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.
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.
Join me as I share my transformative experience with the Arrowsmith program. From struggling with low self-esteem and confidence to thriving academically and personally, this program has reshaped my life in unimaginable ways. Discover how it helped me overcome challenges, excel in school, and pursue my dreams at the University of New South Wales. If you're considering the Arrowsmith program or facing similar obstacles, my story may inspire and encourage you to stick with it for a brighter future.
I'm able to understand things differently. I'm able to see my patterns and that's something that your therapist can't do for you.
I am extremely excited about what may be happening for Callie. I see so much more initiative and confidence, and those are the two skills that you need in life to do everything else. I also see really hopeful signs of increased critical thinking and an ability to process language more quickly.
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 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.
It has been my pleasure to know the work of Arrowsmith in a professional capacity through sharing some of my patients who also require help with learning disabilities and cognitive difficulties.
When I was about 11, I wanted to be a teacher, but then I remembered that my multiplication was terrible.
I would recommend it because everybody can improve their brain and if you can improve your brain, that will help improve your life.
Meet Alex, whose life took a remarkable turn after discovering the Arrowsmith Program in 2015. From an unexpected summer school experience to graduating in 2020, Alex shares a powerful story of personal growth and academic achievement. Join us as he reveals how the program helped him conquer challenges in reading, math, writing, and social interactions, ultimately giving him the confidence to pursue his dreams. Find inspiration in Alex's journey, and discover how Arrowsmith can make a difference in your life or the lives of your loved ones.
I think that the that it's working, the program is working. It feels like the fog has lifted a little bit and that my brain's been sorted out.
In this video, Ona shares her personal journey of overcoming social anxiety and non-verbal thinking challenges through the Arrowsmith Program. Before joining, social situations were overwhelming and stressful, leaving her feeling isolated and self-doubting. She would often prepare extensively for interactions, struggling to read social cues and express herself genuinely.
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.
He himself is in full agreement with this and says that one of the most valuable aspects of the program was the realization that he could overcome his learning disabilities.
This poem is a winner from a city-wide poetry competition, written about how this student was helped by Arrowsmith:
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.
It's profoundly affected me and shaped my life for the better. It's provided me, you know, the importance of resilience. Perseverance.
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.
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.
I think that I have improved in many things from the time that I started this school. The most impressive thing is my ability to visualize a word in my head.
I learned of the Arrowsmith Program from Norman Doidge’s book, “The Brain That Changes Itself.”
Once they were liberated from the cognitive deficits, they could go back and deal with other garden-variety psychotherapeutic issues and make progress at times much more quickly.
To see that amount of change in that short amount of time is just mind boggling; it's heartwarming. It's all of the things that you dream of.
I have an easier time expressing myself, and I've started taking my chances and feeling brave enough to tell some simple anecdotes and settings
Doing Arrowsmith is going to change a lot of things for me going forward. I feel so much more self-confident.
Academically, the difference has been remarkable. But most importantly, to see him embrace learning and to love school again has been the best thing. To see him recover that esteem and have a positive sense of self has been the best.
Arrowsmith has been a game-changer for our son, who in year 8 was struggling to stay in school, let alone thrive.
I would also like to tell you about some of the incredible results we are seeing in the academic areas at home
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.
Every day I wake up and thank my lucky stars for Arrowsmith and how much it has changed my life around.
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.
In this heartfelt testimonial, Jacob shares his personal journey and the transformative impact of the Arrowsmith Program on his life. Discover how he overcame social challenges, built confidence, and formed meaningful friendships. Jacob's story is a testament to the power of dedication and the incredible support within the Arrowsmith community. If you or someone you know is facing similar challenges, watch this video to find hope and inspiration.
She had lost her anger and the frustration that used to be the norm for her when it came to learning.
I am extremely excited about what is happening for Calle. I see so much more initiative and confidence, those are the two skills you need in life.
This has been a game changer in my life, and I cannot tell you how much suffering I have done without having this
That has been a life-changing decision for us and for our daughter, and we've just been so, so amazed at all of the changes in her that were brought about because of the Arrowsmith Program.
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.
Join the Banks family as they share their homeschooling journey and the transformative impact of the Arrowsmith Program on their son's learning challenges. Discover how Arrowsmith provided a roadmap to understanding cognitive functions, emotional regulation, and academic growth, offering flexibility and socialization opportunities for homeschoolers. Watch now to uncover a holistic approach to enhancing learning!
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.
Join us in this powerful journey with Robert, who shares his incredible transformation after a year at Arrowsmith. In this heartfelt testimonial, he reflects on breaking free from the burdens that held him down, discovering the true meaning of freedom, and embracing a life filled with joy and comprehension.
It just made so much sense that rather than learning strategies, that they would be actually working on the weaknesses in the brain.
Explore the fascinating world of Arrowsmith training and its impact on cognitive development through an in-depth discussion by Dr. Greg Rose.
Before Arrowsmith I was having a hard time at school with comprehending what I was learning.
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 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
Arrowsmith was able to address those learning challenges, support them, and the result is greater access to learning, reading, progressing.
I know that I wouldn't have been afforded the opportunity to be able to even attend college, had I not attended your program first.
The truth is, is in that eight weeks, it was such a huge improvement and it was a really gave us hope.
Thank you for offering such an innovative, progressive program which has brought Braden 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 gained independence in my schoolwork, which is something I wouldn’t have had without Arrowsmith.
I don’t want to be the same person anymore. I want to do remarkable things or be noticed for anything respectful or loving.
When I brought Liam up to Toronto in July for the Intensive Summer Program, I thought that Liam would benefit from the program.
These exercises really do make a huge difference...the reward for doing the work is tremendous.
Thank goodness there's Arrowsmith because I haven't found anything else similar. This is really changing lives for people who want their children to have every opportunity.
As I started out at Arrowsmith I had no clue what to expect. It was nerve wracking just thinking about it, yet exciting.
After Arrowsmith, I’m not sure what I’ll do. I might be a paramedic, an accountant, or even a lawyer.
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.
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.
I have seen a lot of improvements in my speech, over the past three years my vocabulary has broadened significantly.
We sent Melanie to Arrowsmith School against the advice of psycho-educational consultants.
As an education professional, I have seen many children struggle with learning difficulties that are hard to identify. That's where the Arrowsmith Program comes in.
A person's capacity can change. I feel like just in six weeks that I can see changes in me that I didn't even conceptualize as being possible, that I didn't even know I would benefit from having changed.
I used to mumble and leave out chunks when I talked. I now am more talkative and better at expressing myself.
Things were rough and hard before Arrowsmith. I was just not good at school. I’d always get bad grades
Arrowsmith has been life changing. Before coming to Arrowsmith I had difficulty reading and I was a university student struggling to do my work..
Join us on a heartfelt journey with Ragini, Aisha's mother she shares their experience with the Arrowsmith Program, a transformative educational approach that helped Aisha overcome learning challenges and blossom into her true potential. From struggling with confidence and academics to thriving at university, witness how tailored support can reshape a child's future.
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.
I can only say to parents who would be thinking of coming to a summer intensive as we've experienced - just do it.
I'd like to tell the whole world about that, because I think what Barbara has created here is just amazing.
If you don't believe in neuroplasticity, you will after you experience this.
Myself and my mum got a little bit teary eyed because we couldn’t believe how well the program was working.
After leaving Arrowsmith School we had our son re-assessed through the psych-ed testing.
“It's definitely helped me be able to process internal information and put it out there in a way that people seem to understand a lot better.“
I’ve been impressed by, and grateful for, the many benefits of the Arrowsmith program (and its wonderful teachers).
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.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.
We heard of the Cognitive Intensive Program through the Arrowsmith Program newsletter, and suddenly found ourselves planning a six-week trip to Toronto.
Dr. Lara Boyd delves into the research study aimed at uncovering how the brains of children enrolled in the Arrowsmith program evolve through their intensive educational journey.
I’ve been impressed by, and grateful for, the many benefits of the Arrowsmith program (and its wonderful teachers).
Now, after 2 years at Arrowsmith, I can win more arguments, understand my math by myself in many cases and I have more internal control over my thoughts, conscience, and understanding.
I've been meaning to write you for ages to give you an update on how Braden is integrating back into public school.
I only wish every child with dyslexia or learning disability would have access to this wonderful environment you have created.
It feels like the fog has lifted a little bit and that my brain's been sorted out.
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
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.
