will be discovered, and if they’ll be admitted to the school they’d planned. A lot of these schools are very academic and there may be a lot of pressure to perform well. But the thing is that every child has a specific intellectual profile, and some learning environments suit one child better than others. Just like every person, we all have strengths and weaknesses.

What advice would you give to parents?
I would tell them not to be afraid, to come and talk to us. We always offer a first meeting to get a picture of what’s going on. The parents don’t need to face all that alone. The objective is not to put a label on the child, it is to find teaching and learning strategies to make learning easier for them. This can make such a big difference, not only in performance but also in self-esteem. And later, when the child is doing well and is happy in school – this is the essence of what we do, trying to make the education journey a little bit easier.

Photo: Natalie Hill. This article first appeared in The Bulletin Spring 2017. Pick up a copy in newsagents, browse the magazine here or subscribe today.