A kid's primary Job is to go to school and perform well. When a kid begins to get sideways, teachers and school personnel are often the first to notice. They have the advantage of knowing hundreds of preschoolers- first/third/fifth/sixth/eighth graders- freshmen/sophomores/juniors.
They know when a kid sticks out. But, they don't always know why the kid sticks out. And they often have very few ideas about how to stick the kid back in.
So, sometimes, teachers adopt the belief that the kid sticks out because of something a parent did, or did not, do. There is an unspoken expectation that the parent is responsible for sticking the kid back in. This expectation is often a reason that parents seek out therapy.
As a therapist, I am pretty skilled at discerning why kids stick out at school. Sometimes, it's normal. Sometimes, it's something the kid does/doesn't do or something the parent does/doesn't do. Or, it can be something the school does/doesn't do. Many times, it's a combination of factors.
Fortunately for the families I work for, I am very familiar with how the schools in our neighborhood function. I know the Key Players at many of the schools; I know the Teachers, the Guidance Counselors, and the Administrators. I know all about 504's and IEPs. I know about the therapies (speech, occupational, behavioral, mental health) that can happen at school. I know about Gifted classes, AMP classes, Self-Contained classes, AICE classes, IB classes, Cambridge classes, etc.
Knowing how the schools, public and private, come together to meet the needs of their students is a professional priority for me. I dedicate a lot of time to staying abreast of what is happening, locally and (in the case of public schools) at the District level.
My extensive knowledge and experience in the schools gives us a sincere advantage when it comes to improving her experience at school- and changing a child's school experience can sometimes be The Thing that brings a child back to Happy.