Elle’s Story
In January of 2009, LearningRx was the new kid on the block and our presence generated quite a buzz. Some people were curious about the services we provided while others came to us desperate for answers. One of these people was Renee Remde, mother to third grade daughter, Elle. A few months after we opened our doors, Renee came into our office crying. She was at the end of her rope. Frustrated and despairing, she knew her daughter was smart but nothing her and her husband tried helped Elle with her reading skills. Consequently, struggling to read greatly impacted Elle’s self-esteem and attitude towards school and homework. Watching her peers enjoy and excel at reading made matters even worse. But Elle didn’t struggle alone. Homework was a nightly battle and family anxiety was at an all-time high.
Prior to walking into LearningRx, Elle’s parents pursued school interventions and hooked Elle up with an IEP and private tutoring. However, these interventions didn’t move the needle. Unlike the advice Elle’s parents received that would have resolved them to the notion that some kids never quite get the hang of reading, Elle’s parents were discouraged yet determined to find a solution. That’s when they first heard about LearningRx.
When Renee came in to see us that day, she had no idea how we operated but she hoped that this time around Elle would get the help they’d been seeking for years.
When we met Elle, we knew right away that she was a bright girl. She just hadn’t received the intervention she needed. At LearningRx, where others see hurdles we see solutions that allow our clients to jump over them. Unlike the notion that not everyone can excel at reading, we believe that everyone can excel. For Elle, the root of her struggle was weakness in her short-term memory and visual and auditory processing. All three of these skills are critical reading skills that enable a person to recognize words and analyze and blend sounds easily.
Elle’s parents enrolled her in our 24-week program where she trained with us multiple times per week. By strengthening these skills, we removed the obstacles that kept Elle from reading and learning. During her fourth grade year, something clicked. Elle made rapid progress – she gained four years of reading and comprehension skills in just one year! To this day, Elle excels at reading and academics. The results for Elle have been life changing on a personal and academic level and have removed the tension at home. Elle just graduated and is going to St. Olaf college this fall to pursue her vocational dreams.
I went from being four years behind my grade level to excelling in all my classes. I was so proud of my accomplishments that I begged my parents to discontinue the accommodations in my IEP. They believed in me and I did not disappoint them…By the time I got to high school, English class was boring so I moved up to Honors English…I was taking Honors English and getting A’s. Because LearningRx made learning easier for me, I was able to dedicate my time to hobbies and interests.
Is your child facing similar struggles? How would it feel if the obstacles that keep your child from reading were removed? If your child struggles with reading and “the experts” tell you that your expectations are too high, you don’t have to settle for this. The answer lies in addressing the underlying cause of the struggle. LearningRx can completely change the trajectory of your child’s academics and their future.
In Renee Remde’s words,
If I hadn’t found LearningRx, I don’t know that Elle would be able to do what she’s doing today…I’m certain that she wouldn’t have been able to [go to college]. [Now] she excels in just about everything she does. It may not be her passion but there isn’t anything my daughter can’t do.
