From Special Needs to Straight A’s

Dear Readers,

Alex doing his brain training

Our son, Alex, had a history of learning difficulties since he started school in kindergarten. In second grade, he was diagnosed with learning disabilities. His evaluation showed that he was functioning in the “superior” range of intelligence but had significant deficits in his auditory short-term memory, working memory and phonemic awareness.

When we would try to help Alex with his schoolwork, he would become extremely frustrated, “shut down” and stop trying.  He did not like reading, and it was always a struggle for him to read for a required 15 to 30 minutes per day.  Because school was difficult for Alex,  he cried nearly every morning.

His IEP began with the start of third grade.  He was in a regular classroom and also spent 45 minutes per day with an ESE teacher for direct instruction.  We saw only a little bit of improvement.  Third grade was considerably more stressful for him because of the upcoming state achievement tests.

Alex was halfway through third grade, when he started the brain training program with Diane Daniels at Brain Works, a program that combines Tomatis-based auditory training with brain building activities.

By the end of third grade, his grades had improved tremendously and he passed the state achievement tests without a problem.  He was no longer frustrated by his schoolwork, and he actually began to enjoy reading.  Alex showed so much progress that his school dismissed him from special education instruction!

Alex is doing super in fourth grade and is making all A’s and B’s.  Alex reads every day for more than 30 minutes, because he enjoys it.  He is very organized and knows every day what homework he has to do. He recently received a “Happy Gram” from his teacher stating the following, “I just wanted to let you know that Alex has been a great model student for his peers.  I appreciate his positive attitude in class.”

We are thrilled with the progress Alex has made.  We highly recommend a Brain Works brain & auditory training program to any parents whose children are experiencing similar difficulties.

Steve & Karri Christoffersen

(Editorial Note: Alex older now and is a straight “A” student.)