When children struggle in school, the most common advice they hear is to try harder. But a new book, "Your Child Learns Differently, Now What? The Truth for Parents," argues that effort alone is often insufficient if a child lacks the underlying cognitive skills needed for effective learning. Authors Roger Stark and Betsy Hill contend that parents should look beyond surface-level explanations and ask whether their child has the learning foundation to succeed.
The book, published by Seabiscuit Press, is designed for parents of struggling learners, students with uneven academic performance, and children whose school experience is marked by frustration, anxiety, homework battles, or declining confidence. Stark and Hill explain that learning depends on cognitive skills such as attention, memory, processing speed, executive functions, auditory processing, and visual processing—the skills that enable us to understand, remember, and apply information. When these skills are weak or uneven, a student may put in effort and still fall short, making the instruction to "try harder" not only unhelpful but potentially harmful.
The authors point to a common scenario: a child works diligently, spends extra time, receives help, yet continues to struggle. Another child may grasp concepts in conversation but freeze when asked to read, write, or organize thoughts on paper. In such cases, the issue is not willingness but the absence of the cognitive foundation required for the task. The book offers a five-step framework to guide parents from pressure and frustration toward understanding, skill-building, and support. It does not dismiss effort but emphasizes that effort must be paired with the right tools and guidance.
A central theme is the link between confidence and learning. Repeatedly telling children to work harder without visible results can erode their self-belief. Stark and Hill encourage parents to see confidence as integral to the learning process, noting that children persist when they experience progress and understand their struggles have a neurological explanation. The book also questions temporary workarounds: while accommodations are important, parents should ask whether these supports build long-term learning capacity or merely offer short-term relief.
Roger Stark is the CEO of BrainWare Learning Company, and Betsy Hill is its President and COO. Their work focuses on cognitive training and neuroscience-informed learning, helping parents and educators understand the role of cognitive skills in academic performance and lifelong outcomes. BrainWare Learning Company emphasizes research-based approaches to strengthen these skills.
The book is a practical guide for families ready to move beyond the simple directive to "try harder" and instead understand how their children learn, identify barriers, and build the skills necessary for success. It is available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.
