Evie was diagnosed with ADHD. She had an IEP and was part of reading and math intervention groups the past few years. However, despite these interventions, Evie was not making progress. Her mom shared, “When Evie first started LearningRx, we knew she was bright, but we also knew she was struggling with reading, problem-solving, and confidence when things got difficult.”
Her LearningRx training was very different than providing an IEP or tutoring. Our focus at LearningRx is to identify and address the root cause of learning struggles. For Evie, her ADHD was due to weaknesses in processing speed and working memory. However, she also struggled with reading and math.
What is the Root Cause of Learning Difficulties?
ADHD and Attention Issues
For those diagnosed with ADHD, a common root cause is low processing speed and/or memory. In fact, peer-reviewed research published in the Journal of Mental Health and Clinical Psychology shows that for those with ADHD, attention is not typically their lowest cognitive skill. It is often weaker skills like processing speed and memory. When these skills are weak, a child (or adult) must exert a significant amount of mental effort to complete a task causing them to zone out or be easily distracted. When these root cause skills are strengthened, students experience stronger attention skills (like Kilian’s story):
Reading Difficulties
For those who struggle to read – including decoding and reading comprehension – the root cause is several factors.
Auditory processing and memory are critical to read fluently. Phonics – which is enabled by auditory and phonological processing – provides the ability to blend sounds and decode. When these skills are lacking, fluency suffers. Phonics are critical, but memory is often a skill missed regarding reading. However, given our language is roughly 60% non-phonetic words, the ability to retain and recognize all the odd English rules and exceptions makes memory a necessary skill for word recognition as well as reading comprehension. This was the case for Lily:
IEPs and Tutoring
Strategies for struggling learners like IEPs and tutoring have their place, but they are not ideal long-term strategies.
IEPs provide accommodations to help kids get through school. This can include accommodations like receiving more time to complete a test or homework, the ability to complete work in a quiet space, or being given notes on the lecture ahead of time. These can be helpful; however, they do not address the root cause. The goal needs to be to equip students with the skills they will need to excel as they will not receive accommodations as adults.
Tutoring is helpful for students who missed time on certain subjects or are struggling with a specific concept. However, if they are experiencing consistent academic difficulties, tutoring is just a Band-aid approach providing more academic content but not identifying or addressing the reason the student needs tutoring in the first place!
Evie’s LearningRx Results
Evie’s parents had tried accommodations and tutoring but did not see improvement until they enrolled her at LearningRx to train the skills causing her difficulties. Her results were transformational!
Her mom shared, “We hoped LearningRx would help, but we never imagined just how much she would grow. The transformation has been incredible. Her reading has improved tremendously, she’s become a stronger problem solver, and most importantly, she’s gained confidence in herself. Instead of giving up when something feels hard, she’s much more willing to work through the challenge and trust herself. The people at LearningRx made all the difference. Every trainer took the time to get to know Evie, encourage her, celebrate her successes, and somehow make even the hardest brain workouts fun. Even on days she wasn’t excited to go, she always came home smiling. That speaks volumes about the amazing staff and environment they create. We are so grateful to everyone at LearningRx for believing in Evie and helping her discover just how capable she is. The skills and confidence she’s gained will benefit her for years to come, and we couldn’t be more thankful for this experience.”
Call LearningRx Woodbury to Identify and Address the Root Cause
The first step is to call the LearningRx Woodbury location to schedule a cognitive skills assessment. This assessment will identify why your child is struggling and enable a training plan to address these weaknesses.
Results are from past clients. You or your loved ones may or may not achieve the same outcomes, but you can learn more about our research and results here.