As a parent of a learning disabled child you know first hand the frustration that can come from trying to assist your child to 
reach their full academic potential. It often feels like you are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. You see the potential your child has but they cannot demonstrate it in the structures of today's educational system. Schools work hard to assist the LD student by making accommodations and modifications to regular programming, endeavoring to assist them in finding success in school. However, this does not seem to be enough. Hours spent at home, every night working beside your child to help them perform the required school assignments is exhausting, physically and emotionally. If only there was a way for your child to overcome their disabilities rather than just work around them. Well, now there is, it is called, ‘The Arrowsmith Program'®.
Founded on neuroscientific research and 30 years of experience, the Arrowsmith Program demonstrates that it is possible for students to strengthen the weak cognitive capacities underlying their learning dysfunctions through a program of specific cognitive exercises. This program identifies, intervenes and strengthens the weak cognitive capacities that affect learning. Students are able to capitalize on their increased learning capacities and after a three or four year program can function without special education assistance or program accommodations. The Arrowsmith Program has proven effective for students having difficulty with reading, writing and mathematics, comprehension, logical reasoning, visual and auditory memory, non-verbal learning, attention, processing speed and dyslexia.
The Toronto Catholic District School Board currently has the Arrowsmith Program implemented in seven of their elementary schools. They have followed the program's success carefully and in a published study, completed in 2007, found the following:
• parents, students and teachers observed and rated noticeable changes in cognitive abilities necessary for learning such as the ability to focus, understanding instructions, listening skills, organizational skills, remembering factual information, understanding ideas, and in skill acquisition such as reading comprehension, legibility of written work, telling time and in areas of confidence, self-esteem and frustration level;
• teachers observed and noted specific changes in reading, writing, logical reasoning, understanding concepts, concentration and focus, visual memory, non-verbal problem solving, mental arithmetic, number sense, thinking and problem solving;
The Toronto District Catholic School Board made the following statement in the conclusion of their report: ‘The study strongly supports the Arrowsmith Program. The Arrowsmith program changed the developmental course of the majority of the children in this study.' Truly this is a breath of fresh air for parents of learning disabled children. The Arrowsmith Program offers the LD child hope and a future.
It is the privilege of Pickering Christian School, a private non-denominational elementary day school, to offer the Arrowsmith Program in the Durham region. Anyone interested in this program should contact the school directly at (905) 427-3120. Enrollment is limited.
