Why Your Kid Is Underperforming In School!

You’re understandably frustrated that your child isn’t living up to herpotential. But before you blame her attitude, check if these conditions are hindering her academically, says Eveline Gan.

- Eveline Gan

You know your kid is bright, but why does her report book show otherwise?

While you may be tempted to blame laziness, a bad attitude or her “terrible” teachers, experts say the reasons for your kid’s bad grades are not always straightforward and can be due to various factors.

For instance, poor school performance can be a sign of undetected health issues.

A case in point: Optometrist Titus Wu has encountered his share of students who struggle to keep up with school work due to undiagnosed vision issues.

“A mother of a seven-year-old girl I saw shared that her daughter was not doing well in school. She always thought it was because her child was not interested in studying,” says Titus, a consultant at Titus Eye Care.

As it turned out, the girl had uncorrected myopia in one eye and lazy eye in the other.

“When the girl first got her prescriptive glasses, she was ecstatic that she was able to see everything clearly,” Titus recounts.

“We worked with her for a period of six months to improve her vision, and that was the period when we saw massive improvement in her academic performance.”

Here, the experts pinpoint surprising five reasons for your kid’s poor grades, and what you can do to support her.

“I can’t see well” Does your kid squint when she looks at distant objects or get headaches after reading for a short while?

Does she tilt her head in an odd manner, constantly rub her eyes or blink excessively?

If you notice these signs, she might have undiagnosed vision issues, such as myopia and astigmatism, that could affect her school performance.

“Sometimes, children who have poor eyesight are assigned to the front of the class, hence masking the issue,” Titus explains.