Lois Letchford: Lincoln Project - Challenges we Face as Parents

2 Aug 2020 · 2 min

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1:49

In this spoken monologue, Lois Letchford, author of Reversed Memoir and Literacy Problem Solver, recounts the two major challenges she faced as a parent after her son Nicholas failed first grade. First, she describes his observable struggles: withdrawal in class, inability to follow directions, lack of friends, panic, and hiding, which led her to perceive him as not smart. Second, she details the impact of his later diagnosis—low IQ with no identified strengths—highlighting how test data can be used by schools to justify his difficulties and undermine parental belief. She notes that during testing her son shut down and refused to cooperate, further skewing results. Concluding, she urges parents to continue believing in their children even when testing data contradicts that belief, promising to elaborate further in a future discussion.

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Hello, I'm Lois Letchford, author of the book Reversed Memoir and Literacy Problem Solver. What challenges did I face as a parent when my son Nicholas failed first grade? I faced 2 significant challenges. The first was that my son did not look very smart. He withdrew in class, he couldn't follow directions, and he had no friends. He panicked and he hid, and all of that behaviour suggested that he couldn't do anything. The second problem I faced is when my son was eventually diagnosed, that the data showed he had a low IQ and no strengths. When the data is against you, you have an even more challenging role to play. Because the school can always turn around and say, that's why he can't do it. Look at what Lois— look at your— what you're saying is absolutely wrong. Look at what the testing showed. And that is really challenging for a parent to believe in their child when the data is saying the opposite. What wasn't acknowledged with the data when my son was tested was that he shut down. Is that he absolutely refused to cooperate with the person doing the testing. And you can't even say that? There's nothing I could say to stand up against such appalling results. So as a parent, all I can say is believe in your child even when the testing results are showing the opposite. I'll tell you why tomorrow. Thank you.