One of the most satisfying aspects of my job as a Clinical Neuropsychologist is working with dynamic and wonderfully bright children and young adults.

Frequently, however, these same students have become increasingly frustrated with school as the demands of workload and time management have ramped up.

There is an emotional toll to this. Students get very down on themselves, and it is not uncommon to see signs of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. They tell me they “used to be smart” or “used to do very well in school” and that it “no longer comes easily.” They are “confused”; at a loss as to what’s gone wrong and don’t know how to fix it.

Many push back.

Some ‘check out’ altogether.

Key Indicators of Academic Success

Academic success involves what I call the Key 3:

Intelligence
Subject skills mastery
Motivation or effort

For many students, the Key 3 is sufficient to allow them to coast, if not excel, for a very long time.

At some point, however, many bright students hit what I refer to as the Invisible Wall.

The invisible wall starts to build around 4th grade. This is when academics shift their emphasis from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn.’ The pace of learning begins to increase, and there are far more expectations placed on the student in terms of independent learning and less " handholding.”

Furthermore, there are far more demands ‘behind the scenes’ when it comes to homework, study skills, and test preparation. As they progress, students are expected to learn to budget and manage their time and to balance their academic responsibilities and outside-of-school pursuits.

Case example:

Matthew is a 16-year-old high school junior who has been a top student for most of his life. School has always come easily to him, and he has always been a hard worker.

Testing revealed that his intelligence levels were exceptionally high.

It also showed that his scores in all facets of reading, writing, and math were highly advanced. He processed information easily and thought abstractly and originalally. He was highly articulate.

In short, Matthew was plainly very bright, highly capable, and possessed outstanding academic and professional potential.

He was also very driven. It was important for Matthew to do well in school, and he was competitive by nature. This extended beyond the classroom, including into the athletic and musical realms.

Matthew was fortunate. For many years, he was largely able to study while remaining on academic ‘auto-pilot.’ He put extra work in when he needed to, and he had effective strategies that allowed for shortcuts and workarounds.

Until he couldn’t.

Matthew Hits the Wall

Over time, Matthew started to have a hard time tracking what teachers were saying. He needed them to repeat themselves. He would daydream and get lost in thought.

When reading, he would tune out and then realize he had failed to process the materials. He would then have to re-read them, often several times over.

Sitting in a class was exhausting. He fought to stay to stay pay attention and remain focused throughout.

Then came homework time. By then, there was very little mental energy to spare.

He would sit at his desk but stare straight ahead. What should have taken him one hour’s worth of time took him two or three. He was constantly distracted by his phone. He completed most of his assignments but not all of them. He did not understand how to study for tests, even though he put in a lot of time and felt prepared going in.

By the time Matthew came to see me, he had become very frustrated and down on himself. He told me he felt quite hopeless. He did not know what he needed to do to turn things around other than, “Try harder, I guess.”

Matthew is typical of many of the students with whom I work. They know they are smart and capable and have done well in the past, but they don’t understand what’s gone wrong and what to do about it.

Effective Strategies to Break Through the Invisible Wall

Of course, future success continues to rely heavily on Key 3, but at a certain point, they alone are no longer sufficient!

What becomes critical over time is:

Focus; the ability to direct one’s attention to a critical task, even when it feels ‘boring,’
Organization/executive functioning: the willful capacity to be an independent learner and manage and budget one’s time , get started, follow through, and complete tasks and assignments.

Lack of focus and issues with organization/executive function can be damaging to a student’s success and mental health.

Some critical steps to consider:

The first step is to determine your child’s strengths and what is interfering with and preventing them from thriving as they used to.

With an objective understanding of what is standing in the way, we can break through that wall and resume a smooth path to success. With this information in hand, we then move on to formulating a treatment plan.

This may involve some combination of in-school accommodations, organizational training, and/or directly treating the inattention. Psychotherapy is also warranted under certain circumstances.

How a Neuropsychological Evaluation Can Help

It is designed to objectively and exhaustively measure a student’s thinking and learning skills, along with any and all factors impeding them from performing to the heights of their potential.

To book a testing appointment or to speak further about my services, please feel free to contact me at 973-908-4860. Additional information can be found at www.drkoffman.com.

The Invisible Wall: When Students are Cruising, Until They Aren’t