New guide helps parents understand why effort alone cannot overcome underlying learning challenges
NEW YORK, NY, August 10, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ — When children struggle in school, one of the most common messages they hear is to try harder. In Your Child Learns Differently, Now What? The Truth for Parents, Roger Stark and Betsy Hill challenge that familiar advice, arguing that effort alone is often not enough when a child lacks the underlying cognitive skills needed to learn effectively.
Published by Seabiscuit Press, the book is written for parents of struggling learners, students with uneven academic performance, and children whose school experience has become marked by frustration, anxiety, homework battles, or declining confidence. Stark and Hill suggest that parents should look beyond surface-level explanations and ask a more useful question: Does this child have the learning foundation needed to succeed?
The authors explain that learning depends on cognitive skills such as attention, memory, processing speed, executive functions, auditory processing, visual processing—the skills that enable us to understand, remember and apply information. If cognitive skills are weak or uneven, a student may put in effort and still fall short. In that situation, telling the child to try harder can increase frustration without addressing the real barrier.
The book points to a common experience for many families: a child works hard, spends extra time, receives help, and still struggles to keep up. Another child may understand ideas in conversation but freeze when asked to read, write, remember facts, or organize steps on paper. In both cases, the issue may not be willingness. It may be that the child is being asked to perform academic tasks without the cognitive foundation those tasks require.
Your Child Learns Differently, Now What? offers a five-step framework that helps parents move from pressure and frustration toward understanding, skill-building, and guided support. The book does not reject effort, but it argues that effort must be supported by the right learning tools, guidance, and understanding.
A key message of the book is that confidence is closely tied to learning. When children are repeatedly told to work harder but still do not see results, they may begin to believe they are not smart or capable. Stark and Hill encourage parents to view confidence not as a bonus, but as part of the learning process. Children are more likely to persist when they experience progress and understand that their struggles have an explanation.
The book also raises questions about temporary workarounds. Accommodations and support can be important, but the authors argue that parents should also ask whether those supports are helping a child build stronger learning capacity over time. The distinction matters for families who want more than short-term relief. They want their child to become a more confident, independent learner.
Roger Stark is the CEO of BrainWare Learning Company, and Betsy Hill is the company’s President and COO. Their work focuses on cognitive training, neuroscience-informed learning, and helping parents and educators understand the role of cognitive skills in school performance and long-term outcomes.
Your Child Learns Differently, Now What? The Truth for Parents is positioned as a parent guide for families who are ready to move beyond the simple instruction to “try harder.” Its message is practical and direct: struggling students often need more than pressure. They need parents and educators to understand how they learn, where the barriers are, and what kind of support can help them build the skills to succeed.
Book Information
Title: Your Child Learns Differently, Now What? The Truth for Parents
Authors: Roger Stark and Betsy Hill
Publisher: Seabiscuit Press
Formats listed in the book: paperback, hardcover, and ebook
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