We are getting into that time of the year when our office is flooded with calls from parents who are deeply concerned that their child’s transition to school has started off, frankly, not so hot!

On a personal note, my daughter just began kindergarten and we are in a similar boat. A month into the school year, I found out that she was far below expected levels in pre-literacy skills. Whoa… not what I expected to hear.

After receiving the letter, I had many thoughts. I felt like I had completely fallen short as a parent and a professional. How did I not know that? Being the testing psychologist that I am, I of course gave my daughter an informal comprehensive evaluation prior to kindergarten to ensure she was on track. She was going to be a young kindergartener, and we received mixed messages about sending her early. I have never been a parent who was overly concerned about my daughter’s learning. She seemed to learn letters easily, and my goal for preschool was more for social ...