There's Hope! 10 Pieces of Research That Show Your Child's Brain Function Can Improve | LearningRx Blog

It’s easy to feel hopeless when you’re starting your daughter’sthird hour of homework, or your son’s PSAT score is so low that you’rejust assuming he’ll live in the basement after graduation.

But your child’s (or teen’s) learning struggles don’t haveto be set in stone. In fact, a new study found that even IQ can change-quitesignificantly! How about 21 points?

If you’re in desperate need of hope that things can change for yourchild (and your family!), read on. We’ve got 10 pieces of researchthat are sure to brighten your day in the form of a light at the end ofthe tunnel.

  • IQ can change. A first of its kind study published inThe Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology has found a one-on-one cognitive training program improved cognitive skillsand IQ scores by 21 points in students ages 8 to 14. The ThinkRx®training program, created by leading researchers and experts atLearningRx, significantly improved an average IQ and seven cognitive skills: associativememory, working memory, long-term memory, visual, processing, auditoryprocessing, logic and reasoning and processing speed. [Source]
  • Childhood music lessons improve attention skills. When researchers at the University of Vermont College of Medicine lookedat the brain scans of 232 children (ages 6 to 18), they found that thecortical thickness in the brain of those who played a music instrumentmatured faster. This area of the brain is associated with motor planningand coordination, visuospatial ability, and emotion and impulse regulation.The more a child trained on an instrument, the faster the cortical organizationin attention, anxiety management and emotional control. [Source]
  • ADHD is rooted in clusters of weak brain skills. A new report explains that learning struggles are rooted in clusters ofweak cognitive skills. About 30% of clients were diagnosed with ADHD beforeenrolling inLearningRx. Most of those students, in addition to weak broad attention skills, hadweak long-term memory, processing speed and working memory. But cognitiveskills can be targeted with personal brain training, which incorporatesimmediate feedback, intensity and loading, among other features, to trainthose weak skills. Over a six-year period, 5,416 children and adults (meanage 12.3) diagnosed with ADHD went throughLearningRx programs. The cognitive performance of these clients was measured beforeand after brain training, and the largest gains were seen in IQ, auditoryprocessing, long-term memory and broad attention. AfterLearningRx brain training, IQ scores improved by an average of 15 standard points,and broad attention skills improved an average of 24 percentile points. [Source]
  • Breakfast can change improve brain function. There are countless studies linking poor nutrition to brain fog, attentionstruggles, low grades and slow processing speed. While eating healthyfoods-like salmon, sardines, walnuts and blueberries-is great for yourbrain, so is the mere act of eating breakfast. Eating breakfast has beenshown to boost academics by improving memory and neural efficiency. Addinga school breakfast program has been shown to increase standardized testscores. Research has found that breakfast eaters do better on specificcognitive tests, including immediate memory recall, than those who skipbreakfast. Other studies have found that skipping breakfast may lead toa shorter attention span, difficulty concentrating and memory problems. [Source]
  • We can create new connections in the brain. A Randomized Control Trial (RCT) testingLearningRx’s ThinkRx personal brain training program has been completed and analysisof the brains of the students found significant physical changes. In thestudy, 30 high school students were randomly assigned to one of threeconditions: ThinkRx, digital training, or study hall (control) for a 15-weektraining period. All students underwent cognitive testing and MRIs pre-and post-training. Analysis of cognitive testing scores found that traininggroups scored significantly higher than controls on multiple tasks, withthe most significant gains occurring in auditory processing. fMRI analysisof resting state connectivity with the auditory cortex by Neuroscientistand Research Fellow at LSU Health Sciences Center Dr. Christina Ledbetter revealed:
  • Significant changes in the resting state connectivity with multiple corticalregions involved in cognitive processing occurred following cognitive training:
  • An increase in global network efficiency occurred following cognitive training
  • Network changes in the brain correlated to auditory processing gains [Source]
  • Quality sleep can improve math and language performance Researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Mental Health Universityfound a link between sleep efficiency (quality of sleep) and academicperformance in math and languages. Controlling for variables like socio-economicstatus of the parents, the researchers studied 75 children between 7 and11 years old. The results showed a significant performance variable relatedto a good night’s sleep: 7% for English, 8% for French and 14% for math. [Source]
  • Personal brain training boosted state reading achievement test scores. A study ofLearningRx’s ReadRx personal brain training program results found that after training,the group of students made statistically significant gains on tests ofWord Attack, Spelling Sounds, Sound Awareness and Passage Comprehension.Additionally, 91% of students who completed the ReadRx program showedimprovement on state reading achievement tests. For the group of 65 studentsin the study, the mean gain across reading achievement tests was 3.6 years.Prior to training, the mean percentile for the group was 33. After training,the group jumped to the 47th percentile in reading. [Source]
  • Just a single session of exercise can change a child’s brain’s function. A consensus statement from researchers in eight countries says that exerciseis vital not only to a child’s physical and mental health, but alsoacademic performance. Just one session of moderate exercise has been shownto have an “acute benefit” on academic performance, cognitionand brain function. [Source]
  • Even oppositional behavior can been reduced. A survey of parents of 226 school-age children who had been previouslyidentified as having oppositional behavior and academic difficulties,found that many reported significant improvements in behavior and academicsfollowing LearningRx personal brain training. The study consisted of threegroups: 77 students who completed 60 hours of ThinkRx cognitive training;69 students who completed 120 hours of ReadRx cognitive training, anda control group of 80 students who didn’t undergo any training. Theresults showed:
  • Both treatment groups saw a reduction in academic difficulty
  • The control group saw an increase in academic difficulty
  • Both treatment groups improved on ratings of oppositional behavior
  • The control group’s ratings of oppositional behavior worsened [Source]
  • Learning a second language improves your brain. Research from the National Endowment from the Arts found that childrenwho learn a second language tend to perform better on IQ tests and standardizedtests than children who only know one language. The study also cites sharpermemories and listening skills, as well as greater cognitive flexibility,better problem solving and higher order thinking skills. [Source]

To learn more about how one-on-one brain training might help your child, visitwww.LearningRx.com.

About LearningRx LearningRx, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the largestone-on-one brain training organization in the world. With 80 Centers in the U.S.,and locations in 40 countries around the globe, LearningRx has helped morethan 95,000 individuals and families sharpen their cognitive skills tohelp them think faster, learn easier, and perform better. Their on-siteprograms partner every client with a personal brain trainer to keep clientsengaged, accountable, and on-task-a key advantage over online-only brainexercises. Their pioneering methods have been used in clinical settingsfor 35 years and have been verified as beneficial in peer-reviewed researchpapers and journals. To learn more about LearningRxresearch results,programs,and their9.6 out of 10 client satisfaction ratingvisithttps://www.LearningRx.com/. To read testimonials from real clients visitwww.LearningRx-reviews.com.

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