LaTasha’s LearningRx Story – Oct. 2nd 2013

Many who follow my blog know what a great impact LearningRx has had on our lives.  This evening I read the sweetest story from a mom I met at Jacksonville’s Magnet School Expo.  

 

Here are the words she pinned tonight on LearningRx’s Facebook page:

“No parent wants to admit that there child has a learning disability or may even know that is the main issue. However, I knew that I had to find some help for my son in order for him to be on the right track developmentally. In the beginning my family just assumed that I was not spending enough time teaching him, but I knew that it was more than just me not sitting down with him every night.

 

Here is where my story beginnings.  My older sister asked me to go to the yearly Magnet School Seminar for all the schools in Jacksonville, in which LearningRx was there. I truly believe that it was God who lead me to their booth and faith, that it was something out there that could help my son with the main issue and not just a temporary fix. While I was at the Seminar, I spoke with a parent that was a spokesperson for LearningRx and I was not sure if she would understand my struggle being that my son was held back twice and still was reading on a Kindergarten/1st grade level. However, she has 4 kids that had different issues, so I took some information home but I never called thinking that this was going to be some over priced place that was going to make all these promises but never give me any results.

 

But finally I went to get him tested and I sat down with Erin the director.  I finally understood what the real issue was by her explaining the way the brain works and what the test showed was the problem. I finally found out that my son had an auditory processing disorder and I researched that disorder and it describes my son perfectly.

 

My son started LearningRx in April 2013. He had a really bad attitude towards anything that had to do with school work, learning to read, sounding out words, he had very low self esteem because he thought that he was not smart. Now, he has done a complete 180, my son is now reading on his own and he has a passion for learning now. Everyday he has shown so much progress in school and out of school.

I am so thankful for God sending me to LearningRx and even though its a temporary sacrifice for right now it will be a long term benefit for my son’s future. If I could give anyone some advice it would be to at least go and see for yourself what Learning RX can do for your child because they have done wonders for mine.”

 

LaTasha, I so glad my story helped you in your journey to find LearningRx.  They have been a blessing in my life as well.  Thank you for sharing.  I remember meeting Latasha at Magnet Mania.  She was a mom determined to find answers for her son.  I applaud her sacrifice and courage.

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/



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Posted: October 2, 2013 by |Category: God Breathed | LearningRx | Parenting | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Life After LearningRx – A LearningRx Review

It’s been about a year, plus a few months, since we finished our training at LearningRx.

So what does our life look like now?

I’ll start with Baby Girl.  She was a very struggling reader!  In our year of homeschooling in second grade she was reading at a first grade level.  She wanted to read.  She tried so hard to read, but just couldn’t accomplish the task.  Why?  Our testing at LearningRx showed her executive processing speed (I call it her attention) to be a year and a half behind her age.  At the end of 36 weeks with LearningRx she tested two years above her age.  Now, at the end of her first in school as a second grader she is reading at grade level and loves her books!  I find her in bed at night reading before she goes to sleep!

Then there is Son #1.  He’s our super smart, super athletic, lover of all things football who has been diagnosed with ADHD!  Our first major accomplishment: (and I say this for me as well as for him)….We made it through the school year.  180 days of 5 days a week school!  He made good grades, grew spiritually and is excited about being a “senior” as school next year.  He stepped into a leadership position this summer with his 904 Elite 7on7 football team in the face of defeat at an intense tournament at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fl.  His determination and desire to “leave it all on the field” whether they won or lost was nothing short of amazing.

Here he is making the TOP 15 of all the middle schoolers in the Cam Newton Skills Challenge! SO PROUD!

 

And Son #3.  He’s my steady-freddy.  He did amazing at LearningRx, scored years above his age at the end of 12 weeks and he just keeps on keeping on!  His biggest challenge is overcoming perfectionism.  I just don’t know where he gets that from!  He’s smart, sensitive, witty and has a desire to please those around him.  He is terrific with animals and has a gentle soul.  He enters 6th grade this year!

Still to train is Rocketman, Son #2 and me!

The story isn’t over by any means!!

*Cam Newton Skills Challenge sponsored by Mr. Cam Newton and the Cam Newton Foundation

 

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/



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Posted: July 5, 2013 by |Category: Football | LearningRx | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Full Circle…

If you read my blog you know about my super lovely day a few weeks ago.  This is an exert from that day’s events:

Driving along in this broken-hearted state this morning I ran smack into downtown, stand-still, Jacksonville traffic.  There was a policeman amidst all the traffic.  I rolled down my window.  My own simple, small world persecution now began as this officer spoke to me as if I was 2 years old.  After repeatedly answering the same question he asked over and over I finally told him he was being awfully rude.  I didn’t know I was supposed to detour.  I didn’t know there was a wreck.  I didn’t believe he had the right to talk to me the way he was talking to me, however, he still chose to belittle me.

And in that moment my world collided with that pastors world.  My heart turned towards his pain and persecution.

I was stunned and shocked that this police officer was berating me in front of my children as I attempted to travel our normal route downtown to school.  Over and over again he “slapped me in the face” with his tongue.  My fresh tender heart began to harden.  Had I not been blinded with indignation I would have looked at his name tag.  I would have called to report him.

My indignation slowly twisted inward.  I was reminded of my fellow brother-in-Christ who lies in solitary confinement, beaten, dying.  Am I above persecution?  Is my life anything like his?  Absolutely not.  But, did today sting?  Yes.  Badly.

After sharing the pastor’s story I’d heard on the radio and my day with my best friend she called later for the pastor’s name and location.  I had no idea, after hearing the story, where he was imprisoned until one night this week. I mentioned looking up the radio station and finding his name later that day……but life took over, until….

I had the most incredible phone call with a fellow LearningRx parent in Boise, Idaho.  We were sharing stories about homeschooling and our faith, as well as our journey with LearningRx when she mentioned my recent blog post.  “Oh, did you know Pastor Saeed is from Boise, Idaho?” she asked.

“Who?”

“The pastor you spoke about in your blog. He is from Boise.”

Shocked that the pieces of my horrible day were coming full circle right before my eyes I intelligently commented, “No way!”

Only God!

How life went from driving my kids to school on a foggy Monday morning to my heart breaking over Pastor Saeed in part because of my local Christian radio station, to sharing the story with my best friend, to speaking with Lareina in Boise, Idaho about a fellow brother imprisoned for cause of Christ, to knowing his name!  There isn’t a word to describe how incredibly shocked and blessed I felt!

After finishing my phone call with Lareina I immediately called my BFF (teenager language – my son would be proud!) at 10:30pm hoping I wasn’t waking her to tell her the story…….

Saeed has been imprisoned while in Iran and accused of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He was working in an orphanage when arrested.

He is in a prison FOX NEWS calls Hell on Earth.  Fox News also reports:  It has been almost a month since Iranian authorities promised Pastor Saeed Abedini, a U.S. citizen imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith,  that he would receive medical treatment.  He has undergone months of beatings and abuse at the hands of his brutal Iranian captors, which has led to dangerous internal bleeding.

For the cause of Christ, for not denying his faith, for staying true to the One he calls Lord!

When I heard his story on the radio he was just placed in solitary confinement again with internal bleeding and failing kidneys.  My heart ached to think he may die in that tiny dark place I can only see in my imagination.  And now, each time I think of him, I pray that God would be tangible to him in that horrible place.  I pray as he reaches out his hand or curls into a pain-filled ball that he feels Jesus holding him, for HE walked the same path all for us.  For me.  Just so that I might have the chance to know Him.  Just as I believe in a God who knows all I also believe He gives us all a choice.  I didn’t know I would call him Lord.  I didn’t know I would desire His will for my life over my own.

Knowing I have an all-knowing, all-powerful God directing my steps gives me comfort to face another day on this earth that has prisons like Evin in Iran.  When my heart feels heavy with the weight of this world I can turn my face upwards towards a Father who smiles at my neediness, my “lack of”.  Knowing He loves the part of me that is like Him and the part that wants to run away.  Knowing He knows I can’t walk a single step without Him brings me peace.

And for His all-knowing, all-encompassing love, I am eternally and tearfully grateful!

**If you’d like to know more about Saeed’s imprisonment CLICK HERE and HERE

**If you would like to read Lareina’s blog post about LearningRx it can be found here.  Read about her here and to click on her website you can do so here.

 

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/



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Posted: May 13, 2013 by |Category: God Breathed | Homeschooling | LearningRx | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Unlock the Einstein Inside – LearningRx

Did you know you can download Ken Gibson’s book Unlock the Einstein Inside for free? Are you like me and love free things? This is one of those must reads for moms, anyone looking to get Sartre or understand the brain better.
Click here to download the free ebook!

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/



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Posted: April 29, 2012 by |Category: Homeschooling | LearningRx | Our Family, Our Lives | Parenting | Tags: , , , , ,

Cognitive Skills (LearningRx)

Understanding Learning Challenges….

When we began LearningRx I can honestly say I had no idea what cognitive skills really were. As we have progressed through the progress I am beginning to have a better understanding of what cognitive skills are. I describe them as the way I (or you) think and process information, the nutshell version. The bigger definition encompasses the active process of taking information in:
1. Attention
2. Processing speed (I always think of this when my kids are waiting for me to spit some thought out and they say,”Mom! What?”)
3. Working Memory. (Who couldn’t use more of this? Oil on the gears is how I think of this…holding onto information while we use it…like walking into a room and forgetting why you are there or completing a task)
All of these are called active processing.

Then comes higher thinking:
1. Logic and reasoning
2. Auditory processing
3. Visual processing
4. Long term memory

Then all this good stuff is stored in our knowledge bank (brain) so we can retrieve it when we need it. For all you parents out there think of remembering where your keys are, having grocery lists in our heads or remembering that one thing we forgot while running errands. In kids it shows in spelling, testing, writing or speaking.

If our skills are weak we can’t focus, homework takes too long, our reading is poor, or we have trouble recalling previously learned information. In my oldest child I have noticed a huge change in his self-confidence and his ability to control his emotions as well as his school work. He also takes more personal responsibility after 24 weeks of brain training.

I am excited and looking forward to the time I can train. My dream day now consists of a day where I can remember the things I need to do without feeling scattered and flustered. I’d be a better mom, wife and teacher!

Then I could eat bonbons and relax on the porch.

Have a blessed Easter!

 

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/



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Posted: April 5, 2012 by |Category: Homeschooling | LearningRx | Our Family, Our Lives | Tags: , , , , , ,

A beautiful picture of what LearningRx has done in our lives!

She falls asleep reading now!

 

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/



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Posted: April 3, 2012 by |Category: Homeschooling | LearningRx | Tags: , , , , ,

Imagine yourself on a journey…

…school is hard, you remain frustrated which causes you to break things or get super angry.  Then you begin a journey that begins to gradually, step by step alleviate some of your frustration.  School begins to be easier but you are not sure why.  Life begins to settle in a bit for you where at one time nothing seemed to make sense.  Your confidence is growing, your thoughtfulness towards others is also changing.  What’s up?

Imagine yourself way down there at the “x”.  That is what life felt like 30 weeks ago.  But over the course of the last 30 weeks or so life has begun to come into focus.  Slowly as you have played games, strengthened your brain (without knowing you were doing so), and had tons of fun!!!  You’re at the “e” now.  Life makes more sense.  Your ability to deal with frustration has grown.  Your school work becomes easier.  The “L” is in sight…..only a few more weeks to go.

And it’s all because of the wonderful people who have helped you strengthen your brain at LearningRx.  Joy.  Joy.

Thank you, all my friends at Jacksonville LearningRx!!  You’ve given my child hope and a future….exactly what God promised him.  You have been His instrument for us.  You have been His tool.  And for that I pray blessings into your life and into your families’ lives.  May you touch others with the light of the Lord!!!

 

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/



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Posted: February 1, 2012 by |Category: Homeschooling | LearningRx | Our Family, Our Lives | Tags: , , , , , ,

New trainers!

Today at LearningRx my two youngest switched trainers. I am anxious to see how they feel after today. Baby girl loved her former trainer Renee.

She was fantastic! They have broken through so many walls together. Now she is training with Natalie….she is a sweetie.  I believe that after she gets to know Natalie she will do great with her.  She passed a new level today!  It is so amazing to see the children breaking through the cognitive walls we didn’t even know were there.  My heart is to bring this type of training into the workplace, increase productivity, show homeschool moms there is another answer besides medicine and psychiatrists.

In the last ten minutes of baby girl’s training today I was able to play Brainy Cards with her.  I found one match to her four!!  And she is seven!!!

Ok, donations??????

 

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/



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Posted: January 17, 2012 by |Category: LearningRx | Tags: , , , ,

LearningRx Results That Astound…

If you follow my blog at all you know I’m totally sold on the brain training we do at LearningRx.  My children are progressing daily in the tasks they are able to preform.  One of the most important areas of our lives that cognitive brain training has affected is in the confidence I see in my oldest son.  He was diagnosed with ADHD last year.  We increased his medicine to the point that we felt he was able to concentrate and focus.  But after 14 weeks at LearningRx we are now decreasing his medicine.  I believe this is happening because he is learning how to concentrate and focus through his own abilities now, separate from his dependence on the medicine.  We’ve already cut his dose once and plan on doing so again next month.  It is wonderful to see him blossoming as he gains confidence in his own skills and his own strength.  I hope that one day we will be free from the medicine and he will be relying on his own God-given abilities.

This special child of mine was born on Christmas Day.  And I have always known God had great things planned for him.  LearningRx is opening doors in his mind, building his confidence and strengthening his character.  I love to see him going head to head with his trainer now as he is at the stage of trying to beat her at the games they play.  He has come so far.

I’ve seen his ability to stay focused and get his school work done at home go through the roof.  He is now doing twice as many math problems in a day (20) and memorizing two times the vocabulary words that he was previously.  That is 20 per week….spelling and vocabulary.  When he asked me why I simply told him he was able to do more than he even can imagine.  And the switch has been great.  He’s even begun to talk about what high school might be like.  He’s never wanted to go to school before but as his confidence builds so does his willingness to try new and different things.  Do we still have bad days?  Sure. Don’t we all.  But overall life is changing for the better at our home and my children are beginning to find joy in learning.

As for my youngest….she is reading up a storm and well into second grade work.  At the beginning of LearningRx she was reading at a K5 level.  Now she reads the Christmas cards we receive in the mail, the cereal box, the signs on the road, the things I type.

I’m amazed and forever grateful for the changes LearningRx is making in my kids.  It’s not tutoring, it’s not school, it’s exercising the brain so that it can hold more information, access more information, process more information and be 10 times smarter than mom!!!  (Yikes, that’s kinda scary!)

I thank God for leading us to LearningRx for the road He has set before us!

My goal now is to be able to translate into words what the centers do for children and how to let moms know there is an answer out there.  LearningRx opens doors for children that are otherwise closed.  I want the world to know!

 

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/



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Posted: December 21, 2011 by |Category: LearningRx | Our Family, Our Lives | Tags: , , , , ,

Another Improvement and a Challenge

I have linked the above to LearningRx’s blog, just click on their logo to be redirected.  Their website can be found here.

For a while I did not know they had a blog but now that I have found it I love reading about all the success stories other families are having with the centers.

This week (Week 11) I saw my child transform right before my eyes.

My oldest took the initiative to clean up the house before his daddy came home from work.  He straightened up the kitchen, vacummed the floors, wiped down the counters and straightened up all our homeschool work from the day.

I had to do a double take.  I thought aliens had abducted my son.  But I realized I am beginning to see the success he is experiencing at LearningRx trickle down into his everyday life, not just his school work.

Can I just say “floored” doesn’t even describe what I saw two days in a row from my son.  On the third day we decided together that the house looked pretty good so we wouldn’t clean before dad came home.

This child has never taken the initiative to do anything like this.  His closet looks like a train wreck.  His room is slightly better, but not much.

With that said I have a challenge for you.  Leave a comment and let me know how you do.  What I’m asking of you will get harder each day.

This is taken from LearningRx (just so you don’t give me any credit):

Follow the directions below as a fun way to improve your attention skills.  Each level increases the difficulty by adding a second mental challenge.  This exercise will actually map new neural pathways in your brain!

Directions:  From the top row, left to right, call out the color of each of the arrows without a mistake.  Time yourself and see how fast you can do it.  Pretty simple, right?

Now call out the direction of each arrow.  Do it without error in 40 seconds.  Keep trying until you can do it in only 20 seconds.  A little harder, huh?

Next, call out the direction of the arrows as if they were turned a quarter-turn clockwise.  Get that time down to 20 seconds without error.

Next…..comes the fun!!!!

Let me know how you do!  My kids can wiz through this after twelve weeks at an alarming rate!  They are better than I am at it.

 

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/



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Posted: November 18, 2011 by |Category: Homeschooling | LearningRx | Tags: , , , , , ,
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