We suggested that Troy be tested for any possible learning disabilities. THE SCHOOL COUNSELING GROUP, INC. referred Mrs. Jackson to a good diagnostician in the area, who would be able to help figure out why Troy was struggling so much with academics. (In many cases, such testing can also be arranged through a child's public school system for free, although the process may take longer.) The tests would tell whether Troy was having so much trouble because he has a learning disability, or whether, perhaps, he was having emotional or social problems that were interfering with his interest in school.

The testing showed that Troy did indeed have a few minor learning differences. The diagnostician's report helped pinpoint his strengths, but showed some significant weaknesses. Troy had lost interest in school, our counselor concluded, because his frustrations had gradually overwhelmed the satisfaction he used to feel in his classes as a younger boy.

Now the key to helping Troy succeed in school became a matter of getting him and his teachers to work both with a sense of his strengths, so he could focus on them, and with an awareness of his weaknesses, so he could work to find ways to work around them.

We recommended a local tutor who was firm, yet caring and understanding, and Troy began working with him after school. The tutor showed Troy various methods and study habits to help him overcome his learning differences. Troy also attended summer school to make up for the credits he had lost.

The strategy yielded real success. It was a long road for Troy and his mother; not every assignment was a success, and he had to teach himself to get over rough patches of disappointment. But Troy pulled up his grades and consistently improved, and the last time we spoke with the Jacksons, Troy was beginning to plan for college.