View our testimonials below from participants that have attended or have had family attend Arrowsmith School.
We heard of the Cognitive Intensive Program through the Arrowsmith Program newsletter, and suddenly found ourselves planning a six-week trip to Toronto.
I’ve seen a whole lot of changes from school, but by far, the biggest change I think I’ve noticed is something most people take for granted: confidence.
What I dream about is the competence to keep a job. To remember the instructions given to me for more than five minutes one needs a life to live and grow.
I dream on becoming a zoologist when I grow up. In order to become a zoologist I need a college degree, and before I came to Arrowsmith it felt so hard for me to make good grades in school where it felt impossible for me to get accepted into University and pass my final exams.
My son, Jarek, has just completed his first year at Arrowsmith School and I write to express my immense gratitude for offering not just hope for children with learning disabilities academically, but the opportunity to prove to themselves they are invaluable members of their families, schools and communities.
I’ve noticed a few changes since the start of the year. One of the nicest changes was that when my sister was home over the holidays, we hardly fought at all.
I want to update you on William’s progress since completing his program at Arrowsmith. William graduated from Grade 12 having made the Honour Roll for his final three years.
The Arrowsmith program has allowed me to dream big, and there are a couple of things that are my dreams like my career or my future school or getting better at every day stuff, like homework.
I am so so happy that I am in Arrowsmith because it has really, really helped me tons! I can now do a lot of things that I was never able to do before.
I am writing this 2 Years after Arrowsmith School. I am naturally inquisitive and have always been intrigued by the learning process and the pursuit of knowledge.
It was in my 18th year that things began to change for me. Looking back, I can only describe my life to that date as existence, struggling along trying to survive in what was for me a continuously confusing world.
The Arrowsmith program made me dream again because now the things I can do are endless. I could be a CEO of a company or I can get a PHD in robotics because I can read and write and understand things I could not before.
I have seen improvements in Math. I have gone from the girl who would sit in the back of the class and after almost every sentence ask my teacher a question because I couldn’t do the work or understand it
One of the drawbacks I have faced in life is the “wall syndrome”; when you come to a wall, you stop and don’t get to the other side, at least for a long time or until adrenaline panic push somehow gets you over or through or around the wall.
We heard of the Cognitive Intensive Program through the Arrowsmith Program newsletter, and suddenly found ourselves planning a six-week trip to Toronto. It was a leap of faith for our family to make the trip to Toronto, but we now know it is a common story among the families we met here – we felt we had exhausted all the other possible interventions, and we were seeking a new approach. Within three days of beginning, Francine could read the time on an analog clock, and for us, that was a pretty clear signal that we had made a good decision. We have seen changes in her speech, her reading comprehension, her understanding of new concepts, her social confidence, even her sporting ability. When asked, Francine said she was able to feel the difference in her own abilities developing during and after CIP and that she wanted to do more of the program
Sandra
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I thought I should also let you know about the kinds of progress we have seen in Benji in the three-month period since he began Eaton Arrowsmith. He is initiating and planning things much more independently and even doing completely new activities on his own initiative that he has never done without someone prompting or scaffolding for him. He is playing board games much more strategically. He asked for a new novel for a Chanukah present. This was a first as he has never viewed reading novels as anything but hard work before. His time management skills have improved, and he finally grasps the meaning of time lapse, which is HUGE! He now sets his phone alarm independently for his 45-minute MSS homework without any help. We couldn’t be more excited!
Donna and Mike
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
After 4 years, it is time for Andrew to leave the Arrowsmith Program. He does not want to leave, as Arrowsmith to him is what he calls home. You have given Andrew a safe place to learn, to grow, and to make mistakes knowing that next time or tomorrow or next week is another mastery that will come his way. Numbers, letters, and reading no longer intimidate Andrew. He took them on, and he won…There are no words to thank each of you for the significant role you have all played in Andrew’s life. He leaves Arrowsmith a happy, confident, bright young man with only opportunity ahead of him.
Marianne Vangoor
Arrowsmith Administrator
Program: Full-time
Arrowsmith has proven to be a vital and integral program at our school. One of our core values is that every student matters and having the Arrowsmith program available is one way of fulfilling that core value.
Confidence levels were the first indicator that the Arrowsmith program was having an impact. Students who previously seemed shy or unengaged, were now making eye contact, voicing opinions, and speaking up. One parent shared that her son ordered his own meal at a restaurant for the first time after a few months in the program. Another student has shared that she is now able to speak up in mainstream class and is even participating in debates. “I am thinking more quickly and have more ideas,” she said.
Reading scores for these students have increased, with some students making a gain of a year or more in four months. Other students have seen improvements in math, in writing, and penmanship. We are proud of our students and love celebrating their successes!
Marianne Vangoor Principal Halton Hills Christian School
Jaron’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Jaron has an auditory processing disability. When I used to give him directions to do something, he would then look at me and say- “wait…What?” It was very hard for him to process the directions, especially for multi- tasks. Since he started Arrowsmith for this year, I have not heard him ask for repetition of task directions at all. He seems much more confident that he heard the directions and he is ready to follow through on them without further clarification. In school, he didn’t have the ability to ask the teacher each time to clarify the directions so he just wouldn’t start the task at all. This could lead to a “meltdown” with Jaron unable to do the task at all. A teacher who has worked with Jaron for the past three years reports no “meltdowns” this year and Jaron’s willingness to start and mostly complete the tasks asked of him.
Arrowsmith has given Jaron a confidence that he can do what is asked of him. He is very proud when he “masters” a task in Arrowsmith and can bring in a special treat for the class. His self-esteem has improved significantly since he began Arrowsmith.Jaron possesses above average intelligence but his learning disability kept him from achieving what he is capable of achieving. By strengthening the weak areas of his brain, Jaron will be able to reach his potential and most importantly be confident that “he can do it”.
At home, when Jaron works on a school assignment, he now asks for help when he needs it and finishes the task without any frustrated behavior. He used to not even want to attempt his homework and would shutdown and be unwilling to do it. He approaches the task with a calmness that wasn’t there before.
Family members have remarked that Jaron is more affectionate. He seems to have knocked down some of the walls he had put up around himself. Seeing Jaron happier with himself has been a tremendous thing for our family.
When a child is frustrated in school, he might exhibit behaviors to protect himself from being hurt by the disapproval of others- teachers, parent classmates. In Arrowsmith, Jaron has achieved a degree of success which helps him shed these behaviors and be able to learn more effectively.
Vicki
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
The gains from Arrowsmith Program (for my child) have been huge…My daughter was struggling in a way I had not fully understood, and she is not struggling in the same way now…she uses her own brain to do things, where before she was borrowing mine.
David's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
It has helped David in everything he says and does. I see remarkable improvement. Interaction, concentration and organizational skills seem to have had the most improvement. His concentration span has made the most noticeable progress. He has more focus and gets his work done. It is a good program for students like my son.
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
The Arrowsmith Program helped me in a big way because now as I get older I can accomplish things and dare to dream. I can read and understand humor and can have better conversations with my friends. When I get older, I want to travel and go to college to become a teacher, get married, and have a family. And I will have a great life. I can have those dreams now because I am confident and I can read at my age level of reading.
Before I did not know who I was and I had trouble with friends bullying me. Now, I can stand up to them because I can understand where they are coming from. And I don’t care what they think about me. All that matters is that I care about myself. Now I can stand up to them now. Arrowsmith has given me these tools that I needed to be able to achieve my dreams.
Rodney's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I believe the program has done wonders for Rodney. He seems to be much more confident in all aspects of his daily routine and his enthusiasm shows.
Livia's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
It has helped in math. Before she couldn’t concentrate and understand math.
Zack’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Over the past few years, I have shared with you some or all of our families’ journey with Zack’s learning disability, and I wanted to share some exciting news. Zack has dyslexia, and like most kids with learning disabilities, they have underlying cognitive weaknesses in the area of memory (short term, long term, working memory) and processing speed (visual or auditory).
Combinations of these weak cognitive areas are the underlying causes of every learning disability. Traditional LD approaches teach parents how to best tutor, accommodate, and advocate for their child, but most of these students continue to struggle in school.
This year I am a teacher in a new cognitive training program at Camperdown Academy, the Arrowsmith Program, and the exercises we do strengthen all of those weak underlying cognitive skills. Research shows that after students complete the program (usually two to three years), they no longer test as having a learning disability, and they can return to the traditional classroom on par with their peers. It has been an amazing year for me, my co-teacher, and our 20 students as we see their cognitive skills and confidence strengthening everyday.
However, that that is not my exciting news! To back up a bit, Zack was tested in 4th grade by a psychologist in Greenville and again in 5th grade by a neuro-psychologist in Boston. We were told that he is very smart (as are most kids with learning disabilities), but his biggest learning disability is that his processing speed is in the 5th percentile. Basically, it takes him much longer to complete academic tasks (taking notes, taking tests, doing homework, etc.) than the average student, and he could not keep up in the traditional classroom. We were also told that you are born with your processing speed (and working memory), it cannot be changed, and that processing speed below 30th percentile will not be successful in the traditional classroom. (That is one reason I home-schooled Zack for 4th and 5th grade. Giving him the time he needed and tutoring him for dyslexia, we saw his grades, Stanford scores, and self-confidence soar. However, all he has ever wanted was to go back to school to be with his friends.)
When we left the first doctor’s office two years ago, I began researching everything under the sun on strengthening cognitive skills. A little over a year ago a friend gave me the book “Brain School” which explains the Arrowsmith Program, and I knew I had finally found the answer. I helped an amazing group of like-minded moms bring the Arrowsmith Program to South Carolina last spring and was hired as one of the classroom teachers. At the beginning of the school year last fall, we did independent cognitive testing on our students in the program to see for ourselves if the program does what it says it does. This past Friday I received Zack’s year-end independent cognitive test scores. His processing speed is now in 42nd percentile! In fact, six of his nine cognitive test scores are now in the 90th percentile! All of our students’ scores improved in some or all cognitive areas. I am so very grateful right now, humbled beyond belief, and feel as though I’ve exhaled deeply for the first time in five years. Zack will return to the “traditional classroom” next year, and he will not need the LD resource program. Friends, nothing is impossible with prayer and perseverance. Thanks for your support these past few years. sharing, caring, and listening. This is the best Mother’s Day gift ever!
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
Through doing “R” think my ability to interpret my own emotions more accurately has improved as well as my ability to regulate them. Memory of things like authors, events, things I’ve researched, what I did years or days ago has noticeably increased. Tracing has dramatically improved my motor control for EVERYTHING. I had trouble even talking before Arrowsmith, let alone writing. Writing was actually a living Hell, but now they’ve both increased I can talk way more fluently and it doesn’t feel like I’m breaking my hand when I write.
Kerrie
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
There have been only a few times in my sons’ lifetime journey where we have seen a genuine significant improvement in his abilities. This program is one of them. The Arrowsmith program has improved his ability to think, follow instructions and problem solve. It is truly amazing to watch, and we haven't even finished yet!!! I would highly recommend this program to all parents of similar need. My son now has better cognitive processing across all of his activities.
Elijah’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Our son needed extra help and attention since he was a little boy. He was very easily distracted, didn’t follow instructions, was clumsy and many times inattentive. We had him evaluated neurologically and learned that he has a learning disability but otherwise, thank God, healthy. He was not ADHD nor autistic, something that we sometimes thought. We went through the intensive route of ongoing speech therapy, occupational therapy and special education. He maintained a regular classroom schedule with his peers, although with a lot of extra help when we could get it. Not always were his teachers understanding or tolerant of his needs. We would ask the teacher to allow him a few breaks, or find a task for him to do, if she/he noticed him getting “antsy”. We would ask for the tests in advance so we would only have to concentrate on a few topics, etc.
PTA was never a good night. Every single teacher would say the same thing – they try to call on him but he never responds, so they stopped or he doesn’t seem to pay attention, he doodles, he never has the right books or papers, he forgets homework … Somehow, he made it through elementary school.
The beginning of 9th grade is the time that we were introduced to the Arrowsmith Program. Gradually we began to see improvements – was it maturity or Arrowsmith, we constantly questioned. But over time, he began to blossom. He’s become expressive, attentive and even inter-active. Socially, this past summer in camp, he had a great time as “one of the guys”. During a skills lesson, where usually older counselors teach a skill, like diving or hiking etc. to the younger campers, our son, on his own initiative co-ordinated and then taught an entire lesson on how to play golf. This is not the same child that we’ve raised for 16 ½ years. His confidence has grown, his social interaction is age appropriate and he’s happy. He’s also learned how to play the electric guitar quite well. He’s now beginning the 11th grade. He’ll be taking trigonometry. He did well in algebra and geometry and has the confidence to go on. Because of the Arrowsmith Program, he now has the ability to memorize, understand and formulate difficult mathematical equations.
Hopefully, this will be his 3rd and final year at Arrowsmith. We know that one day he will look back at his school days, try to forget the difficult elementary school years and remember and be grateful for the Arrowsmith Program that helped awaken him to a promising future.
Michael's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Michael has more confidence to try doing his schoolwork on his own and gets really excited when work he has done is done well and gets a good grade. He seems to enjoy accomplishing things in school on his own. He never would dare try that before. It has given him self confidence.
Nina & Andrew
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Arrowsmith has been a game-changer for our son, who in year 8 was struggling to stay in school, let alone thrive. The transformation in terms of self-esteem, resilience, and personal development has been amazing… This time two years ago, we weren’t even sure we’d be able to keep him in school till year 10, and here we are; it’s been amazing. We can’t recommend the Arrowsmith Program more highly.
Parker
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I am better at math. I usually understand it the first time, before I had to ask a few times to get it. It helped me pick up my speed in reading. I can pick out the main idea easier. I can sound out and remember more in reading so it is becoming easier to read. Math is easier and I don’t have to ask for help as many times. I am more organized.
I get better marks in the projects in my classes. My marks are considerably higher. In math I used to always use my fingers but now I only use my fingers sometimes. In reading I used to skip words and now I don’t. It is easier to remember things now. I understand easier. My handwriting has gotten better. I am taking instructions better. Spelling and math are easier. I did not know my times tables and now I know some. I can spell a lot better. It is easier to tell time. My reading and writing have improved and I like to write stories.
I read easier. There are big words that smarter kids can’t get and I can get them and people are surprised. If I am watching Jeopardy I get the answer cause I now get the little clue in the question. It is easier to remember things I have to do.
In math I am able to figure out things easier and I answer a lot quicker. I read quicker and understand easier. I am remembering easier.
It has helped with my handwriting. It is readable. I can read my work now.
Richard's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
There is a very noticeable change in Richard’s development.
Max’s Parents
Parent/Guardian
Program: Cognitive Intensive Program
Participant Age: School-Age
Since Max has finished the Cognitive Intensive Program (CIP) a year ago we have noticed multiple positive changes in him. The greatest of these have been regarding his communication skills…Max won a prestigious award at his summer camp this year by writing and giving a speech about Optimism. He actually made the director of the camp cry when he read his speech because it was so well written and so meaningful. He would never have been able to write such a fantastic speech, and have people understand exactly what he was trying to say if he had not attended the CIP last summer. Overall, we have seen some terrific changes for our son. He is more confident (and) his improved comprehension of the world around him has opened up doors that he never even saw before.
Scott's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Scott has made more progress in this year than in any other year!
Samara
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I have seen improvements in my attitude towards things. My behavior at home has also changed. My work, because I am more calm and patient. My friendships, because I don’t like to pick fights and that hasn’t happened in a long time. I am always a lot happier than I used to be, laughing at things. I am also improving my work because I show a lot more interest and so I am doing better. I think I have also improved in being more polite and kind not only to people in my family but to friends too. I think my handwriting has improved a lot too. I think I have also improved my spelling skills. I have improved in punctuality, as in doing things in a short time instead of taking longer. I think that I don’t take things so hard as I used to. I think I also improved in art. I also think I have also improved at listening to people and doing what they ask.
John
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
Arrowsmith has been life-changing. Before coming to Arrowsmith I had difficulty reading and I was a university student struggling to do my work, spending twice as long on my assignments and getting far less on my grades than my classmates. After three years full-time at Arrowsmith my reading improved, my study habits became better and I won the Principal’s Award.
After leaving Arrowsmith and returning to university I became one of the top students in my classes, I ran and won the position of Disabilities Commissioner for my Student Union and I graduated with honours. I am also very honoured that Arrowsmith invited me back in 2016 to speak and share my story at that year’s graduation. None of this would have been possible without Arrowsmith School.
MacKenzie
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I have seen improvement in my reading, writing, Math, English, friendships, understanding and remembering where I put my stuff. My reading has improved so much! At first I would never even touch a book, now I can’t stop reading and “have to finish this chapter!”, then I read three more chapters after that! My writing, as you can see, has also gone a long way. The only problem I have is my best writing is written with pencil. I find it much smoother than these pens. I’ll do some pencil writing on the back for an example.
My math has gotten to my best efforts in my entire life! So far, I remember the steps to all the formulas and I can multiply easily at the math distractors.
In English I found that I can write down fast enough to keep up with the teachers and jot down the right information needed. I can read out loud in class with only a few hesitations.
For friendships, I can understand immediately when, what, why and how something is wrong. I help the girls get over big problems as much as possible! In understanding everything, it does make me work better.
Jessica
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I wanted to let the program know that Nadia is doing AWESOME!! She bounced into the car after school yesterday so excited because the students in her class were telling her that she is the smartest one in the class! She was over the moon! There are a couple of weeks left but it is looking like she will get straight A's! Two years ago, she couldn't read a thing. I can't thank you enough. Keeping my figures crossed. I can get something going in this community.
Justin
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
At the age of 34, I began to research treatment options for my non-verbal learning disability and I want to talk about why I began this process as an adult, and what I’ve discovered.
Last October, my new position as a pathology resident was unexpectedly difficult for me. The job required surgical skill, rapid visual perception, and quick judgments. One day, I was determining whether surgeons had completely removed a breast tumor. In order to mark the anatomic orientation of the tumor resection I used different colored inks on the borders of the specimen. This delicate work took great effort and all my concentration because I have never been quick or accurate with my hands, and I frequently become confused when performing a sequence of movements, unless I really take my time.
I was proud of my careful work and I understood that the patient’s life might depend on me doing my job right. When the supervising physician stopped by to check my work, I briefly and accurately summarized the patient’s clinical history. She seemed pleased until she looked at the specimen. “Don’t you see that you’ve mislabeled the anterior margin as superior? The anterior margin is folded over the superior margin!”, she said. Instantly, I saw what she meant. There was a fold of skin as big as a silver dollar hanging over the superior edge of the resection, which seemed to materialize out of nowhere. In half an hour of carefully examining the tissue I had not seen this, yet after it was pointed out I could see it quite clearly. I wondered what was wrong with my vision. After a long diagnostic process, I found that I have had a life long non-verbal learning disability with weakness in visual and auditory perception, eye-hand co-ordination, and processing speed.
But how had this happened? How had I come to be in a position of responsibility where my weakness could have harmed a patient without the fortunate intervention of another doctor? The answer is that when I was growing up, and even throughout my college and medical school education, my parents, and my teachers and professors, did not know how to recognize or help people with my type of non-verbal learning disabilities.
We all have strengths and weaknesses. This is part of being human. People with learning disabilities are unusual in that we have severe, specific, specific weaknesses, while being generally average or above average in other activities. Ever since I was in grade school, I have performed well at most academic tasks. However, as a child, I had unexpected areas of very low function: I could not color in the lines; when I first learned to read, I cried from the effort of tracking a line of text; my handwriting was atrocious; I never learned to write cursive, and my desk and room were a terrible mess.
Despite all this, my parents were told that there was no need for intervention because I was generally doing well and there was little that could be done to help me. The school officials advised my parents that learning disabilities were life-long and unchangeable and that I would be all right because I was intelligent and able to compensate. It was decided that I would have to live with these severe weaknesses and accept them. Nothing could be done. I am here to say, that today we understand that my well-intentioned teachers and parents were wrong. The Arrowsmith program has, I believe, lessened the severe weaknesses that placed a patient’s health in danger.
In these last six months as a student in the Arrowsmith Program, it has helped me to remediate my disabilities. I have noticed more rapid integrations of memory for visual information, better eye-hand coordination, and improved ability to think and communicate quickly through speaking and writing. The benefits of these changes have extended much more broadly than I could possibly have imagined. Let me give a few examples -
My visual perception and memory have improved dramatically. This means, for example, that I can now read maps and understand the relationship of between the map’s representation of space, and the streets and highways I am actually driving on. Previously, maps frustrated me and my wife had to navigate everywhere. I can also make a “mental map” of familiar spaces and remember where things are in the grocery store. Previously, I was completely overwhelmed by tasks like this.
In terms of eye-hand coordination and motor sequencing, tasks that required these abilities used to demand enormous attention, and time. While previously I rarely cooked or washed dishes, I now regularly cook and clean up and these tasks take me approximately half of the time they used to require.
I have noticed an increased ability to keep up with conversation while noticing people’s facial expression. Previously I could only follow their language. I can also pay attention to my own emotions and thoughts while talking. Prior to this, I would alternate my attention among critical factors: my thoughts and their expression, the other persons words, the other person’s body language and emotion, and my own body language and emotions. I had a very difficult time tracking two or three of these aspects simultaneously. Now I am more comfortable paying attention to facial expression, emotion, and dialogue simultaneously.
In conclusion, I want to say that the cumulative effect of these changes has me feeling like a new person. I am much less anxious, much more social and much happier. The weaknesses which prevented me from being a physician and that I was told would be life long and unchangeable have changed. My 34 years of frustration, confusion, and inexplicable failures were the result of a treatable problem.
Mavis
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
In math class, I can copy the board writing on my paper without looking at the paper.
Taner’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I just want to touch base with you to let you know how well Taner is doing. He is really enjoying his high school, it seems to be a great fit for him. The teacher/student connection and focus on individual student success reminds me a lot of Arrowsmith and I think this has helped to make it a smooth transition for him. Taner received his first progress report last month and he is doing amazing well. He has had a solid academic start with no need for any accommodations at this point (he got an 86 on his last English assignment!).
Thank you so much to you and everyone at Arrowsmith who invested so much in Taner, he is clearly reaping the benefits of that support. There is no doubt Taner’s Arrowsmith experience has everything to do with his confidence in approaching high school and life and those feelings and that experience will undoubtedly be with him for the rest of his life.
Kathryn
Participant
Program: Cognitive Enhancement
Participant Age: Adult
I believe that I am able to remember details of information more clearly. I also seem to make faster decisions in some circumstances. The process of learning how to use the numerical keyboard has developed that motor skill and the repetition of the exercise is of course helped reduce the time it takes to complete a challenge. Although I am only doing the one exercise of Symbol Relations, I do believe that it has made a difference for me. I enjoy studying but was finding that I had difficulty retrieving the information I had learned when I wanted it. I knew I just couldn't retrieve it. It detracted from the enjoyment of study, created doubt, and was time and energy consuming as I tried to recall information I had studied for use in my profession. I delayed returning to a course that involves complex concepts because the energy I would use trying to recall information was just too tiring. I am starting to feel more confident that I may now be able to complete the course.”
Jackson’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
It has been my intention to send you and the school St. Theresa’s a formal thank you for your dedication and help to our family and more so for our son Jackson.
As you are aware Jackson was designated early on as Learning Disabled (LD). We were very concerned for our son’s future based on his progress to the grade Four (4) level. As you may recall Jackson was not able to tell time, could not read the simplest of words or retain the most basic of ideas after reading very short or simple passages. As well, if there was any more than two or three simple math questions on anyone page he was overwhelmed by the simplest of tasks.
The most disturbing concern of all was what all of this was doing to our son’s self esteem. He was one of the most well-behaved children anyone had known and this situation was transforming him into a troublesome child. Worst of all he was aware of his own problems and was becoming increasingly more frustrated because there didn’t seem to be any solution.
We all became quickly aware the traditional methods being utilized by the Separate School Board at this time were not showing any progress in Jackson’s learning. By the end of grade four (4) Jack could not even tell time or read the simplest of words. We were introduced to the Arrowsmith Program when Jackson entered the fifth (5) grade and there has been no looking back since that day. Within just one month he could tell some time and over the next few months we watched as he began to make amazing progress.
The most important issue to us as the parents was to watch this confused and lost child begin to transform back into the kind of person we had known before he realized he wasn’t the same as everyone else. We watched as he regained his personal pride and no longer felt like he was a loser (his words). Jackson was now coming home from school and was doing his homework without being asked and was able to understand it.
Before long Jack was participating in more of the regular programs with the other children at his grade level. As you may recall when he began the Arrowsmith program in grade five (5) his overall competency was barely a grade one (1) level. When Jackson reached grade eight (8) we had our son back. He had exceeded our expectations in every sense.
Now to the reason I have finally decided to take the time to write to you and the school. Today I picked up Jack from school. When he entered the car he was excited to discuss the day’s activities. He quickly revealed he had received the results of a test he had written a few days earlier. He had achieved an 88% on the test. Needless to say I was as excited as he was. This however is no longer an unusual occurrence in Jackson’s routine in high school.
When Jackson left elementary school we were well aware that his work had only begun and a great deal of organization on his part was going to be required. As parents we work tirelessly to help him understand how to use what he had learned at St. Theresa’s Shrine in the Arrowsmith Program.
Jackson’s transformation to high school was almost flawless, he had regained enough of his self-esteem that he felt like anyone else who was starting at a new school. This was a fresh start and a new beginning for him.
Jack finished grade nine (9) with a 77% average and as of today is averaging about 72%. His average in almost all of his programs are in the high 80% or 90%’ s. His only problem left to date is dealing with the final exams, they are still an area of concern for him, the exam marks bring his average down. Jackson, however, is the one now dealing with this situation on his own. I go back to the reason I started this letter today. He had realized he needed some help in his programming, math and science courses after he had done very poorly on an earlier test he had completed, he had only earned a 38%. He, on his own went to his teachers and requested help. He and the teachers worked out a schedule of help and on the next two tests he achieved a 75% and 88%. This is just a couple of examples of how he is dealing with his education on his own.
Jackson wrote the Grade Ten Literacy test this year and passed it the first time. He made it his business to prepare for this test on his own. Jackson entered high school at an applied level in grade nine (9). He is now taking two academic courses, History and Science, and maintaining 70% + marks. Of note was the big end of the year Science project Jack completed in Grade nine, his final mark for this project was 100%.
I could go on and on however I believe the most important message that needs to be heard is the Arrowsmith Program gave my son his future back. I am truly thankful for your dedication and commitment to the Arrowsmith program and the children in your care.
It is my hope that this program will always be there to help other children in need and hopefully the School Board will continue to see the value of a program that helps children to become self-sufficient and self-reliant.
Jackson’s Mother
Michelle
Parent/Guardian
Participant Age: School-Age
My daughter is more confident, has a better memory, and passed English with a good solid C. I would recommend the Arrowsmith Program as it has allowed my girl to maintain B’s and C’s at school. I can’t even imagine how hard school would be for her now if we hadn’t started Arrowsmith three years ago. Empowering Lives have managed online learning and we love the convenience.
Kelda’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I’ve been impressed by, and grateful for, the many benefits of the Arrowsmith program (and its wonderful teachers). Before Kelda attended Arrowsmith, her school days were traumatic. She was learning very little and she knew it. At home her mood dial was set somewhere between sadness and rage. She was enroled in a patchwork quilt of programs in addition to special ed at school – language therapy, math tutoring, English tutoring, counseling.
What a relief to find Arrowsmith School! Kelda is learning better than ever before. She shows obvious cognitive gains in reading, written expression, reasoning and speech.
We’ve released her from her extracurricular patchwork quilt (except math tutoring, which she enjoys). Kelda has resumed her true passions (karate and soccer) and her mood dial has stabilized on “happy” since the day she started Arrowsmith full-time two and a half years ago. She leaps out of bed eagerly every single day of the week and she falls, happy and tired, into a peaceful sleep every single night. She is a sweet, generous, highly motivated and – yes – excitable (!) girl.
We are no longer wondering whether Kelda can ever be self-sufficient. I’m sure she’ll be able to make a great life for herself!
We sent Kelda to Arrowsmith School against the advice of psycho-educational consultants. Everything they told us is false. Now that I see how profoundly this program has changed her life, I am horrified to think that these advisers may scare other parents away from this life-altering option!
Please let me know if there’s anything I can do (apart from telling everyone I know) to be an ambassador of this wonderful school.
Many thanks!
Resource Class Teacher
Education Professional
Program: Full-time
I wanted to let you know about some of the progress I have noticed with my resource room students who are also enrolled in the Arrowsmith program.
The student who appears to have made the most progress is one of the boys. I have taught this student for several years, and this is the first year that I have really seen him able to focus on a lesson for an extended period of time. Previously, he was extremely off task, and could only sustain focus for at the most 5 minutes at a time. He needed constant refocusing to the task at hand. Additionally, his handwriting has greatly improved since September, and he is now able to write on the line, and legibly. This had been a major issue in school. He feels better about himself due to his progress in Arrowsmith, and he is more willing to try challenging tasks, since he now feels he may be able to succeed.
Other resource room students who take Arrowsmith have also made progress in their academic skills. Another male student’s reading comprehension has improved. He is now better able to read his science textbook, and understand what he is reading. Previously, I had to break down the text into small parts, and explain every main concept. A female student’s decoding has improved, and she had been reading her social studies textbook and taking notes with minimal help from me. In previous years, she was not able to take notes from a textbook independently. Due to her improved decoding, she now had a better understanding of what she is reading.
I am impressed with the progress that my resource room students have made in such a short time.
Philip
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
The biggest improvement that I have seen has been in math. I went from getting 70’s in Basic math to 90’s in General math. I hope to move to Advanced math.
Kaled
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I’ve seen a whole lot of changes from school, but by far, the biggest change I think I’ve noticed is something most people take for granted: confidence. A person’s confidence can raise them up, or carry them down to the depths of despair, if they have hardly any. Today, for instance, after many months and I’m pretty sure of this, or if I’m not, it sure has seemed like a long many months – I mastered my Quantification Sense program.
Let me tell you, my hands were shaking, I felt faint, clammy, and like I was going to throw up. Not a very pretty picture, I’m sure but it’s the truth. I nearly cried, I was so please with myself. Ms. P said she knew that I would master when on the 1st set, I got 90%, but, you know how it is: sometimes you just have to go through the experience to work through it, and discover the very (pleasant!) results! So, confidence in myself is something that I’ve truly gained, and I think, it’s one of the most important things I could garner for myself, and now that I have some more, and develop in myself further. I can’t wait!!
Besides for confidence, I’ve gained friends, better handwriting, I mean look at it! It’s legible, or at least more so than it was, more uniform, neater, smaller! And, the ability to reason better, think things through, get places, being able to concentrate, to multi-task, the list goes on and on forever. I feel like I’ve gained a new life, a new me! (See my poem on Arrowsmith, LOL!)
When somebody saves and changes your life, when you have new hope, then you’ve truly gained. As wonderfully glad as I am for the skills I’ve gained (and earned, with hard work, mind you but, oh, the sweet, wonderful results!), I am equally or even more glad that I now have confidence.
When someone brings you back from the precipice of despair, you also have to take a step back and think what to do, what you’re truly grateful for. And I have. I can’t ever thank Arrowsmith for saving my life. To save a life is to save a whole world. And I, who couldn’t be happier, or more grateful or thankful, can only quietly say my “thank-you’s”, and move on to more bigger and better things, such as masteries, lots and lots more of them.
I KNOW I CAN!! I AM OKAY AND I CAN SUCCEED. No longer always feeling like a failure…feels…good…!! And I’m GLAD.
John
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Your program is successful and has helped my attention and handwriting.
Pete
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Young Adult
When I was a kid I always wondered: why do planes fly, what is space and why are we here, what is it like to fly. It was an ongoing thought in my brain that kept running in a cycle. Every plane I saw, heard, and flew in, I was in love. The thrill, existence, time, speed and the unknown is what drives me to this day. But there was something in the way. The two letters L.D. Ever since I was a kid I had a learning issue, behavioural issue and social issues as well. School was simply impossible for me. No one understood me, I didn’t understand them, and they did not know what was wrong with me. Throughout the years I was put in special tutoring to help me, which helped me a bit, but not in everything. Throughout time I did improve and get into high school. I’ve always enjoyed it at high school, but not my marks so much. I would spend nights saying to myself why can’t I memorize a single thing from math. Throughout high school I lived with the pain. I was afraid about talking about my marks. I felt embarrassed and different. But then the day came when I went to go to Arrowsmith. After I found out that I had a few issues that really effected learning in school that was when I knew I would fit in.
Throughout the year I went to Arrowsmith and did many exercises, which were hard but worth it in the end. By the end of the year I saw many changes. I’ve started to notice that reading and writing has improved a lot. I was able to write a topic faster and not have any mistakes that I had before. I am able to read a passage much more quickly without needing to stop. The next thing I noticed was my social life, that I am more appropriate around people. I can have long talks with people and be socially acceptable. Somehow I feel like this is something in my brain that goes off now before doing something that might seem off to people. I noticed my reaction time is much better. If I would stop something I would be able to get back to it quicker than before. The biggest change I’ve noticed is in learning material. I am able to use info in my head and not forget it. I can sit down and study without being distracted. Things just simply seem better.
Now you are probably wondering what this relates to. That is, in being a pilot. All of the training, learning, and multitasking required all relates to the 19 areas of learning. If it wasn’t for Arrowsmith I probably wouldn’t have gotten closer to my dream. But it is not a dream anymore, its reality. I have already started my flight training and it is going well for me.
Fiona
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Our daughter’s reading has improved immensely mainly due to a huge improvement in working memory. Many people have noticed an improvement in speech as she longer needs to pause to think what she wanted to say. She also asks less questions showing she understands things the first time. For a period she got quite argumentative, which for some people may seem a negative change, however we were so excited to see her formulate an argument. The biggest thing they have noticed at school is a leap in her confidence to approach new things. I already recommend Arrowsmith to everyone! I had been aware of neuroplasticity for over 20 years and knew all along that there had to be a better way than just getting children with learning difficulties to do the same thing over and over. I have seen so often students re-doing year level work after year-level work which if they couldn't understand it the first time why would get it the next. I explain to people that this is about changing the brain so it can learn, not just learning a way to compensate.
Claude LeFrancois
Arrowsmith Facilitator
Program: Full-time
As an educator of 22 years, I have had the opportunity to teach in Canada and the United States. In my every day educational practice, I see students struggling and abandoning hope because most programs are similar, and none focus on building the brain.
I implemented the Arrowsmith Program because it does not draw on compensatory methods or the repackaging of curriculum. This program imparts a method of remediating learning issues instead of creating accommodations.
With this program, I now see daily the vibrant growth in every student. Every child is capable of handling curriculum as long as the brain is given the correct retraining to allow meaning, ideas and concepts to break in.
The Arrowsmith Program permits the individual to gain ground and thrive and later reunites academic programming and educators together to take their rightful place, with the prospect of teaching with purpose.
Claude LeFrancois
Principal at Access School, Florida
Marika
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
To be honest, without Arrowsmith, high school would have felt impossible to do…The program opened my doors and gave me opportunities that I wouldn't even think of doing, and I learned to believe in myself with the confidence that I gained.
Larry
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I have done better in math and spelling.
W.S.’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Arrowsmith Speech 2011
I feel honoured and privileged to have this opportunity to express my deep appreciation and gratitude towards Arrowsmith and to be able to explain to you a little bit about what the gifts this program has thus far given my 10 year old son.
Until last year, my son has been coming across one challenge after another, which found me running from school to school, to tutoring, to therapy, to one assessment after another so i could try to get to the bottom of the issues. It was never easy to explain what was wrong…it was a mix of various learning difficulties, to emotional roller coasters, social difficulties, being bullied, and worst of all…seeing my 10 year old sad and depressed, day in and day out….simply not thriving.
At first I was a bit skeptical about how effective this next program would be for my son. I could not understand how doing these various exotic exercises would help…let alone get him happy again. But as his mother, I knew one thing was certain…I could not continue on the previous path that he was on. As much as the tutoring was helping, I felt that that in the long run, it was a band-aid solution for something deeper that needed more attention.
It is now nearly a year since my son started the program. At first I saw very subtle changes, but as the year progressed I noticed many more positive changes and am today happy to share his amazing progress with everyone here tonight.
Firstly, and to me most importantly, my son is now a more confident, happier boy who is finally coming out of his isolated shell. He communicates extremely well for a boy his age. In fact, he started writing a diary (this was his own idea) so he can get his feelings out! And by the way, before Arrowsmith, I would have to rack my head to try to get him to write a word, let alone a sentence! He also tells me of some new friends he’s made in both his regular class and the Arrowsmith class. Before this year, I’m embarrassed to admit, he had absolutely zero friends even though he wanted one very badly.
Another huge change I noticed, is that he is much more calm. When he does his homework, it takes him much less time to start (homework in the past would take hours because he simply could not sit and concentrate long enough or be motivated to do it.) Today, he comes home from school, takes a snack, plays a bit, and then when it’s time for homework, he gets it out himself, sits by the table, and simply does it on his own!!
One more beautiful story I wanted to share which exemplifies how developed his problem solving skills have become due to Arrowsmith. My son has consistently been struggling with davening together with his class. He tells me he gets very distracted and can’t follow the words inside with the other boys. Just a few months ago, he says to me, “Mommy, I feel bad that I can’t daven properly at school because I keep getting distracted. Is it ok if I wake up early before school and go to shul with Tatty?” Do I need to say more?
As you can see, Arrowsmith is so much more than just a special Ed class. It is a program that finally offers hope and success for our beautiful children! It is up to us, as their parents, to give them this opportunity to finally find their true selves so they can shine and succeed, and most of all have a chance at success just like everyone else!
Mother of W.S.
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
What I dream about is the competence to keep a job. To remember the instructions given to me for more than five minutes one needs a life to live and grow. A job, a career, or a purpose is a cornerstone of life, something to drive you, to fire you, to give you a course for your ambition. I would like to work with people towards a goal. I have never had the competence or the confidence to really try to reach for anything. Whether to have a lover or career or much of a life at all, Arrowsmith helped me with my dreams in two ways. First it gave me the kick in the ass I needed to get out of the status I was in. Second it gave me a purpose and achievable goals to reach for. I will reach for the goals from Arrowsmith and afterwards I will look for something that sparks my interests.
Brandon
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Over the last several months at Arrowsmith, we have seen Brandon blossom… Cognitively, we have noticed he can follow conversations more easily and is engaged in movies and television programs through their entirety…We (also) noticed that his anxiety has greatly diminished. We are thrilled with the results Brandon has attained in such a short time at Arrowsmith. And while we are pleased with his successes, we are even more pleased to see Brandon fundamentally happier than he has been for a long time. For that, we will be forever grateful to the program and the wonderful faculty and staff that has made that possible.
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I dream on becoming a zoologist when I grow up. In order to become a zoologist I need a college degree, and before I came to Arrowsmith it felt so hard for me to make good grades in school where it felt impossible for me to get accepted into University and pass my final exams. Now after doing some work at Arrowsmith things are starting to feel easier where I’m able to pass my work on my high school courses and also it doesn’t feel hard for me to get into university so I’ll be then able to become a zoologist which will make my dream come true.
Mel
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Thank you so much for your time and your commitment to making Arrowsmith accessible to so many kids and adults. I know Arrowsmith has changed our life COMPLETELY! My daughter, Piper, has now finished the program in an incredible 14 months…She is now back in mainstream school and completed her first math test on Tuesday and got EVERY question right! We were headed for the biggest train wreck imaginable with her anxiety and inability to achieve at school. But, no more, thanks to Arrowsmith. Eternally grateful. I know it’s a constant uphill and hard battle for anyone that wants to make this more accessible, however, please keep the faith…it seriously changes lives! And I don’t think I’m being dramatic when I say, “saves lives”.
Chris' Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Chris’ grade level has gone up and his most recent grade scores would suggest progress is clearly evident.
Sam’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Barbara, It has been over 3 years since I met you for the first time, with my son, Sam. At that time, I didn’t know where to turn for help for him. Was this just another program that might – or might not work? There were so many chances to take. Expenses? Travelling times? Could Sam remain motivated for 2 years? Would it really work? I want to take this opportunity to say to you, that the chances we took with you that day when I enrolled Sam, has brought me the most reward any mother could ever have, and I wanted to let you know how I feel about you and your school.
For so many years I greeted my son at the end of each school day in hopes of hearing the day’s accomplishment or some funny story about what he and his friends had done that day. But, there were few accomplishments and even less stories. He hated school, and over time he hated himself. Confidence was something Sam knew nothing of. Thousands of dollars in tutors and extra help couldn’t unlock the door to Sam’s mind. Hope was being replaced by loss.
When Sam began his first year at Arrowsmith, he knew that he would be behind at High School a minimum of 2 years. There were endless early mornings and long bus and train rides into the city. For a kid who usually gave up or was afraid to do anything on his own, he seemed to sense that this was the turning point in his life. For the first time in Sam’s life, he persevered. Finally, stories of accomplishment and chit chat about friends began to flood his evening conversations. As Sam’s confidence grew, I had hope in his future again.
Sam graduated from Arrowsmith over a year ago and is currently a motivated grade 10 student in High School. This average for his grade nine years was approximately 73%. He requires no tutor. He has good friends at school – something he never had until he went to Arrowsmith. His attitude is brighter and he loves to chat about the future and what it has in store for him. He has had a job for over a year now, where he has worked his way up through multiple promotions. He takes great pride in his many successes. Sam now looks forward to, and makes plans for, many ” tomorrows”.
Sam doesn’t regret that he lost two years of school. He is happy to be where he is – and is proud to be who he is. For that there is no price. You have given Sam the opportunity to earn his life back. How can a parent ever repay you for such a gift? I tell everyone about you and your school. The world is a better place for the hearts and ‘brains’ that you have touched.
I wish you much success in your ventures. And, I just wanted to let you know, that I will be forever grateful of your gift to Sam. Gifts like that just don’t come along every day.
Sam’s mom.
Emily
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I have seen many improvements since I have started the Arrowsmith Program. I have seen improvements in my writing skills like neatness and tidiness! I also think that all this homework will get me ready for high school so that I won’t be behind in school. I have noticed and so have my parents that I’m not getting headaches as much when I’m reading or writing. I think that word and tracing helped me with that. My math has improved, I think. Because now when I do mental math I can remember my numbers unlike before I started Arrowsmith. Before I started Arrowsmith I was very confused all the time and my teacher would take five extra minutes to explain things to me! It made me feel excluded. I used to fail horribly on math tests but my last one I got 97%. I was very impressed with myself.
I think my life without Arrowsmith would be harder than it is! I wouldn’t be ready for high school or anything. My teacher at my other school said she saw improvements too! I was very surprised when I saw my writing at the beginning of the year and how it has improved. The thing that has helped me the most in Arrowsmith would probably be word or tracing. Those are my favorite subjects too!! I have seen my percentage on spelling tests go up! I used to get like 50% now I get 80% or higher! I have improved so much I just can’t believe it! I think it’s weird because I have so much fun, but we are at school. I love it at Arrowsmith. I have so much fun but I’m working. It’s unbelievable how much some people have improved. And watching people master stuff all the time I’m very proud of myself. I have mastered so much stuff. I’m so proud of myself!
Kim
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
My name is Kim and I am 36 years old. I had a great experience with the Arrowsmith Program, which I attended as an adult. I am diagnosed with a Central Auditory Processing Disorder. At first, I wasn’t very sure that it would work, but once I tried it, I found it did work. Arrowsmith taught me a way of changing my language and how to remember the order of words in a sentence. My expressive and receptive language skills improved quickly. My reading comprehension improved. I learned how to do the exercises with the clock and to skip count. I would tell anyone with a learning disability to investigate the Arrowsmith Program. It was the best learning experience of my life.
Aaron
Participant
Program: Full-time
Before Arrowsmith, my brain was like a bunch of lifeboats at sea, and now some of them have made it to land.
Seth’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
My son Seth has been in the Arrowsmith Program for a year and a half now. To watch him eliminate his classification as Learning Disabled has been astonishing. Across the board, from Dyslexia, to focusing, to Math skills, Reading Comprehension and speed, social skills, short term memory, handwriting and conceptual skills, (basically all the areas he addressed with the Arrowsmith Program ), he has jumped dramatically.
This was incredible to me because before Arrowsmith, I had actually tried numerous programs. From Lindamood Bell, Vision Therapy, FastForWord”, the best Speech Therapists I could find, Occupational therapy, Remedial Reading Specialists, “S.E.I.T.s”, Kriah Specialists, omega 3s, dhas, protein shakes, “ease c.d.s”, “brain gym”, you name it. If I could find it on the internet, I researched it and I tried it. I spent three hours each night pre-teaching my son to keep him in a mainstream yeshiva. I myself became a Remedial Reading Specialist. With all this intervention and one on one attention, you would think I would see great changes. This was not the case. My son eventually did learn to read, but his speed and comprehension remained well below average. His conversational and social skills were so poor; I was more worried about life skills than grades.
Your cutting edge Arrowsmith Program offered a completely different approach. Whereas all the other programs I tried helped him to learn the schoolwork by breaking it down for him (making it easier to grasp), Arrowsmith simply identified all the weak areas in his brain causing the learning difficulties in the first place, slowly strengthening them until he finally can grasp new materials at the same rate as his peers. Instead of looking at endless school years of always playing “catch-up”, I can now look forward to a child who can do homework on his own.
Because of your Arrowsmith Program, I have completely re-evaluated my goals for him. Now it’s not enough for me to just keep him in a mainstream yeshiva. Now I want him to excel.
I am writing to you at HALB, not only to thank you for giving my son a future, but to make sure you know what a precious gem of a program you have in your school. I have driven three hours a day, found a new job in Long island, just to get Seth to your school for the Arrowsmith Program- and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
With my background, I know that you must have at least one or two children in each grade who could benefit from this program. Please help these children by explaining to their parents what this program offers. It is such a comprehensive program that it can be appropriate for most children with learning issues; bringing the innate intelligence of the children at the bottom of the class up to the level of their peers or, even beyond! Resource room or tutors can now catch these children up to class level at an incredibly fast pace, because the impediments to learning have been removed. They can become the top achievers in the classroom, once the innate intelligence is brought up to average or above.
Someone was kind enough to let me know about the Arrowsmith Program, so I feel it is my duty to “pay it forward” and help others find out about it. Your school has been a pioneer across the board, from education, and now to eliminating learning disabilities. Most schools strive to offer the best education available, accepting only the top achievers. Your school has enough foresight to offer the Arrowsmith Program, giving any child who attends HALB not only the opportunity for a top level education, but also the innate ability to become a top achiever. I hope the vision and compassion that HALB has shown in implementing the Arrowsmith Program becomes a beacon to Yeshivas everywhere.
Sincerely,
Seth’s Mother
Jarek’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
My son, Jarek, has just completed his first year at Arrowsmith School and I write to express my immense gratitude for offering not just hope for children with learning disabilities academically, but the opportunity to prove to themselves they are invaluable members of their families, schools and communities.
Jarek was diagnosed with a non-verbal learning disability at the end of grade one. By the end of grade three in the public school system, one look at Jarek’s eyes told me he had been completely defeated. In class he sat quietly observing those around him, never participating, never smiling and falling further and further behind. We tried tutoring to no avail. At home, he went from being a sweet, talkative boy with a great sense of humour to a sullen, angry, aggressive boy withdrawing from everyone around him. Our concern for Jarek quickly grew to gut-wrenching worry for his future; academically, socially and psychologically.
I first heard about Arrowsmith from a co-worker, and immediately called to see if Jarek could be assessed. Jarek was accepted to Division 1 in September 2009. Within a month, Jarek started to smile at home and by Christmas told me that he loved me (which I hadn’t heard him say for almost two years!). Though both the cognitive and academic work was clearly challenging for him, month by month, we noticed him become more engaging not only with us, but with family and friends. He was looking happier than he had been in years.
By the second term, his teacher told me that in class Jarek was beginning to offer answers, take initiative and even help others. Now, at the end of his first year, Jarek has taken the unprecedented social leap of teaching our neighbour’s three year old son soccer and reading to him, as well as talking his friends into letting their younger siblings play with them. While most parents likely take this kind of play for granted in their child, Jarek’s fear of failure was so intense he preferred to just watch his friends play from the sidelines and had never shown any interest in playing with children younger than him. Not only has Jarek developed confidence, self-esteem and leadership skills at Arrowsmith; academically he has gone from printing at a kindergarten level to writing legibly in cursive!
It is truly remarkable how one small leap of faith can reap such incredible rewards. And this is only the beginning! Words simply can not express how thrilled I am with Jarek’s progress at Arrowsmith. Thank you for offering such an innovative, progressive program which has brought Jarek from the brink of despair to confidently showing the world his charismatic, fun-loving, affectionate personality. He has found his childhood and it is a beautiful thing.
I so look forward to celebrating with Jarek the cognitive and academic gains I know he will make in his second year at Arrowsmith. Thank you again.
Jarek’s mother
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
Very slowly I’m starting to remember contexts of conversations, things that have happened to me in chronological order and feel less stressed remembering events. I trust myself more to give a good answer to a question.
Ada
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
My name is Ada and I am in Grade six and go to the Arrowsmith program. Arrowsmith changed my life and here are a few things I want to share with you.
I tried tons of programs since Grade One. They all worked some parts of the brain but not all of it. I tried another but they put me a year behind. I learned old material again but I knew it. My class was only six kids and had three teachers. I liked being in a big class better than a small class. Being in a small class did not help me learn better.
I was in special ed in other schools but they focus on being in a small group. They did not realize that this was not the way that I needed to learn.
Arrowsmith is a hundred per cent different. My brain now actually focuses and I bring those skills to my real class.
In Chumash, they used to teach you the meaning of the words that repeat themselves a lot in the pesukim. I used to write them down but would forget by the next pasuk. Now, I remember them. I actually understand what I am reading. Hebrew is not a mystery to me anymore. Reading Rashi is easier now. I used to have a hard time reading the rashi script, it looked like a jumble to me. The letters are now clear to me. I can now see the relationship between Rashi and Chumash.
Before Arrowsmith, when I tried to read Hebrew, I had to break it down to all its parts and syllables and could not blend it. I still practice Kriah now nightly but if anyone hears me last year and last night they will hear how different I read. Now I can read a pasuk straight through without breaking up a word into its parts. There has been a big change for me in English subjects too.
In Math, I couldn’t do multiplication tables, I used to stare into space. There were some units I was really good at and some that I was really bad at. Because I was good at some units, they thought I should try harder. I have a different learning style. If I didn’t know how, I just didn’t do it.
This year, I ask for help and I don’t give up. Now instead of learning something in a week, I can learn it in a night. My learning style is still different but I learn and get things much faster.
I have less units that I don’t understand and I hope that after another year of Arrowsmith it will lessen even more. I know I can do it now and I know if I try I can succeed.
I used to be a troubled reader. I could read, but if I lost my spot, I would have to start the chapter over again or the book over again. Now, over Pesach I read 14 books. I read one book that was five hundred pages. Now I want to make sure the books I read are interesting because before it was all one big blah.
My handwriting before was sloppy and it looked like I was writing with the wrong hand. Now, my handwriting looks decent and everybody can read it. Some teachers actually compliment me on it. My friends actually can now read my notes. For the first time ever, people actually want to borrow my notes.
In the beginning of the year, I needed the teacher to slow down or repeat something because they were going too fast for me to take notes and understand. Sometimes I had to peek at the girl next to me to see what she wrote. Now, I can keep up with the teacher and take great notes.
Before Arrowsmith I was disorganized. If I lost something, I would never see it again. My papers and my things were everywhere. Now, I am organized and I know where everything is. I can find things that I misplace because I can now think back and remember where I may have left it.
My biggest change is that I don’t misunderstand people when they speak to me. For example, my once told mother told me to bring her down a towel. I went upstairs and brought down a shaitel. When my mother then told me that that is not what she wanted, i went up and got a snood. This type of thing never happens to me anymore. Imagine how hard it is for a kid to not hear things properly.
My memory now is much better. I used to be forgetful. If I borrowed money for a kid in school she would tell me five times, bring back the money tomorrow. When I got home, I knew I had to bring her back something so I brought a snack. Now I hardly ever forget things. Life is so much easier.
I like being in charge of things now. I used to be embarrassed to participate in things. Now I am in charge of dance in my class. We taught each other a dance a few days ago and I still remember it now. This is big change since when I took dance classes because even after so much practice I still had to rely on following the girl in front of me. Now I remember it on my own.
In Neshama, I was one of the main characters and I forgot my cue at the actual performance and I forgot tons of my lines and one of the dances to my songs. Now, I am a big character and I remember my lines and I can say it on the spot and know them off by heart. I don’t miss my cues because I remember when they are coming.
I want to say thank you to Arrowsmith and hope that you all learn something about the program tonight.
Thank you.
Carson's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Carson has shown a great deal of improvement in schoolwork and at home.
Christopher's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Christopher’s school work has improved considerably and he understands how to solve problems when he is working on a project. It is helping him understand how to sort through problems with school work as well as in his everyday life. There has been growth in self-esteem. He is much more confident to try new things and has done very well. Before he was more withdrawn and shy and would more or less stay in his room. Now he reaches out to friends and family. He is much more outgoing and has volunteered in many different areas with various groups. He still finds math hard but he tries and tries and doesn’t give up. Also organization skills are very good now. An example is when he planned his trip to Costa Rica. He got his passport, all his papers, what he needed, attended all meetings and helped raise money for his trip. He did all this on his own, without help from me. He did extremely well and was extremely organized.
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
I have noticed a lot of positive improvement in my cognitive abilities. My writing is a much more pleasant experience. My grip is much softer and my writing much clearer and more consistent for me to read and others. I also noticed more sensitivity in my hand grip all together. Touch in my hands is more sensitive and my motor movements are more subtle and precise. I notice this when I play guitar, hold object such as keys and try and open the door or even holding dishes while I wash the dishes. Predicative and phrases have really enhanced my cognitive abilities. I can now sit in a conversation with one or many parts and be present and engaged to every word they are saying mostly. This is something I had great difficulties in.
Following instructions and holding information in my head has improved drastically. My ability to be in a loud environment such as a coffee shop or a bus is so much better. Auditory stimulation does not tire me out as much as it used to and I can now go back to a task also after I’ve been engaged in conversation more easily. Watching TV, movies, Documentaries is a pleasure now. Auditory talks and speeches are not a strain. I have noticed that I remember words to a song much quicker. My memory for street names and directions has improved and the anxiety around remembering information is much better. Understanding different accents is also better.
I have more passions and more awareness that things are a process and take time. I can see the improvements that time and practise give me now that I don’t feel constantly over stimulated, and when my nerves are not aggravated from trying to stay focused I can achieve things that are really difficult cognitively or being over stimulated in all my senses then I’m able to be in my higher self and not in my limited self. This is ultimately my greatest wish.
Jenna
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
This program has bettered me.
Adrian
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I’ve noticed a few changes since the start of the year. One of the nicest changes was that when my sister was home over the holidays, we hardly fought at all. Usually when she comes home there is an adjustment period in which we fight a lot. This time that didn’t really happen. I think it’s probably because I’m more verbal now and better able to tell her when I don’t like something that she is doing, and so the situation never escalates. Also, I think I’m probably better able to know when she is annoyed with me because I’m better able to read her facial expressions.
Another change that I’ve noticed that I’m starting to recognize similarities in appearance between numbers of my family. For example, I noticed that my sister has the same nose as my dad, and I have the same nose as my mom.
Also, when I went to visit my high school just before the winter holidays, every person I talked to commented on how happy I looked. When I previously went to school there, I was always very stressed because I was having a very hard time keeping up with all the work. Now I’m doing very well in school, and I still have time to have some fun.
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
I don’t want to be the same person anymore. I want to do remarkable things or be noticed for anything respectful or loving. That’s up to me to decide. My dreams have changed since then. In fact I’m not sure. Facing reality just seems more important now with what I know. Sometimes you can’t just ask for things to happen and little by little you must do things on your own. I will strive to honor what people have given me in this short time. I believe and feel what this place has done so many little things that are added up to a single great change.
Trevis
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
The Arrowsmith Program has helped me in subjects like math, spelling and even memorizing.
Mark
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
(My son) has admitted to me himself that (the Arrowsmith Program) has changed him.He's more confident, and he is more able at school. His math has improved. His reading has improved. He's more able to understand new concepts. Before, he would give up very easily. He would say, “I can't do this.” But now, he will persevere.
Nathan
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I have made lots of progress. In science I am finishing all my work in that class.
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
I have come a long way and made massive progress in the area of reasoning. Back in May I struggled greatly with learning concepts. As I progressed through the program, I was shocked by how simple it was to learn concepts. Like a block had been removed from my mind, it was now so easy to understand the relationships. It was even enjoyable to learn and caused me no anxiety at all to learn, like my mind had been given a new flexibility. When I used to step into environments before, even benign ones like a grocery store, I would sometimes feel overwhelmed. There was simply too much going around me, too much information for my brain to process that it would be far too overstimulating to me. Now most situations I step into, I feel more calm because my brain can process more information and it phases me less. I believe I read things faster and visually scan things much better now due to this exercise. In conversations I feel more fluid because I can understand concepts better, I can respond and process everything to a greater degree than before. I can also integrate different kinds of information much more and relate facts, and even figure out basic mechanical things in a way I could not do as well before.
William’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I want to update you on William’s progress since completing his program at Arrowsmith.
William graduated from Grade 12 having made the Honour Roll for his final three years.
He received early acceptance from the University of Guelph into their Media/Journalism Program with a $2,000.00 scholarship. (He was also accepted at Ryerson and York). He LOVED his first year of University and managed to come out with a 74 GPA. I personally don’t think that is doing too badly for the first year. He will end up with a BA from Guelph University in Media and an Honours College Diploma from Humber. His dream is to be a radio announcer but, I keep telling him he has a face for TV!! (I know – a prejudiced Mom).
I have thought on occasion that this is a far cry from the boy who could barely put a coherent sentence on paper and who had one teacher in Elementary School laugh in his face when he said he wanted to go to University and now he’s writing Journalism papers and doing well!!
Thank God (and Barbara Arrowsmith Young) for a program like Arrowsmith. I can’t imagine where William would be today without it!!
Rhonda
Robert
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I’m finally free. I’m free of everything now. I’m free from all my problems and worries. I’m free from everything now.
There are not enough words to describe how wonderful I feel after a year here at Arrowsmith. I feel like a whole burden was lifted from my shoulders. I don’t feel like I have to hold up the sky by myself anymore. I feel like I have passed it onto another person and that I am free from the burden. I feel like I am an independent person and that I can do things for myself now.
Now I understand what freedom is for me, now I understand that freedom isn’t free time or doing the things you like doing the best. Freedom is doing the hard work and putting in the time and effort into changing your life around, so that you can be independent for yourself, so that you can have free time and do what you like doing the best. That’s what freedom is.
All these years, I’ve always tried for and hoped for my definition of freedom and now when I’m 17, I finally understand what it means to me and for me. It’s like a light bulb has just hit me and I get it. That’s what everything in my life seems like now. I can just understand everything that I come across in life now. It is beyond description about how much that gives me joy and happiness in my life now. All I’ve dreamed of for my whole life is to just be able to understand stuff and comprehend what’s going on. Now, I can do that. I can actually understand.
When I come back to Sydney people will notice a new me, a different me. A completely different person than to the one that everybody use to know me as. They’ll see a different Robert and I am glad and pleased, actually pleased to say that they will.
Over the last 5 months here, I have been working so hard to change my life around and I have in so many ways, it’s indescribable.
I have also noticed so many different changes, bigger and better than the last time I was here, such as researching and doing more stuff for myself and not having to rely on anyone else. Adding up quicker with my maths and counting and also with my commerce. One brilliant example would be when I was reading the Hobbit in bed one night, and being able to understand all the words on the pages without even having to think about the words or what just happened. I was so excited. I told Mum immediately and when I was telling her, tears started to swell up in my eyes because for the first time in my life ever, I could actually understand what I was reading, because even though I’ve read this book 2 times before I couldn’t really understand or comprehend what was going on. I could only get glimpses and bits of the story, but now I can understand my 2nd favorite book. I cannot describe what a feeling that is for me.
I cannot express how happy and proud I am that I can actually start to understand everything going on around me in life. It’s like before the program everything was black and white in my eyes but now when I open up my eyes, I see the world full of colour and they are brilliant colours as well, not dark black and gray but beautiful bright colours. It’s like before everything was ash and now I can see fireworks high in the sky, and I hope that I can bring down those colours of brightness high up in the sky, and bring them down to my level and you know what, they’re coming down every day, closer and closer to my face and once that comet of colours touches the ground, I can’t be stopped from reaching my full potential in life. When I first came here they were still high up in the sky, but now they’re down to about my shoulders. That comet is going to hit and soon, and when it does I can look up to the sky with nothing in it to stop me from doing well in life. I can look up to the sky and close my eyes with a smile and sigh, and the person who is currently holding up the sky, I can help just like wonderful teachers of Arrowsmith have done for me.
I will help anyone I can with my advice, and my physical help and my mental help to anyone who is holding up the sky, to pass it onto the next person and to the next and so on and so forth.
I think it’s fair to say that, I’m now ready for life. I am now free.
Matthew
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
The Arrowsmith program has allowed me to dream big, and there are a couple of things that are my dreams like my career or my future school or getting better at every day stuff, like homework.
My career when I get older I want to go to Med School because my dream job is to be a surgeon, and this school has opened up this possibility.
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Now I can Dare to Dream about becoming a better dancer because Arrowsmith has helped me remember the routines and I am not as clumsy. I plan to take more and more dance classes when I get older. Arrowsmith has also helped me to dream about a better school life. The subjects were easier and not as hard as before. I will Dare to Dream about having closer friends.
Amanda’s Parents
Parent/Guardian
Program: Cognitive Intensive Program
Participant Age: School-Age
Amanda, age 9, struggled in many areas in particular Math. We went to Canada to try the 6-week Cognitive Intensive Program and stayed for 9 months. She has gone from not knowing how to count in Year 4 to re-entering school in Year 7 and getting mainly A's and B's and an A on her first Math exam. She is now loving school, keeping up with all her schoolwork with no learning support, and organizing herself. No words can describe how thankful and eternally grateful we are to Barbara for the Arrowsmith Program which has transformed Amanda's life.
Lara
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I feel that I am progressing in speech, vocabulary, mental focus and pretty much better changes in most aspects. I do think this program should have a permanent place in my school because it’ll help other students significantly as I noticed in me, i.e., my concentration span improved along with my interaction with siblings, teachers and I am able to focus on the task at hand a lot more than being without the Arrowsmith Program.
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Things were rough and hard before Arrowsmith. I was just not good at school. I’d always get bad grades. I did have bad dreams all the time but wasn’t sure how close I would come into doing them. Three years at Arrowsmith has changed it all. It’s completely polished me up. The program has helped me so much. I know I will get through education in an easier and more efficient way. My dreams as well I know I can actually pursue them further on. I feel I have more opportunities around me and newer paths have opened up for my future. In the years being here one of the improvements were in my actions and manners which have become better, building a new more responsible and kinder character in me. I know now that whatever comes in the future will be easier and exciting because of Arrowsmith.
Alex
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
I learned of the Arrowsmith Program from Norman Doidge’s book, “The Brain That Changes Itself.” I was immediately intrigued for two reasons. One, I saw a lot of myself in the descriptions of the manifestations of brain area deficits or dysfunctions. Two, I found within that framework, that way of looking at and thinking about the brain, an explanation better than I had ever seen for what made me different.
I went through school in a perpetual state of unhappy boredom. When a child psychologist assessed me in the fifth grade, I was found to be exceptionally intellectually gifted. In high school, things did not get better. I was enrolled at an International Baccalaureate school and was still very bored. I didn’t take notes (I couldn’t write fast enough or neat enough) but I didn’t need to. If I listened in class I usually understood without effort.
But I was not doing well. Intellectual giftedness is not always such a happy thing if you’re inside it. From the outside, my academic excellence might seem complete but I was deeply confused and totally unmotivated. I found myself climbing a ladder without knowing where it was leading or if I really wanted to go where it was taking me. After a semester of college in Massachusetts I dropped out and came back home. I wasn’t motivated to be there and I could feel that I wasn’t making the most of it.
I had some ideas about going west and becoming a tree planter, arguably the most physically demanding job in the world. I needed to do something I would find as challenging for me as it could be for anybody else. I wanted to prove to myself that I had work ethic. Fortunately, I found out about Arrowsmith first.
Arrowsmith’s perception of the brain made more sense to me than any of the neuroscience-as-it-relates-to-intelligence literature I had come across. I found myself revisiting the high school years and noting those little troubles which are considered trivial if you have upwards of 90% for an over-all average but do significantly impact one’s subjective experience of education.
I did have difficulties culturally unassociated with being “smart”. I had handwriting that could only be generously described as legible. I couldn’t spell in any language to save my life. I was bound to a calculator for even the most menial equations and my mental math ability was so inaccurate that I would become visibly agitated if forced to give an answer to a quick calculation in class.
The more I thought about it, the more little things, things I had never considered important or even relevant to my intellectual ability, came up. Part of the joke I had with my teachers was that I would never get 100% on a test, ever. I understood everything, they could see that, but I was a great practitioner of “silly mistakes”: A three morphing into a five as my equations progressed; numbers being transferred improperly so that a 47 would be entered into the formula as a 74. It was an embarrassment to me, then a nuisance and then eventually, I stopped caring. What was the difference between 100% and 95% anyway? Nothing right? Besides I knew my stuff, anybody could see that.
There were other “glitches” in my abilities too. I could read at a frightening speed when I wanted to, but I had stopped reading much anymore. I would lose my place often and my mind would drift so that I would end up re-reading passages without the content sticking. I was terrible at managing character names, I would always be flipping back in fiction works to try and remember who such and such was and who they were related to. Russian translations were a nightmare because of the long and always similar names. Foreign language words and scientific terms I would often have to sound-out to try and remember and even after that, I rarely ever felt confident that I had them right. I was embarrassed to mispronounce terms I had read about and would often keep quiet about things I had learned independently because I was unsure of the pronunciation. Could this all be because of brain area deficits? Were some of my brain areas just so overwhelmingly strong that they were masking problems in others?
After reading ”The Brain That Changes Itself” I read all the further reading suggestions voraciously. I read books and articles published by Luria and Rosenzweig who’s work influenced and inspired Barbara Arrowsmith-Young in her development of the program. But I didn’t want to study this. I wanted to try it. I wanted to experience a more cooperative, more complete brain. I was assessed, enrolled and started in September 2010.
It is currently February 2011 at this time of writing. I am very near bouncing off walls for my excitement. I have experienced “changes” as we call them at Arrowsmith, which are to my subjective experience, nothing short of spectacular. I’m not being paid or even encouraged to write this. I don’t want to sound over-enthusiastic or give you the impression that I’m exaggerating. I’ll describe what I felt and what I continue to feel now in as calm and objective a manner as I can.
Before I start, let me say: The exercises are hard. Maybe that’s because I’ve been accidentally spoiled by nature and I’m used to finding things easy. I have taken to calling myself and people like me, cognitive anomalies or cognitive accidents. I didn’t earn the strengths of my brain, and I have no business being proud of what I didn’t work for. I worked for the changes I’m about to describe to you and there’s no hyperbole when I say they took Effort with a capital “E”. It should be hard: it’s supposed to call up those under-developed brain areas that are not used to a good workout. You feel exhausted at the end of the day in a way totally unlike any kind of tree planting let me tell you.
But the changes do come. Slowly, progressively, it starts to get do-able. I won’t describe the actual amelioration I saw in the exercises themselves, but I will describe how they manifest in daily life.
Handwriting was the first thing to change. If you were to ask me what it feels like, I’d say it looks like somebody else is writing at first. I could write neatly if I really focused on it before, that’s normal. After some weeks of working on these exercises every day though, my writing started to get neater and more uniform without my needing to slow down or even pay attention to it. It was better than legible, it was “nice”.
My sister, when she saw it, (after she picked up her chin up off the ground) accused me of “girly writing”. Gentlemen, please hear me, your chicken scratch is neither masculine nor impressive. If you can’t hand in a hand-written essay or write up a memo in a meeting without it looking like hieroglyphics, you have more than a “negligible neatness issue”. I couldn’t before, I sure can now. I’m even relearning cursive, it’s been two months. It looks nicer than it ever did, and it’s faster too. I’ve always liked writing fiction. I would say it’s my favorite hobby. I do it all in longhand now. It actually comes out better, my immersion in the story is complete, the keyboard and screen used to distract me without my realizing it. It’s been eighteen years my handwriting has been atrocious, in five months it’s gone from hideous to beautiful and always, always legible even when I’m scribbling away like a machine. College note-taking here I come. And strike one for silly mistakes.
Mental math was the second thing to happen to me. I didn’t realize that I never could do mental math until I could do it. Mental math does not involve your stream of consciousness. If you’re saying numbers aloud in your head (as I was) and reciting multiplication mnemonics under your breath (same here), my friend, there’s your problem. There’s a brain area for that. Start using it and you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it. Now hold on, I have not developed a freaky math ability. I’m definitely above average now, but I’m not a savant. I cannot find the square root of 6787 to the second decimal in my head. Synesthesia is not on the menu.
What I can do now is know that 43 x 12 is 516 in a couple seconds. Maybe you can do that already, good for you, brain change isn’t about who’s the best, it’s about ‘your’ best. I’m not trying to be glib either. Everyone, absolutely everyone has brain area strengths and weaknesses and the experience of being able to do something you never could before is pleasurable beyond anyone’s ability to describe. Now, you might say, what’s the point of being able to do basic math in your head if you can just use a calculator? Well, I say to you, what’s the point in being able to run ten miles if you can just take the bus?
Cardiovascular fitness is universally useful. Brain areas come into play everywhere. They are not specific to certain tasks. I can now estimate accurately and comfortably in casual conversation, determine the tip without blinking, figure out how much time I have to get something done at home and tally in the travel time necessary to be somewhere else at a certain time. I can move numbers around in my head now like never before. I can remember numbers now unlike I ever could before. The implications are huge and what’s more, because the ability is open to me, I keep expanding my use of it everyday. I make calculations for fun, just like that, when I’m bored, because it feels good to be able to do something that would once have required closed-eyes, frowns, grunts from losing numbers, under-breath mumblings and a great deal of nervousness. This is just one brain area and it already feels like a whole new brain, I can’t wait for Calculus again. Oh, and silly mistakes strike two.
The last major changes I’ve experienced (so far, remember I still have four months to go) has been in recognizing words and symbols. I first noticed it about three weeks ago. I had gotten back into reading in October, I think it had to do with a reinvigorated ability to focus, which I believe comes with forcing yourself to do really hard mental tasks for hours every day. I had been making up for lost time in my reading and the goal was originally to read 52 pieces of classic literature in a year (by next October).
I say original because I already broke that, exciting, but beside the point. I was reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Silmarillion” in late January when I found that not only was I not confusing characters but I wasn’t even sounding them out. If you haven’t read “The Silmarillion” you should know that all the characters names are in Tolkien’s made up languages. It was a shocking, frabjous epiphany. When I thought of a character, I didn’t think of its name, I SAW its name…in my head.
If you can do this, it might not be a surprise. I however, had my mind fairly blown. For one thing I have very dominant auditory abilities. I can remember whole songs lyrics and tunes from hearing them a couple times but if you ask me what I see when I close my eyes, I would have told you two months ago: The back of my eyelids. Not any more. I had frankly been getting quite fed-up with this exercise. It was, as I have said, really hard and I was fairly convinced that I was doing it wrong because when I closed my eyes and “saw” what I was trying to memorize I really didn’t think I “saw” anything. Now I see.
I’m starting to remember words without sounding them out, and when I do sound them out, I do so much more accurately than before. And as if all this wasn’t exciting enough: I’m actually starting to learn how to spell. None of this setting letters to tunes, which is the only way I learned to spell “because” as a kid, now I close my eyes (or leave them open and just sort of “look” in my head) and I can SEE them. Looking up words in the dictionary has never been more fruitful because I won’t have to look them up again. I don’t hurry through Spell-Check anymore because I’m learning from my mistakes now. I SEE them now. I remember the spellings. I’ve actually had to teach myself to slow down a bit while reading non-fiction so that I can absorb the image of the scientific terms and the like. Above I spelt Synesthesia without spelling it out loud but by closing my eyes and seeing it, you can’t know how outstanding that feels. French and Spanish words have an all-new significance too and there’s no reason to think that won’t be the case for all languages, even those not written in Latin characters. Equations stick visually, I can remember formulae by seeing them instead of “logic-ing them out” like I used to. My whole experience of reading and language is undergoing a massive, unprecedented change with this one new ability, this one new function. Oh, and silly mistakes, strike three, you’re out.
So what does this mean for you? Well, it means you don’t need to have a diagnosed or incapacitating learning disabilities to benefit from this program. And if you do, it means you don’t have to despair… if you’re willing to work hard. It means that if you’re top of the class, breezing through school, bored and no one is the least concerned that your brain might benefit from improvement, take a good poke around up there, you might find your deficits lurking where you least expect them. More importantly though, I think it means we have a serious problem in the way we think about intelligence right now.
“Smart” is an utterly useless word and you can’t be proud of something you haven’t earned. In our society, you climb up the ladder of the maths and sciences until it gets too hard and at that moment you’ll hear things like “I guess you’re not a science person” or “Your brain just wasn’t made for math”. No one ever mentions the word “cognition”. Some people have to study their brains out; others don’t know how to study (right here). For some people it “clicks” and for others it doesn’t, we take it for granted that it’s as simple as that. The Arrowsmith Program disagrees in my experience. What you can’t do today you might be doing tomorrow, if you’re willing to work for it. How beneficial would it be for every kid to be doing what comes hardest when they’re young so that come high school, classes are far more equalized and everyone enjoys the experience of a more balanced, more capable brain. How significant would such a paradigm shift be for the experience of education in general.
It’s hard to be arrogant about your intellectual prowess when you understand you’re experiencing a cognitive accident, an anomaly, and there’s stuff that’s really really hard for you to do too. Everybody should have the chance to experience a better brain if they are willing to put in the effort.
I have described to you here three of the greatest changes I have experienced so far. They are not the only ones though, and I’m not done working yet. The Arrowsmith Program presents a whole new way of thinking about, developing and improving the brain. I think it has consequences of a magnitude not yet understood or imagined. I for one am not going to be done telling people about it any time soon.
Daniel
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I am so so happy that I am in Arrowsmith because it has really, really helped me tons! I can now do a lot of things that I was never able to do before. The first thing that I have seen improvement in is my handwriting. I can write much neater and it is a lot easier for me to write. I also used to write very slow and now I can write a little bit faster but that is only a little thing. I used to have to have to pronounce each syllable when I read Hebrew but now I can read Hebrew much better. Another really good thing that I have seen improvement in is in my memory. I am really able to remember things much better and if my mother tells me to do something I will maybe forget but I will remember a little later and before Arrowsmith I always forgot everything. I wasn’t able to remember what I learnt in Math but most of all, the thing Arrowsmith has helped me most in is understanding. Before Arrowsmith I never understood anything but now I can understand some things much better! Especially in Math I understand what I learn every day! Last year I never understood anything in class and my mother had to teach me everything that I learned that day and study with me for really long and I still wouldn’t be able to get a good mark and this year for the first time in my life I got a 100 on my Math test and I didn’t study. If there wouldn’t be such a thing as Arrowsmith it would be really bad because Arrowsmith is the BEST thing in the whole world!
Karmen
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Since doing the Arrowsmith program, I’ve observed a significant increase in the complexity in my son’s speech patterns and expressions. Not only has his vocabulary greatly expanded, but he has learnt to assemble words together in coherent and surprisingly creative ways to express his thoughts. This has given him the confidence to speak more and debate ideas, which has in turn developed that self-belief required to succeed in all aspects of life from social to academic.
Paul
Parent/Guardian
Participant Age: School-Age
Although only 2 months into our Arrowsmith experience, my wife and I could not be more pleased. We can see dramatic progress in our son’s writing skills, task completion, and willingness to attend school and do homework. When we first looked at Arrowsmith, we thought it would be perfect to address his needs. In fact, I thought it was “too good to be true!” and kept waiting for the “other shoe to drop!” No drop yet! We are thrilled. Please keep the communication with us going and keep up the great work.
Emily
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I dream about having a job I love and can manage well with the help of the program at this school, I feel like this dream of mine will succeed, “walls” have been put up in front of me, and trust me they have been difficult to pass. I feel confident that these “walls” will crumble so that I can pass. In other words, there were many academic challenges for me in high school, but I feel like the program will greatly help me and improve my life for wonderful things to happen. I dream to have a profession in the world of culinary arts. I am glad that there are exercises to help with math at Arrowsmith School. I will have to know some math for measuring out ingredients in baking and/or cooking. I dare to pursue my dream. I dare to work hard, be steadfast, and strive to complete my goals.
Liam’s Mother
Parent/Guardian
Program: Cognitive Intensive Program
Participant Age: School-Age
When I brought Liam up to Toronto in July for the Intensive Summer Program, I thought that Liam would benefit from the program. Well to my surprise I had no idea how much that would change all of us. During those six weeks, I was noticing changes. He never once complained about the work at Arrowsmith and instead of asking what, he is now constantly asking why, what does that mean, and he is now understanding the meaning of a metaphor. He is reading books with a different enthusiasm; he is so excited to learn. I wasn’t aware of how beautiful the Arrowsmith experience was going to be for all of us, I have grown so much on this journey, I appreciate and understand Liam even more. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Rachel
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I’ve been impressed by, and grateful for, the many benefits of the Arrowsmith program (and its wonderful teachers). Before Rachel attended Arrowsmith, her school days were traumatic. She was learning very little and she knew it. At home her mood dial was set somewhere between sadness and rage. She was enroled in a patchwork quilt of programs in addition to special ed at school – language therapy, math tutoring, English tutoring, counseling…
What a relief to find Arrowsmith School. Rachel is learning better than ever before. She shows obvious cognitive gains in reading, written expression, reasoning and speech. We’ve released her from her extracurricular patchwork quilt (except math tutoring, which she enjoys). Rachel has resumed her true passions (karate and soccer) and her mood dial has stabilized on “happy” since the day she started Arrowsmith full-time two and a half years ago. She leaps out of bed eagerly every single day of the week and she falls, happy and tired, into a peaceful sleep every single night. She is a sweet, generous, highly motivated and – yes – excitable(!) girl.
We are no longer wondering whether Rachel can ever be self-sufficient. I’m sure she’ll be able to make a great life for herself. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do (apart from telling everyone I know) to be an ambassador of this wonderful school.
Many thanks,
Janice, Rachel’s mother
Hannah
Parent/Guardian
Participant Age: School-Age
So far this has been one of the most positives experiences in (my daughter’s) life. She feels like she is succeeding. She feels understood by her classmates and teachers. She said, “It’s the first time I have felt normal”. I see a difference already in her confidence and her comprehension. The commitment is worth the outcome. It is always good to feel passionate about something.
Ashlyn’s Parents
Parent/Guardian
Participant Age: School-Age
When my daughter was in 4th grade, her class had weekly timed multiplication tests, 50 questions in two minutes. Due to what we later discovered was Dyscalculia, she could only get through about a dozen problems before time ran out, though the ones she could finish were all correct. Even though the accelerated class wouldn’t even be offered for a few years, the teacher was letting me know then and there that math was just going to be too hard for my daughter. It was frustrating because she knew the answers, it was as though she just needed more time to get them out.
Fast forward a year and a half and a diagnosis of dyslexia and dyscalculia, we discovered the Arrowsmith program was being offered at a school nearby. After two years, my daughter tested into the advanced Algebra class at her new school and now has a 98 average in the class. She is still working on Symbol Relations and MSS, via the remote program and has made remarkable progress.
I’d love to go back to that teacher and tell her that Ashlyn was actually highly capable of more advanced math, she just needed Arrowsmith. I shudder to think how many students she has needlessly steered away from math throughout the years.
The only thing I wish I could change about the Arrowsmith Program was that we’d found it sooner. Ashlyn has made an amazing transformation, not just in her academic progress, but in her academic confidence as well.
Dr. Carol Midkiff
Education Professional
Program: Full-time
The Arrowsmith Program has filled a void in our educational program by reaching out, giving students hope, and providing an opportunity to taste success. Susan was a senior in High School. She had difficulties remembering and when she did, she was unable to sequence the information correctly.
After a few months in the Arrowsmith Program she stunned her parents by relating the events of an episode of “I Love Lucy” she had viewed the previous evening in perfect order! As she continued to make progress a family member who had not seen her in months didn’t believe she was the same person.
The changes I have witnessed in ability and personality in our Arrowsmith students in the 3 years that we have offered the program is miraculous. It offers hope and a chance to succeed to the overwhelmed and overwrought.
Dr. Carol Midkiff, Principal American Christian School Succasunna, New Jersey
Peter's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
My son has made significant progress in all areas. His school work has improved almost beyond belief.
Taylor
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
I don't always feel as if I'm behind a glass, asking people to interpret the world for me; many, many more times now, I reach out to others and invite myself to be included and I can participate in multi-layered conversations.
Aiden
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
My name is Aiden. I am in grade 7 and in my second year of Arrowsmith. I’m going to tell you a bit about my journey with school so far.
In grade 2, half-way through the year, I was home-schooled because my mom thought I needed counseling and speech therapy. I worked with a speech therapist with my spelling, but after 6 months I could only remember one word. We all knew that this wasn’t helping me.
In grade 3 I noticed that school was getting so much harder. Reading was way harder and so was writing. I could never remember how to write words and so I would just give up. During reading I always had to read little kiddie books with pictures because I had trouble reading. I would learn with all the other kids but I couldn’t remember anything. I could never get things done on time because it took me so long. Like in math – even if I did get a whole bunch of math questions done, they were all wrong because I got the steps mixed up. When I got one wrong I didn’t have the confidence to keep going so I would get all mad and I would just put my head down and quit.
There was always a little group of us kids who had the same disabilities and the teacher gave us special spelling and reading help but soon even the other kids in the little group got better and faster than me. That made me feel kind of stupid because they could remember things like a sponge, but I couldn’t. People didn’t think I was trying, but I was. At the end of grade 3 I knew I could do grade 2 work, but was worried that I would be one of those kids who had to stay back a grade.
When I was in grade 4 one of the kids in my special group came with me to a different school because there was a program there for kids with disabilities. The program was better because they introduced us to computer help. I had a program where I could speak into the computer and it would write words for me. I didn’t like it because I could never pronounce the words right and it was a lot like math because it was confusing and had a lot of steps and commands to remember. It wasn’t helpful at all for me.
When I was in grade 5 Reading Buddies was embarrassing. I was reading with grade 3 kids and I couldn’t help the little kid with the word he was stuck on because I couldn’t read it either. In Grade 5 I heard about Arrowsmith and I heard it would help me. I didn’t want to go because I thought it would just be another school, another program, and it wouldn’t help. You see – I was only in grade 5 and I had already given up on myself. The only thing I liked about school was my friends and I didn’t even have many friends. Because nothing was helping me I felt like I had nothing to work towards because nothing was getting any better.
SO – we decided that I would come to GCCS and try the Arrowsmith program. The first day here I thought everything was going to be fun. We had to do a lot of strange things but the teachers would explain how it would help us. Everything looked really easy at first, but it actually takes a lot of time to master something. The work is difficult because every exercise in Arrowsmith is working on something we are weak at. Imagine working all day doing something you are not good at. It can be frustrating and overwhelming. BUT – for the first time ever I started to remember stuff! In about 2 months I already felt like “I can do this!” and I had never felt that way before. For example, whenever I used to write stuff, my teacher would have to pretend to read it or say “Aaron can you read this to me?”, but the problem was I couldn’t even read what I had written.
After one year in Arrowsmith I can write a whole page in cursive writing in about 25 minutes, which is really good for me. My spelling still need a whole lot of work, but me teacher can actually read everything I write now. My reading is a lot better and I can read faster and sound out words better. For the first time I have enough confidence to read out loud.
I play the cello. In the past I would have to write down every single note because I would keep forgetting the note names and sequences. My dad is my cello teacher and he has noticed that I am able to remember my notes a lot better now. I can also play the drums now because I feel more coordinated and I can do 3 things at once instead of just one.
My future is looking brighter. I am able to dream bigger about what I’ll be doing in the future.
…and that’s my story so far.
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
When I was about 11, I wanted to be a teacher, but then I remembered that my multiplication was terrible. I didn’t even know what 8×2 was, but now that I went to Arrowsmith I know most of my times tables like: 8×8=64 7×3=21 9×9-81 9×4=36. And some with clocks. I didn’t know what the hands meant. I didn’t know what the hour hand was and same with the minute hand. But look at me now, it takes me 2 seconds to look what the clock in front of me and it’s only been my first year at Arrowsmith! All of this from Arrowsmith, it’s a life changing school.
Tanya
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Young Adult
I am writing this 2 Years after Arrowsmith School. I am naturally inquisitive and have always been intrigued by the learning process and the pursuit of knowledge. As a student I loved to learn and yet I found aspects of my schooling very challenging. In the later part of my high school career I was diagnosed as being both Learning Disabled and having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
One of the learning disabilities that was diagnosed was one which affects the expression of thought through speech, and more significantly in my case, in writing. At that time I felt frustrated because I knew that I understood the material, but because I had difficulty expressing my thoughts on paper I was unable to keep up with the required written assignments. I also had great difficulty completing tests and exams in the allotted time. The few accommodations made by the school and the suggestion of doing remedial work did not feel encouraging. I struggled but managed to complete high school.
When I thought about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I was confronted with the importance of a university or college education. The thought of trying to get a university education was overwhelming.
My love of knowledge led me to Arrowsmith School, where I was a student for a year in 1996 to 1997 in anticipation of pursuing a university education.
One of the primary reasons for my decision to attend Arrowsmith was the knowledge that the work done there on remedying learning disabilities would enable me to get the most out of the university experience and assist me in reaching my full potential. I have been pleased that not only do I notice improvements and a greater ease in performing tasks that had previously been challenging, but also these improvements can be felt and seen in day to day activities. The test results were dramatically different from September to the re-testing in June.
I find that I now am able to write in a more concise manner and am able to write much more quickly than in the past. My reasoning skills have also benefited and are a strength. I am more comfortable with and better skilled at performing mathematical problems mentally.
After finishing at Arrowsmith School and beginning my first year at York University, I had some experiences which confirmed the benefits that I felt I had received from the program. My most exciting result from my first year was the midterm for the Introduction to Psychology course. In a class of 112 students my grade placed me within the top 10 students in the class. This year I passed Statistics on my first try, which amazed me because previously I always had to repeat math classes, even in grade nine.
The benefits that I feel that I have received because of Barbara Arrowsmith-Young’s research and my own hard work are almost too numerous to mention. A few major areas that have been improved include writing, reading, mathematics, reasoning, and auditory memory. Before the program I was a very slow writer, and now I am able to take down notes during a lecture. I am able to retain the auditory information long enough to get it down on paper. When I am writing essays, I am able to remember what I want to say long enough that I am able to write it down. I am also able to complete tests and assignments within the allotted period of time. While at Arrowsmith I worked on exercises which improved my reasoning skills, helping me to better understand the main point when reading. My problem-solving skills have improved and I find that I am often able to find solutions more quickly than others are in my work place. My confidence in my academic abilities has grown.
I learned a lot about myself, while at Arrowsmith and had some wonderful experiences with my fellow students who ranged in age and had varying levels of ability. It is an experience that I will always remember as having the greatest impact on me both educationally and socially. That experience also made me want to learn more about the functions of the brain and how we learn.
I am currently working on a Specialized Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology at York University. I have applied to the York Concurrent Teacher Education Program with the hopes of completing my degree and Teacher’s Certificate. I feel that these are realistic goals because of the work done in the Arrowsmith Program. Barbara Arrowsmith-Young’s research and the work done at Arrowsmith School provides hope for students and adults with learning difficulties.
Lian
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I’ve seen a lot of improvements while I’m in Arrowsmith. Some of the improvements that I’ve noticed are that I’m understanding more. When I watch a TV show I ask more questions and I’m understanding the story better. I’m also understanding why things happen in TV shows. I’m also asking about some things that are going on in the news. I’m also noticing that I predict things and I’m right. I’ve also noticed that I’m better at adding and subtracting numbers. I don’t have to count one number at a time. I can skip count better. I also don’t have to use my fingers to count. Another thing I’m noticing is that I’m talking more. Before I came to Arrowsmith I was really quiet around my friends and family. Now that I’ve been in Arrowsmith I’m talking a lot more. When I talk to my mom or dad, I can explain things better. I used to give up on the things I say now I can explain better. Another thing I’ve noticed is that I can tell time better. When I was in grade 9, I couldn’t tell time on a regular clock. Now I can. I’ve also noticed I can write longer and I have more to say. Another improvement that I’ve noticed is when I’m on the phone I talk more. I can tell jokes and they actually make sense. I’m also thinking things through before I do stuff. When something bad is going to happen I can think about the whole picture. I’m also noticing that I’m not as shy as I used to be. Another improvement I’ve noticed is that I can remember things better. I can also remember more things.
Jasmine
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I have improved in reading, writing more, remembering is easier. I can focus more than I used to. I can read clocks much faster. I got a little better typing faster than I used to. I just feel more confidence in myself. I even think I am smarter because I can remember more. I can remember more of what I need to, so I am doing better in class. I don’t talk as much in class. I can remember instructions better and more at a time. I can read better. I can get my work done faster in class so at my other school I don’t have any homework like I used to. I used to have so much. I can remember what I read now. I used to not be able to remember anything that I read. Now the books are more interesting, so I definitely read more than I used to. I just like school better. I even have more friends because I have more confidence to ask people if I can play with them. It even helps me in gymnastics because I take risks more so I just go for it. I even like it more because I don’t get in trouble for not going for it. I even take risks for doing really hard things if I have never done them before and they end up a little scary but way more fun than scary.
Elizabeth
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Dear Ms. Arrowsmith,
I very much wish I could tell all of this to you in person. But at this moment my family and I are currently all the way in Michigan. I am very grateful for your program. It has helped me more then I ever imagined it would. I have always had… troubles, for the lack of a better word, in math. My mother has found many programs for me to try for math but, none of them have ever worked. Sometimes we thought they were actually going to. ‘Maybe this time’ we would think. When my mom found out about Arrowsmith, we decided that this time it would work. This time, it had to. And, it did. I never thought I would ever get math, ever add in my head. But my dreams came true. I can add in my head now. More things than just math has changed. Spelling has become better, even my writing has become better. My memory has become SCARY, and I see details I always wanted to see, but never could. My handwriting is beautiful, I memorize things, and I don’t even MEAN to. It just happens. I can tell if someone’s telling the truth or not. If s all because of you. I can’t even find the right words, so I suppose I’ll just say, thank you. Thank you. It sounds pathetic, I know, but that’s all I can say. Thank you. Elizabeth , age 13, an Arrowsmith student, and proud of it.
Devorah
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Young Adult
It was in my 18th year that things began to change for me. Looking back, I can only describe my life to that date as existence, struggling along trying to survive in what was for me a continuously confusing world.
With graduation from high school looming up before me, I spent a great deal of energy trying not to think about the future, because I really hadn’t a clue what I wanted to do with the next 60 or 70 years of my life.
My father wisely suggested I receive some career counselling. That was a most fortunate stroke of good luck. The counselor identified a learning disability and recommended the Arrowsmith Program.
This, after thirteen years of schooling, where I was subjected to numerous tests, all of which gauged my intelligence, but never provided a reason for my problems. I had grown up with the syndrome I call the “can do better kid.” This child is always told she is not functioning at the level she should, and she can do better.
It makes me very angry in retrospect, because of the damage it inflicted on my personality. I was not responsible for poor marks in mathematics and history, or for poor penmanship. But, because I was accepted as overall quite bright, I was labeled as lazy because all my test scores were not at the top of the class.
I turned this inward, until I really did believe I was slacking off. But I kept searching for another answer, because others’ opinions of me did not match what I really felt about myself – that I was trying as hard as I could. I needed to resolve this inner conflict between what I believed and what others told me about myself. Deep down I hoped there was another answer, if I could only find it.
So, at the tender age of six, I stood outside the room where hearing tests were being conducted, and prayed fervently that they would find a problem. I remember this clearly, as well as my disappointment when they said I was just fine. And at the age of 15, I was the one to insist on getting tested for glasses, because I had detected a slight change in my vision. Perhaps, I thought, this would explain that “can do better” label I had suffered with all my life. But, although I was fitted for glasses, they did nothing to improve my problem.
It was in grade 10 that I started having serious schooling problems, and almost dropped out. I remember my disappointment with the whole thing, even though I was enrolled in a special arts program. Nothing measured up to what I hoped it would be, and I just couldn’t understand why. I was at times bored, at times frustrated with simple things, and I was always socially isolated.
Social problems are an integral part of learning dysfunctions. My difficulty with symbolic reasoning, which is the prime factor in understanding mathematics or history, made it impossible for me to understand the many nuances in social discourse.
I had few friends, because I was afraid of people. I didn’t understand them. The process by which an individual runs together events in history, and finds a pattern in them, is the same process by which that person puts together information learned in a social setting and sums up her companions.
Without that tool, it is impossible to know at any point what other people are up to. It is also impossible to understand when others are teasing, or, similarly, when they mean to do you harm. It is like having all the pieces of the puzzle available, but not ever knowing how they fit together.
And it is easier to be alone, than to risk being laughed at. My social behavior was also inappropriate; all the jokes came out wrong, and my comments were made unwisely and at the wrong time.
For all that a child, or adult for that matter, has a heart of gold, no-one can see it through all this kind of social awkwardness.
I remember the day I cracked my first joke – and it came out right! My family is very witty, but jokes never happened easily for me. I had them straight in my head, but they came out wrong. They only started being funny after months of work at Arrowsmith.
It was a combination of motor and symbolic reasoning dysfunctions that prevented me from being funny. Those two disabilities interfere with the mechanism that transfers information from the brain out through the mouth, or through the hand in writing and in being able to grasp meaning.
My poor penmanship was an indication of the one problem. Not interacting well in a social setting was an indication of the other problem, and had far more serious consequence.
The day the vocational counsellor said “I think there might be a learning problem, here” was the day my life began to change. That sounds rather dramatic, but words cannot express how much my work at the Arrowsmith school changed my life.
I can show you, though. One walk through the school, and you will see children working harder than young people should. There is a surprising focus to their efforts, for all that the exercises seem not to make much sense. They don’t seem related to the problem, either.
So why would a child work that hard? In my case, it was because I knew this was my last chance to improve what had until then been a pretty unhappy life.
I did not blindly believe what Barbara said could be done to help. I did not blindly accept that this work could turn my life around. I was too suspicious of the world at that point to be so naive.
And yet I worked at that place, harder than I have ever done in my life, or probably ever will. I applied a discipline to myself that I never thought I was capable of.
It was because at the very first, someone was talking my language. No one in my entire existence up to that point had so clearly identified what I was struggling with. I was asked questions like: “do you have trouble telling the time?” Or: “is it hard for you to follow events in history? They were questions that seemed innocent enough, but they pointed to a very troubled mind.
After all, how many 18-year-olds do you know who have had to conceal the fact they cannot easily tell the time? For me, if asked, I would go through a routine of looking hard at my watch, figuring out where the hands were, then computing what they meant. Most people can glance at their timepiece and instantly know the hour. I can, NOW, but I could not then.
Again, because of my high intelligence, it took very little time for me to do these fast computations – so the problem went unnoticed. Except by Arrowsmith. I remember a great feeling of relief after my first conversation with Barbara. Although my years of cover-ups had been exposed, at least someone understood – FINALLY – what was wrong.
She was also very supportive. Daily she deals with the various emotional problems that arise from learning dysfunctions. I have watched children coping with frustration, using every form of subterfuge possible to avoid facing their problems, deliberately distracting one another, or dealing with a profound depression as a result of their struggles.
I was a classic depressive, after so many years trying to understand a world that constantly eluded my comprehension. Somewhere down the line I had given up trying. My self-image was also very poor. I was not unique. So, day by day, the Arrowsmith staff would deal with the problems that would arise, as well as motivating children who had learned to fail.
Once the students had seen the results of their labors, however, motivation was no longer greatly needed. For me, this came about three months after starting the program.
One day, I became aware that everything looked different. It is hard to describe, but it seemed like my perception of the world had become sharper. Shapes, textures and colors were clearer and had a luster to them I had not noticed before. I remember literally walking down a street staring at everything, feeling a wonder I thought I had lost, and full to bursting with a joy that is indescribable. My days after that were precious; as jokes came faster, learning became easier and my world opened up, life finally looked as if it might be worth living after all.
Of course, personality problems do not disappear, and there are things I still am working on now, ten years after the year I spent at Arrowsmith. But now I have the facility to work on them, because I understand what is wrong.
For years after my time at the school I would recall something that one of a succession of counsellors had said to me while growing up. It would be an obvious thing. But I would recall it, and say to myself “of course – so that’s what they meant!” It was the difference between hearing what was said and really comprehending the information, in all its nuances and complexities. After that year, I had the facility to apply ideas to my life, and solve problems – really solve them, where before they merely bewildered me.
That is the greatest of the many tools given to me – by myself – through my work at the school. Arrowsmith provided the materials and the methodology; gradually, bit by bit, I cleared out the cobwebs in my underused brain and exercised it until it was functioning at normal capacity – and in some instances, above average.
But the most important thing is, I now have an effective ability to learn. I have lost my teenage years – they can never be recalled, and I needed to relearn many things that were never absorbed over the years. This included the nuances of social interaction and discourse as well as book learning.
But I now have the capacity to learn – efficiently, completely, and discriminatingly, choosing those ideas that are important to me, and discarding useless information. I have the capacity to choose, to set my own standards, and to have confidence in myself, that what I absorb is reliable and will not disappear into a mist somehow.
My brain is sharper than it has ever been, my jokes are average – but funny – and my special gifts are no longer weighted down by deficiencies in other areas.
Always good at writing, I have chosen journalism as my life’s profession. But my days have changed more than I can ever describe, in the way I approach and understand things.
I now have some close and lifelong friendships, whereas before I had none; I have been involved in several positive romantic relationships, where before I never knew whether a man was on the level or not; and I now have a satisfying career, which I chose because I can now sum up my assets and decide which ones I wish to highlight. In other words, I have control – over my life, over what is done to me, and over where I will be in the future. Many people take this as a given in their lives; I never had that pleasure. Until Arrowsmith.
Life for me now is filled with the usual ups and down, pleasures and disappointments. It is a very ordinary life that, ten years ago, was extraordinary in its misery and confusion.
I know this all sounds rather unreal; but then the problem I was coping with, although shared by many people in this society, is one that creates a feeling of unreality. My story sounds dramatic, but is not exaggerated; it is hard to convey just how important to my future the experience at Arrowsmith was.
All I can say is, I am not sure I would still be functioning today, if I had not received that help ten years ago. I’m sure at some point I would have given up. It is a triumph hard won, through lots of effort and the courage to believe in myself.
I like today, and I like myself. I owe my life, and my future to Barbara Arrowsmith-Young and myself.
Kory's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Because Kory’s ability to express himself has improved his interaction with everyone, this has made him more self confident.
Maria
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Dear Barbara,
Thank you for inventing all of the brain exercises, they are helping me with so much. I can write faster and I can do more math in my head. I am more confident in class and I can get my work done sooner. I think that my memory is getting better because I am starting to remember my times tables and I can remember spelling rules too.
Sincerely,
Maria
Louise
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
At the moment, the things that are much closer to now that I really want to do first and foremost is graduating high school. It just wasn’t going to happen before coming here and now I’m pretty sure I can do it. I’ll be sure to send you guys a photo of my little certificate in two years. I never expected I could be so excited about school, but I genuinely cannot wait to prove myself that I can do it. I’m pretty sure I can. The next thing after that is I want to go to University in Scotland.
I wanted to be a nurse but Dyslexia was getting in my way. Then I came to Arrowsmith and it got easier and easier to accomplish my dream of being a nurse. I want to be a nurse because I want to help people, it’s my dream to be a nurse and Arrowsmith has helped me accomplish it. Thank you Arrowsmith. The end!
Sarah’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Within the first 3 weeks, we noticed that Sarah was able to count by 2’s and actually told us that she had to do her counting. By 5 weeks, Sarah was able to communicate more efficiently without any story telling due to her language barrier. She was able to hold a conversation and was able to understand what was going on when we watched a movie. My biggest fear with Sarah was boundaries. Lack of boundaries was always a huge problem with us. She couldn’t get consequences and so she constantly was in trouble, and we were at our wits end. She just didn’t get it. We were constantly frustrated with her and quite angry most days. Now, Sarah is like a different child. Our house is quiet and relaxed. I feel that she acts quite like a “normal” eight-year-old does now. She communicates very well with her sister and there is very little conflict in our home. I actually feel confident in leaving Sarah alone with our 4-year-old now without fear of something bad happening.
Over the holidays, our friends told me that Sarah seems more relaxed and confident in communicating with them in their home. We have tried over the years to get Sarah involved in games. We tried simple games like snakes and ladders. She never seemed interested in anything either than watching movies. Well, over the holidays, she was playing Trouble, Snakes and Ladders and card games like Old Maid. She even did puzzles which again she was never able to put a puzzle together on her own. I would watch as she strategizes her moves or put thought to where a puzzle piece should go, and I am so thankful that she is on her way to “strengthening her brain”. I can’t even imagine how our life would be if EAS didn’t come into our lives.
I am so grateful for this program; our lives have changed tremendously!
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Now that I am in the Arrowsmith Program, I feel that now I can have a family after high school, go to college or university. Now I Dare to Dream because my self-esteem is better and I am more confident in myself. When I grow up I think I want to be a Dance Instructor, Baker or a Teacher
Harry
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I have improved in my listening skills and my hearing what everyone has to say. This program should have a permanent place in the school system because it helps many students with their disabilities
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Before I came to Arrowsmith I couldn’t read social situations very well and now I can tell what people are feeling just by walking into a room. When I first came here I hated talking and being talked to. Now I am the complete opposite of that. My lifelong dream was to be a teacher, but what teacher can teach and hate talking and being talked to, and who couldn’t do math. Arrowsmith has prepared me to go out in the world and do what I want to do. Now I can dream again and face fewer obstacles and be less controlled by them.
Charlotte
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Young Adult
This program has had so many profound effects on my education and daily life. The Arrowsmith Program has allowed me to become excited about my future and has given me the confidence to pursue my passions and interests without worrying about learning limitations or boundaries. I cannot express how grateful I am to have completed this program and cannot stress enough to interested families and students how beneficial and spectacular this program is.
Meghan
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
An Inspirational Gift, a poem about my Arrowsmith experience
As I started out at Arrowsmith I had no clue what to expect.
It was nerve-wracking just thinking about it, yet exciting.
I came and boy was I ever surprised. I could not believe what I saw right in front of my eyes!
A warm and positive environment was what I saw and this made me feel in awe.
The people there all were so welcoming I could not believe what was happening!
I was in such shock that it was so hard to talk.
But, when I saw the students come into the classroom one by one I knew my journey had just begun.
Happy thoughts started circling my mind and I didn’t feel like I would be left behind.
And once the teachers had gone through the tasks at hand it made me realize that I was in command.
I would no longer suffer, suffer those weaknesses. They would be changed, like the weather.
Then, as the months came I felt this pain, this ache in my brain.
The feeling was emotional and frustrating, but slowly it passed away.
It certainly felt like I was walking on a tight rope, carefully try not to tumble down to the ground.
Although there were days of rage and fear, I had to remind myself I was here for a reason and had to go along just like the seasons.
Everyday I worked so much harder than I had ever done.
It was not fun at first and sometimes I felt like my brain would burst.
But, I just kept telling myself that I have the determination and I must get to my destination.
And so I did knowing I would no longer be that kid with no confidence and confusion.
Arrowsmith has given me a makeover, a shiny new brain to take over.
The tool that will be used efficiently and will push me to strive in school successfully.
I am a bird that can fly and I do not have to sigh.
I can do so many things beyond belief, I feel unstoppable like a marathon runner.
This school is the greatest gift that can change your life forever and make it even better!
Clara
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I understand math more.
Jennifer’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Young Adult
Jennifer successfully completed high school and started her first year of College in September of 1992. She continued to improve in her academic endeavors. In contrast to her previous inability to fully understand the meaning of written and spoken material and her difficulty with abstract thinking, she was able to achieve mostly A’s in her class work, including philosophy and history. The following is an example of a comment on her work, “exceptionally well done, clear, interesting narration, excellent organization, judicious use of source material and consistent focus on question asked.” She made the Dean’s List with a 3.5 grade point average.
About 1-½ years after completing the Arrowsmith program, an independent psychologist administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised. The IQ she attained at this time was in the very superior range and 30 IQ points higher than she had tested before starting the Arrowsmith program, at which time she scored in the average range.
Jennifer’s continuing achievements in college were consistent with this higher level of functioning. Again in contrast to her previous difficulty with math, as when she had been unable to subtract, her grade in calculus was an A and she was at this time invited to tutor other students.
In 1994, Jennifer received an invitation to join the Honor program on the basis of her high grades. She graduated from college in 1995. After considering going on to graduate school in psychology and social work, she decided, instead to pursue a career in advertising. She has been successful in this field and has shown herself to be well motivated, quick to learn, conscientious, and responsible – a respected participant and team player.
In recent months our family has been experiencing a major medical crisis. Jennifer has been extremely helpful and sensitive to this difficult situation – offering intelligent and thoughtful suggestions and very appropriate support. The level of her judgment and analytical ability during this time confirm that she is continuing to function on a very high level.
We are grateful to this program for offering our daughter the opportunity to overcome her deficits and to achieve a high level of functioning. We are very proud of her for working hard and taking advantage of this opportunity and maintaining an attitude of cooperation and responsibility.
As a licensed psychologist, I believe it is the responsibility of professionals in the field to seek out and evaluate treatment programs and to disseminate to the concerned community information on critical resources which are offering effective help. The ongoing success of Arrowsmith School’s program is not only in correcting the deficits and bringing the capacity to the average range from an impaired level, but also frequently in raising the capacity to well above average levels; this is just one compelling reason for making this facility known to professionals and families.
- A grateful mother
Chris
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
After Arrowsmith, I’m not sure what I’ll do. I might be a paramedic, an accountant, or even a lawyer. Now I can set up a target and shoot for it, and if I miss I can just aim for another. While my arrow is in flight, the target might move or shrink, so I’ll have to aim straight. Before, I would aim for one shot, and miss, every single time. It was more like throwing an arrow. Arrowsmith has become a bow for me to use accurately to fire towards my goal with ease.
Gordon's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I thought I would give you a little update of Gordon’s transition to Senior School. We enrolled Gordon at a public school that only caters to Year 11 and 12. I think this works in his favour being around older students as he just turned 17. Out of 1000 applications the school is only able to offer 300 places each year, the students have to show great commitment to their studies and have a future goal. Gordon got in by the skin of his teeth the day before classes started as they were 99% full and were able to take him mostly based on his subject choices. Whew!! In the interview we left out the bit about being a professional snow boarder as his future goal. Gordon chose (with my help as he was feeling overwhelmed at the end of January), Standard English, General Math, Ancient History, Woodworking (Design and Tech), Japanese and Digital Photography. The school has high quality teachers but not a lot of coaxing and hand holding at this school, they expect the students to take initiative for their learning. Gordon is into week 7 of the school term and is really seeming to thrive. A very different boy than he was 18 months ago. He has significantly better classroom focus and is engaged with the academic work. He was able to decipher his first English Assignment and answer exactly what was asked of him in his 1st Assessment on Creative Writing. He didn’t flinch or put off the work, or ask me for help, and was keen to get it done ahead of time. This was a first ever!! He knew exactly what was expected of him and followed sequentially step by step in getting the assignment done. He is able to read class dynamics so much better after attending EA and is handling situations with his peers confidently. I must share what his Ancient History teacher said to Gordon today. I guess the class was quite disruptive and quite a few students were texting and looking at their phones during the lesson, I believe she had a go at the class as to their poor behaviour. Gordon was the last to leave the classroom when the bell had gone and she pulled him up and said; “YOU LISTEN UP GORDON, You’re a bloody gem, if the rest of the students were as half as good as you I’d be the happiest teacher in the world”. I guess you can’t do better than that for a Wednesday . Yeah for EA and GORDON!
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Participant Age: School-Age
The Arrowsmith program made me dream again because now the things I can do are endless. I could be a CEO of a company or I can get a PHD in robotics because I can read and write and understand things I could not before. Before Arrowsmith I could only remember a couple of things but now I can remember anything. If someone is having trouble then I would say come to Arrowsmith. The best part of Arrowsmith is the people I have made some new friends. I have only been here for 9 months but the changes that have happened are life changing and like I said before just come to Arrowsmith.
Ben's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
The program has worked wonders for my son. He is more able to focus and stay on task longer.
Avigal
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Arrowsmith is helping me a lot. I like it. My brain is really being sharpened. It’s helping me in remembering. Last year when my mother told me to get a diaper for the baby I would go upstairs and I would forget things. Now it’s much easier for me. Arrowsmith is also helping me in concentrating. Last year I had no clue what was going on in class, I would just sit there and space out. Now I know perfectly. Also last year I was sleepy in class, now I’m not, I know everything much better. The main idea is Arrowsmith is helping A LOT!!!
Heidi’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
We have noticed the following changes and improvements in Heidi since she started Arrowsmith. They are all new; we have never seen these changes in her before.
Cognitive changes:
Reading: Heidi has never been an avid reader, but now reading has become a routine for her before going to sleep, to the point that we often have to push her to turn off the light and go to sleep.
Math: Heidi has surprised us over and over again with doing simple everyday mental calculations such as those required to follow recipes, to determine how long until something starts, to deduce how many place settings are needed if a certain number of guests do not show up for a meal. She also is able to do certain academic math problems she had never been able to do like counting backwards by 3’s. She is also able for the first time to tell time, and appreciate the significance of telling time, from an analog clock.
Writing: She has shown great interest in writing for the first time in her life. Apart from her writing assignments, she also now writes stories on her own initiative at home for fun. Also, her writing skills have improved according to her Language Teacher. Personal changes:
Self confidence and communication skills: On several occasions she has picked up the phone with no hesitation and talked with a parent to coordinate logistics for a friend’s visit.
Heidi now readily is able to enjoy shopping with her mom for clothes.
Prioritizing and decision making: When shopping for clothes she can tell me what she wants and does not want.
Heidi was able to sort her stuffed animals, choose ones to keep, and discard the rest of them, showing her ability to categorize, make decisions, and follow through; something we have never seen in her before.
Problem solving: Faced with a challenge, she will think of creative ways to solve it. For example, she has sometimes used sneakiness and short cuts to get out of trouble. Heidi was never able to do this before.
Social skills: Heidi is finding it easier to make friends and socialize, though she still has a way to go. Predicative exercise seems to be of great importance for this goal.
Accepting responsibility: Heidi is maturing and accepting more responsibility for her actions and for doing some chores around the house. It’s possible this isn’t Arrowsmith related, but it fits the above pattern.
Overall, we think Arrowsmith has made a considerable and positive difference in Heidi’s cognitive and personal development this year. With her continued hard work and perseverance, we look forward to additional positive surprises the upcoming years will bring.
We look forward to our next year in Arrowsmith and Dominion! Thank you.
Parents of Heidi, 7
Jenni
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
I have seen improvements in Math. I have gone from the girl who would sit in the back of the class and after almost every sentence ask my teacher a question because I couldn’t do the work or understand it. Now I can get an 82 on grade 9 Math. I can now do the work without having the teacher almost glued to the desk helping me.
My writing has really improved. I was looking at my journal entries from just the start of the year and my quality, quantity and neatness have gone through the roof in improvements. I can now do triple what I was able to do.
My reading has also improved. I can now read a five hundred paged book in five hours and actually enjoy it. I hated reading before I came here because it was so hard. But now I can really enjoy reading. I went from below grade level to above grade level in my speed and reading. My punctuation, grammar and spelling has really improved. It is easier for me to let out my thoughts when I am writing.
My Memory has improved. Now in Math and English I don’t have to write down everything the teacher says. I can remember it! It has also helped me when my friends tell me to meet them somewhere, give me their address or phone number. I can also remember instructions from my parents like clean your room (but I pretend I forgot that!), get your lunch, feed the cats.
I know that Symbol Relations and R-Think have really helped me socially. I would sometimes say the wrong thing because I couldn’t tell what would happen if I did and I couldn’t see how the person would react because I couldn’t read their emotions probably. It has also helped me know how to react to certain situations.
Brocas has really helped me not emphasize the last syllable of the last word of a sentence. Every time I did that my parents would ask me “is that a question”? I would get so frustrated! And it has helped me say words in the way they should be said. I couldn’t always pull words together so I would seem like I was saying two words. I would say always – all ways, and magazine – magazine. I would get so frustrated with myself.
I can now understand the main thing that people were trying to say or once I finished a book I can understand the main point or importance of it. My spelling has improved too. I was never the best speller but now I am a decent speller! I am not like my little brother who is like a dictionary. I am like a normal person and can spell extremely well compared to what I used to be able to do.
Symbol Relations has really helped me realize if I do a certain action, then what will be the result. I would never be able to do that before. Now I can really to get what will happen I have noticed that it has helped my social life a lot. I am extremely proud of all of the progress I have made and I know that I can still do more in the limited time I have.
Dare to Dream Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
After only one year, she has already completely come out of her shell and is now doing things we did not ever thing would be possible. Firstly, she has a large group of friends, feels incredibly safe and respected within the school community, and each day jumps out of bed to go to school. Secondly, she now seems to understand so much more about the world around her and all of the former anger, frustration and anxiety has completely disappeared. And lastly, and quite incredibly, recently she eagerly volunteered to join a girls’ softball team with people she did not know in an unfamiliar, competitive environment. Instead of giving up after the first game when it was obvious her skill level was quite low, she showed great determination to persist and learn new skills, not letting minor failures like dropped balls and missed hits upset her. This newfound determination and resilience clearly shows to us that she herself is now daring to dream of a life where she can do what she wants and be who she wants to be, uninhibited by all of the learning difficulties she has lived with for so long. We are amazed at this extraordinary will power and focus, and every day count our blessings and are grateful to Barbara Arrowsmith Young for developing such an amazing program.
Bradley’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
For many of us, enrolling our children in the Arrowsmith program was a leap of faith. I’ll admit as the parent of the eldest Arrowsmith student (8th grade), I had many hopes and invested in this program. Hopes that my son could shed his fear of the future because even in 7th grade he was concerned about how he would make a living with his LD’s; my hopes that he would not live in the shadow of himself, but live with his feet solidly planted facing the sun.
My husband was skeptical of the program and insisted we have independent tests done before, and during. We had reading tests done in August. A few hours ago, we did the same tests again. In almost all of the tests (reading fluency, sight words, inference questions, types of texts) he GAINED a FULL GRADE LEVEL!!! Never in his school career at the BISD (K-8) did he gain so much in a short time. This is the most significant news about his core abilities I have ever received.
We did not do math tests, but I have seen his recall accelerate from 20 seconds, to 10 seconds to almost instant. The tester’s comments today were similar- his recall was much faster. He was using a more sophisticated vocabulary with multi- syllabic words.
ONWARD ARROWSMITH!!! I am doing the happy dance.
Sheila Brown
Education Professional
Participant Age: School-Age
I have had a wonderful opportunity to offer my students a fantastic program. For the past nine years, I have delivered the Arrowsmith program at St. Theresa Shrine School. I believe that this program has allowed me to make a positive change in the students’ lives…After completing the program, many of the students do not require modifications or assistance in the regular classes. The students have met with success, and this has translated into much happiness and positive experiences.
Frank
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Senior
My advice for older people like myself who want to keep their brain functioning in the best possible way despite the natural aging process is definitely to try the Arrowsmith Program. It is not difficult to stay motivated and it brings amazing results. I am grateful every day for this opportunity, which has allowed me to improve my mental capacity and I see the improvement from week to week.
Susan, Special Education Consultant/Speech Therapist
Health Professional
Program: Full-time
I just spent three visits with Paul while he was home for spring break (March). It was truly amazing to see the changes since I saw him in December. His overall demeanor was calmer and more centered. He was acting more age appropriate, and seemed more interactive with what was going on around him. When you talk to him, he turns his whole body towards you, and sustains his physical presence during the conversation. At one point,
Paul and I started to talk about the difference between Canada and America, and it turned into a conversation about their governments, and then about the presidential election. The conversation flowed from one topic to the next, like a mature normal conversation. In the past, I would have had to ask a lot of questions to keep a conversation going. This conversation is the most mature one by far that I have ever had with Paul. He volunteered information and opinions, and listened and responded to what I had to say. It was really memorable. Paul’s speech fluency was much improved from his last visit. Last time, he could barely talk because he was so dysfluent, stumbling over each word, and especially at the beginning of a sentence. This time he was very fluent, with almost no dysfluencies. He seemed to speak effortlessly. You can see the relief on his face as he speaks. We also did quite a bit of reading. During his last visit, I was very concerned about Paul’s reading. He seemed to have forgotten how to read. He could not remember basic vowel combinations, consonant blends, and how to read in phrases. This time, Paul’s reading level appears to have gone up several grade levels! He read all sorts of vocabulary words easily, and did not stumble over parts of words. He read with improved sense of the phrases which increases his reading out loud fluency and comprehension. It wasn’t like he was reading words, but more like he was reading a story. He was very invested in the material. The sum of these changes is phenomenal! It doesn’t seem possible that a person could change so fundamentally in such a short time. This program is doing something to Paul’s brain that is incomprehensible to us outsiders.
Susan, Educational consultant/ Speech Pathologist
Juliana’s Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Our child has been designated Gifted-LD in the school system. There are certain things that our child has never had difficulty with because of our child’s strengths. There are areas that, no matter how hard we worked on them, they continued to be a difficulty and a source of frustration, e.g., telling time, making change, printing neatly, using a dictionary.
In just 3 months we have seen an improvement in our child’s (1) printing (able to print on a line, better formation of certain letters), (2) telling time on our kitchen clock (analog), and (3) recently our child initiated the use of a dictionary and quickly found the word – “random” – when I questioned how he was using it.
Min
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
My family has noticed some changes. Even my piano teacher and my neighbours can tell that I have changed. Like now I am more friendly and I’m a lot more confident with myself. I can hold a conversation and listen better. When I am reading a book, I don’t get lost because I follow the words. Also, my mom has noticed that I am very organized because when I come home from school I get a quick snack and then I go do my homework. I know where I keep all my stuff. All my pens are in my pencil case. Either in my homework binder pencil case or at home in my other pencil case. Now I just have to make sure that my room isn’t so messy. I wonder if there is an exercise that will help me make my room cleaner?
Now I can memorize my iPod songs, people’s names, and I can remember other words. I think that’s what Object Rec has helped me with. Also when I’m writing slower my parents can see that my writing got neater and word has made me write faster. If I’m listening to a really good song and if I heard the name I can write it down really fast or remember the name. Just a few weeks ago I was at UBC Thunder Birds Basketball game. There was these basketball players who had the coolest last names. Three guys last name were: Kool, Dyck and Bath. When I got home, I wrote it down on a piece of paper and then looked them up on Google. I don’t know why but I did, but I actually remembered their names for a while and still haven’t forgotten the last names.
Once I heard a word and then I can remember it for a while. When I’m doing piano I learn a scale and my teacher was like: “Wow how do you do that?” I just tell her I’m not sure because I could never do that before. Now my piano teacher is really impressed and I’m not so shy anymore. Before I didn’t really speak that much because I was so nervous, but now I talk a lot and it is impossible to shut me up. So I have seen tons of improvements so I think this school is actually helping me now!!
Lennie
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Adult
I began to organize my thoughts more effectively, and to plan ahead— first a few weeks ahead, then a few months ahead. For the first time in my life, I had real long term goals and was able to take steps towards achieving them.
Jonah's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
Jonah is starting to show his true strengths where before they were locked in his head. He used to spend hours on one assignment and still not be able to express his thoughts in writing. However, now he is able to do these assignments much quicker and with great results. As a result, his self confidence has increased a great deal and he is happier. We have seen a great improvement in his organizational skills in all areas of his life. We are very pleased with this program and very grateful that our son was able to participate
Special Education Teacher
Education Professional
Program: Full-time
As a high school special education teacher, I have had the opportunity to work with the following student over the past two years in the area of English. We met on a daily basis for 40 minutes of classroom instruction. In the second year of working with Marisa, she began several of the Arrowsmith cognitive exercises. These are the changes I noted.
This student worked on the cognitive program to improve her ability to think and problem solve and stay focused and on task. Some of the English assignments require thinking skills in order to write creatively. Last year and the beginning of this year were difficult for Marisa because she couldn’t focus in on the topic. Her writing was often unrelated to the topic. However, after several months of working on the Arrowsmith cognitive exercise related to improving executive functioning, Marisa began to show improvement. She now starts on task and keeps the proper focus. Marisa can remain on target for a longer time. The point is, Marisa’s written work doesn’t “wander” or appear obscure as it did prior to the cognitive work. Her ideas are better organized and more coherent with less rambling and irrelevancies. She also became more able to learn from her mistakes and start to be self-corrective and more thought goes into her compositions and essays.
Behaviorally, Marisa has also demonstrated growth. She worked on the program for non-verbal thinking and social reasoning. Prior to working on this program Marisa had been inappropriate much of the time- speaking loudly, making exaggerated body gestures, flailing her arms and “bouncing about” as she spoke to either staff or students. She was rarely accurate in her interpretation of social situations. Oftentimes when being spoken to, Marisa wasn’t attending to the conversation and at times interrupting impulsively about something totally unrelated to the statements being made by others. Several months into the program my co-teacher and I noted that Marisa began demonstrating better listening skills through attentiveness and making more eye contact when being spoken to. She has become much more accurate in interpreting social situations and reading social cues. It should be noted that these behaviors are in reference to informal time rather than class teaching time. Marisa now demonstrates the ability to restrain herself and interact in a “calmer” manner and her responses are appropriate to the social situation.
Self image and good feelings of self are as much a matter to consider when describing the progress I’ve noted. Marisa is very aware of and is very pleased with her progress. She is open to this help and proud of her accomplishments. I feel the program individualized for her by Arrowsmith has been extremely positive and helpful and I certainly feel it would be advantageous for other people who experience roadblocks to learning and socialization skills.
Marisa has demonstrated dramatic improvements in handwriting. Whereas her written work was difficult to read and the uniformity of the letters were terribly inconsistent and the spacing was poor, she now writes legibly! Her ability to organize and space written work on a page has improved; sentence structure has improved; there are fewer careless spelling errors in her written work, e.g., dropping off the ends of her words such as writing “cover” when she meant “covered”; and productivity has increased.
The following sample is of the change in this student’s handwriting. The first sample is of handwriting prior to this student working on the cognitive exercise for the motor symbol sequencing problem and the second sample is during treatment. This student had a motor symbol sequencing dysfunction which resulted in the initial handwriting difficulties. No practice was given in handwriting. The handwriting changed as a result of improved motor symbol sequencing functioning due to the specific Arrowsmith Program cognitive exercises.
Dare to Dream Student
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: Senior
One of the drawbacks I have faced in life is the “wall syndrome”; when you come to a wall, you stop and don’t get to the other side, at least for a long time or until adrenaline panic push somehow gets you over or through or around the wall. I have had this experience in study at tertiary level trying to do assignments or study for exams, in relationships, in business decisions and in many other aspects of my life that required a decision. Study courses on decision making are helpful, but they don’t necessarily give you the capacity to make decisions, but once you develop the capacity to make decisions, these courses can be spectacular.
I feel that I am in the position now to deal with issues of decision making as well as issues involving auditory and visual memory in a way that was not possible before. When I look back on my life and recognize how I have been held back by cognitive issues, I resonate with Barbara Arrowsmith Young’s dream to make the Arrowsmith program available to all children at Elementary school so that they avoid the obstacles as well as the accompanying emotional and social issues.
Maybe we all need to buy lottery tickets in the name of Arrowsmith School. Or better yet, find cooperative, enthusiastic governments and maybe even private enterprise.
Abra
Participant
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
This poem is a winner from a city-wide poetry competition, written about how this student was helped by Arrowsmith:
A Hope For A Better Tomorrow
A hope for a better tomorrow is real
Because there is always a chance to heal
Fingers of sadness clenching your heart
The feeling that makes you want to dart
A lump in your throat too big to bear
Makes you wonder if they really care
But even in the darkest night
There’s always someone who shines their light
That person is someone who does care
Who smiles and lifts you from despair
Their hug is like a ray of light
It gives sorrow something to fight
A hope for a better tomorrow is real
Because there are always people who want you to heal
Jeremy's Parent
Parent/Guardian
Program: Full-time
Participant Age: School-Age
The biggest improvement is in Jeremy’s self-esteem. His skill work has improved. He is happy. He feels that school is important again. I feel that the program is working.
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