If a child is struggling academically or has a diagnosis like ADHD or dyslexia – they may qualify for accommodations via an IEP or 504 plan. These accommodation strategies can be helpful in the short-term but are not ideal as a long-term strategy.
Why Accommodations Should Not Be a Long-Term Strategy
If we constantly accommodate a child’s weak cognitive skills, they never get the chance to build up that “mental muscle.” Think of it like a weak muscle in your body: if an injury or circumstances leave you weak in one leg, you can compensate for it—to a point. You can get by with crutches, taking breaks, or limiting your options. But you can also strengthen the muscle to get yourself back to full capacity.
The same is true of the brain. If your or your child’s weaknesses are hindering their ability to keep up in school or life, it’s critical to address the root cause. At LearningRx Woodbury, we provide cognitive support for people of all ages. We identify the root cause of these struggles and create a 1-on-1 training plan to strengthen these skills.
Rory’s Story – No More Accommodations or ADHD Medication
This was true of Rory who was diagnosed with ADHD and struggled with reading.
Rory came to LearningRx Woodbury due to his reading difficulties and ADHD diagnosis. He had been receiving reading interventions at school, and his parents had tried reading tutoring, but it was not helping. He kept falling further behind. He was also on ADHD medication to help him stay on task and sustain his attention. They were referred to LearningRx by another family who saw significant improvement in their daughter’s reading skills, and they wanted to try to address the root cause of Rory’s reading and ADHD struggle.
During his training, his mom shared, “We were really impressed by how deep the initial testing went to understand and articulate the root cause of our son’s issues with reading and language. This isn’t just more reading tutoring, which we’ve done a lot of already – this is actual training for his brain. He loves it because he says it makes his brain “feel tired in a good way when he’s done”. The entire team has been amazing to work with and our son loves going to LearningRx to work with his trainer!”
Rory has now completed his training and is excelling! In fact, because of his improvements he no longer needs his 504 plan or ADHD medication. Reading tutoring may help, but unless the root cause of the reading and ADHD struggle is addressed, kids often continue to struggle.
Where To Start
The first step is to call LearningRx in Woodbury to schedule an assessment which will help identify the root cause and enable a 1-on-1, individualized training plan to help your loved one. We can also answer any questions you may have regarding how our training complements the strategies your school may be employing like accommodations (IEPs or 504 plans).
You or your loved ones may or may not achieve the same outcomes, but you can learn more about our research and results here.