Overcoming Reading Struggles

With more cases of dyslexia, A-D-H-D, austism and other learning disabilities being diagnosed, it's no wonder that so many children are having difficulty reading.  Add to that the pressure of F-CAT, and there's a big problem if kids aren't making the grade.
A Boca Raton-based program claims it can significantly improve reading comprehension. We all learn differently.
The 3D Learner Program focuses on finding out how a particular child learns best and then training that child to improve his skills in his own style of learning. We chose two elementary students who were struggling readers, but willing to participate in our experiment and followed them for one month to see if 3D Learner really works.
   Nine-year old Angelo Serrato is a very bright, creative and outgoing 4th grader, who loves to read, but it's a struggle. Eight-year old Greg Knecht is another very bright, very creative, but much more reserved 3rd grader, who also struggles with reading.  Both boys attend "A" rated Morakami Elementary School... both have loving, attentive and involved parents... both are pulled out of class for one-on-one tutoring. But both boys are still reading way below grade level.
So what's the problem?
Mira Halpert and her husband Mark originally developed the 3D Learner program to help their daughter, who was reading three grades below her 8th grade level. Their assessments confirm... Greg and Angelo are struggling readers.
Left Brain Learners do very well in school... They think in a logical, sequential patterns.
Right brain learners... like Greg and Angelo... are visual learners, who think creatively and in pictures. They need a visualization of what they're reading... Otherwise, it's just letters and words in a particular order.  "Their bodies are so tense, they even hold their breath. Their eyes are having a difficult time focusing on where they're supposed to be and they're not making the connection between the words they're reading and understanding," says Mira.

One of the 3D Learner therapies is working with clay.
Today's word is "under."
Greg and Angelo make the letters out of clay... Then make their own clay model of the word...
It's their own picture... in their own mind... of "under."
Greg makes underwear under a table.
Angelo makes a dog under a table.

The boys then write the word... Draw a picture... And write a sentence. It's all very visual... Exactly how they learn.

For one month, Greg and Angelo work with clay... Read on the computer... And do physical exercises that get both sides of the brain to work together.

Fast forward four weeks...

Both boys gained a full grade level in reading comprehension...and that's only the beginning... Greg has improved his reading speed by 82-percent.
Part of their success... Getting the right side of the brain and the left side of the brain to work together. One way to do that is to have the boys run in place while they recite their spelling words.  Or playing pattycakes while they count by 5's backwards.

Mira Halpert explains, "Being able to have them do movement along the same time they're trying to do cognitive skills anchors the cognitive skill."

Their teachers are truly amazed at the improvement in just one month.

And an unexpected bonus... Teachers for both boys report a marked improvement... in math.
If you have a child with a learning disability or know someone who does and you're interested in the 3D Learner Program...
You can call (561) 361-7495, find out how to enroll in the 3D Learner program, or log onto 3dlearner.com