The Learning Success System is a simple method parents can use to help children overcome learning difficulties. It simplifies the process and enables a parent to work at home with their child
The Learning Success System:
- Convenient for both children and parents
- Minimizes high costs of learning centers
- Uses Cutting edge neuroscience research
The brain is very complex. The brain and body are highly integrated. Complex systems such as emotions, incremental learning skills, mind body connections and more come into play in the learning process. Because of this we believe that no single field of expertise has the answer to overcoming a learning difficulty. It takes a multi-disciplinary approach. That's what we have created.
You often hear people say "No two dyslexics are the same". Or "No two dyscalculics are the same". This should make it obvious that there is no single answer. Instead it takes the right combination of answers. We think this is obvious. But that's just us. Because the right combination of answers comes from a variety of sources our approach has been to assemble a team from all of those sources.
The Main Strategy
Our main strategy is divided into three parts. Some limited success can be achieved by using only one part. Which is what most programs do. We believe, that to have maximum success, a system must incorporate all three parts.
Strategy 1 - Calm the emotions.
A child cannot learn under stress. If a learning difficulty has been going on for any length of time at all, the child is stressed. Stress reveals itself in many ways. Tantrums, defiance, depression, avoidance, and manipulation are all ways in which a child protects themselves from this stress.
There is an actual neurological reason that learning is impossible under stress. There is a part of the brain that simply takes over. It shuts down the cognitive centers. It is called the amygdala. We have many approaches to calming the amygdala.
Without taking the emotions into consideration learning is at the least very difficult, and often impossible. This is one reason many systems have failed.
Strategy 2 - Incorporate the Body
Learning happens from the outside in. Our sensory systems integrate together. Most learning will require more than one. When we try to isolate learning to the mind only, we are eliminating other sensory systems and blocking the natural learning process. Think about old playground games such as hopscotch, Pat-a-cake, jump rope, story telling. How many sensory systems did these games use? We must use them all to learn.
We are not stuck with the brain we were born with. Our brain can actually develop new and better learning abilities. There is only one thing that triggers the brain to grow new neurons and new neural connections. The body. To develop our brain we must use our body. This is done through learning to coordinate the body in new ways. Of special importance are cross lateral exercises. Exercises which cross the midline of the body. The Learning Success System is loaded with exercises which are designed to coordinate the body in new ways and therefor prime the brain for learning.
Strategy 3 - Build up the Fundamental Skills of Learning
Learning ability is not one thing. Intelligence is not one thing. They are a combination of smaller skills. Skills we don't really think about. Skills that are so ingrained, we hardly know we use them.
To understand these skills think about the process of reading. To read we need to be able to:
- Track words on the page
- Recognize characters and sight words
- "Hear" the words in our head
- Visualize the meaning
Those are all individual skills needed even before start on actual reading skills. Those are the required skills to even start to learn to read. And that's the short list. There's more.
If you jump the gun and start trying to teach reading skills, you cause stress (see strategy 1). You are fighting an uphill battle you cannot win. It is essential to build up the fundamental skills of learning.
The Solution is Actually Simple
Building up these skills, relieving stress, and incorporating the body are not difficult. They can be done with simple exercises. The exercises that are in the learning success system.
In the past, the problem has been that no one has used all three strategies. Most systems concentrate on the expertise of the person who came up with the system. That doesn't work. It takes expertise from a variety of disciplines. That's what we have done. Gathered the right experts needed.
Meet the Team
Liz Weaver
Twenty plus years of teaching kung fu have made Liz an expert in motivating kids, teaching coordination and complex body motion, and developing self confidence in children and adults. She was so successful at this that a local elementary school principal began sending her all the kids he saw as struggling. Her classes soon filled with students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, ADHD, and more. She saw success after success. This early recognition was the start of the Learning Success System.
While coordination, confidence, and motivation were part of it she knew there had to be more. This prompted her to investigate more. She teamed up with experts from other fields. Starting with neuro-sensory specialists and then moving on to teachers, psychologists, and even dieticians. The Learning Success System was created from this combined expertise.
Phil Weaver
Learning has always been a passion for Phil. An avid student of the sciences and a lifelong learner he has always had a knack for breaking things down and explaining them in a simple way. He has a knack for teaching and has always enjoyed helping students understand subjects they struggled in.
After recieving his black belt in kung fu, Phil had the great fortune of becoming the direct student of an incredible Grand Master, Al Moore. Mr. Moore had the reputation of being able to help anyone break through their personal struggles. This uncanny ability was so profound that it seemed magical to many. As a student of Mr Moore, Phil learned many of these skills. Seeking to understand why the teaching techniques worked he started a decade long journey to understand how Mr Moore did it. The answers were found in diverse subjects. Positive psychology, behavioural psychology, neuroscience, Neuro-linguistic programming, and even strange and unexpected disciplines such as social engineering and even magic.
Phil has worked hard to make these skills apparent and available. Developing a course which teaches others how they too can teach like a grand master.
Gina DeBarthe
Gina DeBarthe is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Kansas.
DeBarthe is a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist/b> and a member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association. She received her Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Rockhurst University in 2007, and a Bachelor’s of Science from Missouri Western State University in 2000.
Her academic accomplishments include being published in the Lynchburg College Journal of Special Education on Communication and Self-Determination.
DeBarthe is currently writing her dissertation on the use of Communication devices for children who have limited speech.
She is also the mother of 2 children with special needs. (One child is diagnosed with Autism and leukodystropy, a rare disorder which effects movement and the other child is diagnosed Epilepsy.) DeBarthe currently resides in Independence, Missouri, with her 3 boys, 2 cats, 1 rabbit, and a fish.
Kara Skarda
Kara Skarda is Special education teacher passionate about helping children with learning disabilities discover their potential.
Skarda currently teaches reading, writing, and math to unique learners in grades 4-6.
Her educational focus is on coordinating and facilitated IEP (individualized educational plan) meetings with parents, administrators, teachers, and other members of a student's educational team.
Hannah Roberts
Hannah Roberts is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor who holds a Master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling
Her career has focused on improving and teaching Special education programs.
Robert’s dedication resulted in the creation and organization of her school’s entire special education, counseling, and ESL department. She is a wife and mother of three children, one with learning disabilities.
Her hobbies include international cuisine, writing (currently working on a novel!),traveling and volunteering with her church.
Salina Chandelier
From Southern California. I graduated from Humboldt State with a B.A. in Communication and English minor in Writing.
Currently my focus is building my portfolio with freelance writing and editing work. I spend a majority of my time working at local coffee shops sipping cappuccinos.
When I’m not working, I enjoy traveling, cooking, and hiking.
You can view more of Salina's work at https://salinachandelier.wordpress.com/
Sydney Chilton
Sydney Chilton is a Licensed Professional Counselor Masters located in New Mexico. Chilton graduated with honors from the Arizona State University and holds a Master’s degree in Counseling and Therapy. In addition to counseling, Chilton is also a certified K-12 Special education teacher. Her educational background includes two years of teaching K-12 Special education in Arizona and two years as Executive Director of an adult literacy program in New Mexico.
Hannah Curtiss
Hannah Curtiss is a writer with a strong interest in documenting and raising awareness on new educational breakthroughs. Learning disabilities are a topic of keen interest as she struggled with Sensory Processing Disorder as a child. She has spent the last few years focused on programs that work with increasing the opportunities of disadvantaged children. Her time has been divided between working with at-risk teenagers in the Trio Upward Bound program and assisting local museums with implementing special programing for autistic children.
Geraldine Francesca
Geraldine Francesca, holds a Master’s degree in Language and Literacy Education and an undergraduate degree in Special Education. Francesca is a fulltime clinician who specializes in working one-on-one with students as a reading intervention specialist.