Knowing Your Learner — Understanding How And When They Learn Best
Welcome to February — for many families, the first full month of the school year properly underway. The novelty of new stationery has worn off, routines are settling in, and you may already be noticing patterns in how your student is coping.
This month we want to highlight something that sounds simple but makes a profound difference: learning to truly observe your young person. Not to fix or judge what you see, but to understand it. When we get curious — noticing the time of day they are sharpest, the environments that calm them, the topics that light them up — we stop trying to make them fit the system, and start building a life that fits them.
Notice what time of day your learner is most focused
Schedule their hardest tasks during their focus window — and protect that time from screens and distractions. Once you find it, it becomes one of your most powerful tools.
Every individual has a natural rhythm to their day. Some are sharpest first thing in the morning, before the noise builds up. Others do not hit their stride until mid-morning or after lunch. For neurodiverse learners especially, when they are in their window, learning flows.
This week, try watching without intervening. Notice when your learner is most engaged — then start scheduling homework and important conversations in that window. Even a small timing shift can change the entire experience.
T — Tune In: Truly Understanding Your Learner
The T in T.H.R.I.V.E. stands for Tune In — and it is where every coaching journey begins. Before strategies, before school conversations, before planning for the future, we need to get clear on who your young person is right now.
Tuning In means asking different questions. Not why they will not try harder but what does effort feel like in their body. Sit with these this month:
- When does my young person seem most like themselves — relaxed and at ease?
- What environments bring out the best in them?
- What do I wish their teacher knew that a report card would never show?
“My student was doing well last year with their teacher, but this year everything seems harder. Did we lose all that progress?”
No — the progress is still there. What often happens with neurodiverse learners is that their success is deeply relational. When the relationship changes, the scaffolding they relied on temporarily disappears, and it can feel like going backwards. It is not.
Reach out to the new teacher early, share what worked last year, and give your child a few weeks to find their footing. The groundwork you set up does not disappear — it just needs a new foundation to stand on.
Have a win to share? Email admin@targetingtomorrow.com.au — your story may help another family in the future.
UNDERSTOOD.ORG
Free articles, tools, and guides on learning and attention differences — written in plain language for parents, not clinicians. Search learning styles or focus and attention to start.
Visit understood.org
We are currently working on some exciting things for the Targeting Tomorrow community — collected a library of information and young people resource listing for local families. Keep checking in with the website for updates.