Archive for February, 2010

Math Facts In 10 Min. A Day

Teacher’s comments after only 8 weeks of use:  

“The teachers seem to like the Rapid Recall programs we have given them and are beginning to see some results. ” Alma Gutierrez—Principal            

 “I have students completing one minute drills that I didn’t think could.  This is surprising me!”  Candi Voyles—Grade 1

After 10 months on the Little Giant Steps program, this week all the letters my 10 year-old daughter had continually and consistently written REVERSED since kindergarten have flipped and now fluently come out on paper facing the right way.  She doesn’t even pause to ponder which way the letter “p” faces.

 I thank God and rejoice that her learning problems are falling by the way side as her brain changes and new neural pathways are built.  This learning challenge seems to have vanished!  I thought it would remain a challenge and she would always pause to ponder which way her letters and numbers go. Is this truly the difference in The ND Approach and learning to compensate? Our diligence and hard work on program is paying off.  I am celebrating and wanted to share.  We had a Little Giant Step today!     C. K. in Perry, Georgia

My husband and I have one son who has been on program for 6 months. We home school our children. Our middle son did not start learning to read until he was 7 years old, and reading and spelling have always been difficult for him. We are mainly working on visual dominance, macular reflection, and tactility issues.  We have also worked on visual and auditory sequential processing, conceptualization, and articulation. At our 4 month re-evaluation, we were so encouraged with the results. We saw changes/progress in all areas, including a 2 grade level jump in all academic testing areas. I was especially thrilled with his improvement in reading decoding which is very weak. We have yet to see improvement in spelling, but I have faith that it will follow once his visual dominance and reflection problems are completely corrected. I am sold on the benefits of this program and so very thankful for it and the work of our evaluator. It has been an answer to prayer!   Jen B

Here are what parents who are utilizing the LGS Neuro-Educational Program report about their child’s progress:

Dyslexia -

“He went from 15 out of 50 words, and at the end of the year he could read 45 out of 50 of the words on this specific test and the teachers said, “Most kids do not make this much progress the first year!!!” D.C –May 09

“His scores are just more evidence to substantiate that the ND approach to learning is incredibly successful! “  D. C. in Frisco, TX  May/2009

“After coming home with four A’s and a B on his report card, we are absolutely convinced that your program was absolutely key to his success.”  D.C. 11/08

Current Approaches
For many decades the traditional treatment for individuals with dyslexia has been a phonological approach first introduced by Samuel Orton (The Orton/Gillingham Method). The question a neuro-educational specialist (ND) might ask is:  Was the approach he settled on too narrow when he himself in the 1920s listed multiple symptoms not related to phonology to describe this condition? Although the evidence in favor of the phonological weakness of dyslexics has dominated the scene recently, it does not diminish the importance of the visual perceptual problems that many dyslexics report (Stein, 1997) as well as the myriad of other symptoms with various causes.
The Neurodevelopmental (ND) Approach
It seem reasonable to NDs that dyslexia actually results from a combination of several different inefficiencies.  They would suggest that each case of dyslexia has a unique set of causes that needs to be addressed by looking at individual situations. This involves a global look at the child and specific activities based on the findings, in each case, treating the root causes.  They look at the whole child and focus on the causes instead of the symptoms! 
When you hear “The ND Approach” think “neuro-plasticity,” the brain’s natural ability to change and modify itself in response to changes in or enrichment of the environment (Ratey, 2001 p. 167) (See article online.) Plasticity is present as long as a person lives, otherwise stroke victims would have no hope of regaining function.  ND is the study of the brain’s plasticity to make advancements regardless of the current condition of the person with an understanding that abilities can be enhanced with brain stimulating activities when applied with the keys of frequency, intensity, and short duration over a specified period of time. (See related article online.)   NDs believe that these three keys to input, used in the stimulation of an individual’s auditory, visual, tactile, manual, language and mobility systems, are the solution to causing low or non-functioning parts of the brain to gain function thus reducing dyslexic symptoms. 
This unique approach relies on creating the right environment for the brain to essentially heal the faulty wiring which causes dyslexic symptoms. Theoretically, the ND Approach establishes learning difficulties as symptoms of incomplete development and inefficient communication between brain and body.  For instance, if an infant is not allowed to move from the stages of random movement into more specific coordinated movement and experience cross patterning activities gained through normal progression of crawling and creeping, the organization of the brain will be left in an incomplete state.  A surprising 75% of students with diagnosed learning difficulties never crawled (Corso, 1997). Crawling even promotes a new level of brain organization, as indicated by more organized EEG brain-wave activity in the cerebral cortex.
 Other Key Elements
NDs are keenly aware of the auditory system and the important role that it plays in the acquisition of reading skills.  Auditory memory refers to the ability to take in pieces of information, hold them in your mind and manipulate them in the short-term (Ness, K. 1999). There is an understanding that language skills such as speech, reading, writing, and spelling develop only if the child has learned to “listen” (Goddard, 2002 p. 106). The auditory system is a major aspect of phonology. All auditory deficits negatively affect phonological processing which would explain why many dyslexics make slow or minimal progress from phonetic instruction while others benefit greatly. Phonics being an auditory system requires decoding and holding sounds together to achieve words. It would follow that the better an individual’s auditory processing ability, the easier it would be to utilize phonics.  However, developing auditory skills is a challenge in a society which has become primarily visual Developing advanced auditory processing is highly recommended by NDs! It enhances the ability to decode unknown words as well as increasing reading comprehension. When low auditory processing exists, a different reading strategy is required until the auditory deficit can be remediated.
NDs also agree with prominent researchers in learning disability history who noted issues with the visual system of dyslexics from eye-hand coordination to tracking and teaming, to central detail vision issues, etc. The visual system does not act alone but relies on the vestibular and proprioceptive systems for accurate information, confirming the ND approach i.e. an individual is an integrated whole with different systems interacting and affecting each other.  Eye dominance (a subject too extensive for discussion here, see “Learning Disability” article online) has proven a key factor in correction of dyslexic symptoms. Orton (1938/1989), said that “eyedness… is not so widely recognized as handedness, but it is probably of equal importance” (p. 30). NDs have found that when eye dominance coordinates with the dominant hand and additional inefficiencies are addressed, dyslexic symptoms diminish and often disappear entirely. Refer to a bar graph, which shows the percentage of individuals (personal clients labeled as dyslexic by other professionals) that had mixed dominance as well as low auditory and visual sequential processing.

                                                                                  Conclusion

My son was so dyslexic he had difficulty reading, writing and doing anything that required him to translate anything in his head to and through his hands.  While he was considered gifted; his daily struggle lead to such low self-esteem by the time he was 10, he was seriously depressed.  I discovered a program that used only natural means in helping  to establish better neuro-efficiency. (Mind-body connection).  After he was evaluated I discovered he had not only had several learning disabilities, but they were developmentally related and we could do activities that would alleviate these problems.  This program helped to get the lower levels of  his brain organized, his auditory processing abilities increased, his issues about ambidexterity resolved (he truly was left handed), his eyes tracking and central detail vision improved, his hypo-sensitivity issues normalized. It was not difficult, but I did have to commit to working with him several times a day.  It wasn’t complicated, it just was a routine we got into, because I wanted my child to discover his true potential, of which all of these “learning issues” were preventing him from discovering.  He knew he was smart, but he also knew he was unable to make things come out  “right” (the way it did for his classmates).  Over a period 24  months I saw a birth process of who my son really was meant to be and how fantastic he could perform, as the dyslexia disappeared, the dygraphia fell away, his inability to organize his thoughts became a thing of the past.  He began to be able to  remember his train of thought, he became this creative dynamo and still is today.  All this, because I discovered the value of a natural path to recovery called the neurodevelopmental program.  If this strikes a chord with your experience with your child, please start educating yourself.  A very good place to start is at:  www.littlegiantsteps.com  This intervention saved my son’s life, literally.  From a mom deeply glad I helped my son!

We are so very happy with the Little Giant Steps program.  For the first four months, my 17 year-old daughter did very little structured academics.  We focused on the Neurodevelopmental Activities on her program instead.  At every question I had of “Should I continue this?”, her evaluator, Ruth Young, would answer, “Let’s just wait, it will be easier in a few months.”  At our four month evaluation, I was shocked at the progress Sarah had made.  Her reading comprehension jumped from a 7^th grade level to an 11^th grade level in just 4 months.  A few days after the evaluation, I heard my daughter read for the first time since long before she started with Little Giant Steps and I joyfully listened to her read at an adult level for the first time in her life.  Sarah has attempted Algebra on two previous occasions and I had just about given up hope that she would ever understand.  After the four month evaluation, we started Algebra again for the third time and this time she gets it!  She has taken 5 Algebra tests and her scores have ranged from 80% to 100%.  It is like teaching a different child.  Even when she doesn’t understand something, her reactions are usually much more mature.  Wow!  Thank you, thank you, thank you.                                                         C. P. in Houston, TX

Q: “My child has a good heart, but he is disruptive and out of control so much we really hate to take him anywhere.  How would your program help him?” 

Answer:  You remind me of a child (we’ll call him Sam) who came to our office about six years ago.  Thank goodness his mother loved him, because he was a chore to tolerate. He, too, had his moments where he was the most caring and endearing little guy. Unfortunately, those were the exceptions, rather than the rule for him.  To start, we evaluated him.  We discovered he was extremely hyper-sensitive to all sorts of stimuli.  He also had an intolerance to some food additives, which would set him off on a downward spiral of destructive behavior that was big enough to cause severe marital discord between his parents.  There were other issues such as dominance and extreme problems with his tactile system and sound.  All these problems were addressed with a specific program designed by a neuro-educational specialist.  Within 5 weeks his mother contacted us and said he had slept all night and there seemed to be a leveling of his behavior.  He wasn’t screaming at his little sister because of her loud voice which, for the rest of the family, seemed to be within normal limits. He wasn’t as angry on a daily basis and the number of emotional meltdowns during the course of the day were less frequent.  Today, this little boy is now in junior high.  He has an academic standing above average. He interacts well with his peers, adults and people in authority.  Today, you’d never guess he was once an out of control tyrant.  That’s what our program does. It helps to get these children’s brains organized, their super-sensitivities normalized and it  increases their ability to process information, comprehend, and leave behind the chaotic behavior that resulted from gaps in his development.

 For the free articles CLICK HERE 

It’s true, learning disabilities are not a life sentence, as we’ve been reminded yet again by Augusta’s Mom, Carol Bolton. She wrote to tell us about the change in Augusta’s life, because of the neuro-education program from Little Giant Steps:   

My new favorite quote from Augusta on her birthday:  “Mommy, last year on my birthday, when I opened a book, it was just all a bunch of letters.  This year on my birthday, all of the letters have become words. Thanks Little Giant Steps!!”    Yea for Augusta!