Programs for Children with Cognitive Impairment and Learning Disabilities

I have had several queries about helping children with learning disabilities so I thought I would consolidate everything I have learned here. Please be aware that I am not an expert on learning disabilities nor do I have any experience with children with learning disabilities. I am deeply fascinated by the brain, the depth of its capabilities and its remarkable potential for recovery. This interest has led to the discovery of various programs designed to help children with learning disabilities. These programs have demonstrated some promising results and while I share them here, I do urge that you dig deeper for your own answers and to make your own conclusions.

* These programs should not replace the professional advice of a specialist.

Before reading on, I urge you to read the story of Pedro, a 65 year old man who suffered a massive stroke that destroyed 97% of the nerves from the cerebral cortex to the spine. Despite the extensive damage to his brain, Pedro was able to make a full recovery with the help of his son who designed a specialised rehabilitation program for him. At 65 years old, Pedro demonstrated the brain’s amazing potential for recovery. I truly believe that with time, patience, repetition and appropriate sensory stimulation, we can do a lot for our children with cognitive impairment and learning disabilities.

The Mind-Body Connection

There is a deep connection between the mind and body where movement and brain development are intertwined. More and more, we are observing how frequent, early movements in infants correlate with academic learning later on.

• Movement is good for brain development
• Sports and physical development are important for brain development and academic performance
• Why physical activity is the best thing you can do to train your brain

These are some programs for children with learning disabilities that focus on movement:

• Rhythmic Movement Training

Michael Merzenich – FastForword Program

Michael Merzenich is a professor emeritus neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco who has made numerous contributions to the field of neuroscience. One of the programs he helped develop was the FastForword Program which is a computer training program designed for children with learning disabilities (reading and language difficulties, including some with autism, attention deficit disorder and dyslexia). Through game play and repetition, the program helps these children re-wire their brains.

Does it work? These were the results from the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne:

• children who had medical problems, showed no improvement.
• children with auditory processing problems made two to three-year gains on standardised tests after two to three months.
• autistic children made six-month gains in their language development based on standardised tests within three months.
• some language-disordered children made a 12-month gain in a few months.

Despite the positive results from some centers that the use of the FastForword program helped children with learning disabilities, the research supporting the program seems inconclusive.

See: Psycholinguistics/Case Study: FastForward

Fast Forword Program:

• Find a provider
• Use Fast Forword at Home

Past articles on Michael Merzenich:

• Improving the brain and brain training programs
• Re-designing the brain, sharpening perception and memory, and increasing the speed of thought
• Merzenich on Learning Difficulties, Autism and Brain Training

Barbara Arrowsmith

The Arrowsmith program is a school designed for children with learning disabilities. What was most interesting about it is that its creator, Barbara Arrowsmith, grew up with severe learning disabilities and she learned to overcome her disabilities with intense brain training exercises that she designed for herself.

• Building a Better Brain: How Brain Exercises Strengthen the Brain
• Fixing My Brain – for Children with Learning Disabilities

BrainRx – Ken Gibson

The Brain Rx program, also known as LearningRx, was created by Dr Ken Gibson. It is a personalised one-to-one brain training program designed to help children improve their cognitive skills and learning potential. It is also recommended for children with dyslexia, ADHD, poor memory skills and other learning problems.

• More about the program
• Our review of the program – Part 1
• Review – Part 2

Right Brain Education

• Shichida Method for children with learning disabilities
• Glenn Doman for children with learning disabilities

Related:

• April is Autism Awareness Month – Let’s Light it Up Blue!
• Children with ASD – Why You Need to Recognise it Early and Get Help
• Are You Sure My Child has ADHD?
• ADHD and Creativity Go Hand in Hand?