First Marking Period Red Flags: What Your Child’s Grades Are Really Telling You

The first report card of the school year has arrived. For many families in West Michigan, opening that envelope or logging into the parent portal brings a wave of anxiety. If your child’s first marking period grades aren’t what you hoped for, your initial...

Dyslexia vs. Dyscalculia: How to Identify the Warning Signs

When your middle schooler comes home exhausted, pushes away their homework, and retreats into their room, it is rarely about a lack of effort. It is about a full day spent exerting double the cognitive effort just to stay afloat. By the time students reach middle...

How to Teach Your Child Self-Advocacy at Every Age

For parents of children who learn differently, our instinct is to protect. We spend years stepping in as our child’s fiercest advocate—interpreting their frustrations, meeting with teachers, and ensuring their accommodations are being met. But the ultimate goal of...

When the End-of-Year Wrap-Up Feels Like a Dead End: Finding a Better Path for Your Child

The end of the school year is supposed to be a time of celebration—a wind-down filled with field days, yearbooks, and counting down the days to summer. But for many parents of bright, curious children who learn differently, late spring brings a completely different...

The “End of School” Paradox: Why Summer Can Feel Like a Steep Drop-off

For most families, the end of the school year is a time of celebration—a season of “no more pencils, no more books.” But for parents of students with ADHD, dyslexia, or other learning differences, that final school bell can trigger “break-time...

Common Holiday Challenges for Kids with ADHD

Photo Credit: Photo by Drazen Zigic on iStock At Lake Michigan Academy (LMA), we believe that every child who learns and thinks differently deserves a holiday season filled with joy. Understanding the unique challenges that children with...