First for South Island   20 Apr 2015

First for South Island

9 children and 2 adults are the lucky first pupils starting a programme today (Monday 20th April) that is heralded as a breakthrough for South Islanders with learning challenges.

The revolutionary Canadian “Arrowsmith Program” at Seven Oaks School in Opawa, uses the principles of neuroplasticity to rewire the brain of kids and adults with cognitive learning challenges. Howard Eaton, a leading expert in education for students with learning difficulties, recently visited Christchurch from Canada on an Australia and New Zealand tour, and talked to a crowd of over 120 educators and parents.

“The brain responds to exercise, and specific brain exercises stimulate new cognitive pathways,” Eaton says. Eaton, originally a learning disability consultant, was initially sceptical of the programme, but did an about-turn when he saw a remarkable improvement in the learning capacity of some of his clients who had moved across Canada to undertake the programme. He went on to found six schools in British Colombia and the U.S.A. Arrowsmith schools in Canada

Today, Seven Oaks School becomes the first South Island school to offer the programme, with four schools in the North Island and nearly 70 others throughout Canada and Australia already on board.

The programme has proven effective for students having difficulty with reading, writing and mathematics, comprehension, logical reasoning, problem solving, visual and auditory memory, non-verbal learning, attention, processing speed and dyslexia.

“People get entrenched in a mindset, that they or their children are saddled with their learning disability for life. Yet a similar kind of recovery we see in stroke patients with muscle recovery is also achievable for areas of the brain where cognitive function is blocked,” Eaton espoused. Eaton was booted off some education boards for mooting the Arrowsmith Program. Yet years later, he – himself a dyslexic – six Arrowsmith schools specialising in learning disability and attention disorders.

Whilst there will always be sceptics, the science of neuroplasticity has existed for years, yet it is only now being recognised for its role in education. Barbara Arrowsmith Young in fact developed the cognitive exercises and founded the Arrowsmith Program over thirty five years ago after successfully rectifying her own learning challenges. Research is underway to measure the changes in the brain. After only 3 months, brain scans show significantly increased activity in areas of the brain where formerly no activity was registering.

A parent with a child enrolled on the program asked Howard how much recovery he sees in his students – just a little bit, or a lot. Having operated Eaton Arrowsmith schools since 2005, Eaton indicated that the children come out transformed, not only with the majority of learning disabilities quashed, but with their self-esteem high – provided they stay the distance.

Founder of the program, Barbara Arrowsmith Young, does stipulate that the programme works better for pupils who clearly exhibit learning difficulties in the 19 areas of challenge covered by the program. Because each combination of cognitive challenge is unique, the results for atypical students such as those with a brain injury for example, can be variable. Arrowsmith Young says “it’s about measuring the progress. If the programme is not working, then there’s no point continuing.” Typically it takes up to three months before the first signs are observed.

The problem with recovery, is that it is a long, slow process to rewire neural pathways, that requires repetition, dedication and admittedly a little drudgery. The average length of time in the programme is three to four years. And it’s not cheap. The programme costs a parent the equivalent of a prestigious private school fee per annum.

“It’s worth it, if it works. It’s about connecting the dots for our child, for life, and this programme offers the closest fit for my child’s challenges” says a parent of a child in the Arrowsmith Program at Seven Oaks. “There’s no point trying to stuff the curriculum in when only half of it is sticking. My son is eleven but has a reading age of 8, and the gap will only widen. With the Arrowsmith programme, he will gain skills that will help him be independent for life.”

Barbara Arrowsmith Young says typically children after completing the programme (when they obtain mastery or score “average” in all areas of challenge) then take on new material at two to three the rate they did before entering the programme, so they catch up quickly.

“These children are so lucky to have this opportunity now,” says an adult dyslexic enrolled in the Christchurch programme. “Being dyslexic has held me back my whole life. It’s time to turn the corner.”

One parent of a child with sequencing issues at an Auckland school offering the Arrowsmith Program shared this story; “the first time I noticed that the programme was working, was when I asked my son to put the kettle on for a cup of tea. Normally, I’d have to spell out each step in the sequence – fill the jug with water, plug it in, turn the kettle on…. But this time, when I asked him to put the kettle on, he came back carrying the cup of tea fully made, without any need for prompting! My jaw dropped.”

There are other programmes such as the Feuerstein programme, also offered at Seven Oaks. The uniqueness of the Arrowsmith Program is two-fold in that it is tailored for each student's particular needs based on an assessment against 19 cognitive functions, and it’s not a one or two hour programme per week; it is intensive. Students at Seven Oaks complete four 40-minute classes a day, every day, working on their relevant modules. These modules are outside the curriculum. The exercises include written, visual, auditory, pencil and paper and computer exercises. Each student is assessed weekly, monthly and at the end of each year to evaluate progress and their programme is modified as needed for the subsequent year.

Seven Oaks teacher Karen Arnst completed an intensive and exhausting three-week training programme in Canada in January before returning to assess students and identify their unique challenges.

The programme is not limited to school aged students. Classes typically include adults who achieve similar results.

Seven Oaks is a small independent primary, intermediate and high school that was established 5 years ago by Macpac founder Bruce McIntyre, to champion the human spirit. The school agreed to adopt the Arrowsmith Programme because its aim of strengthening the capacities of people with learning difficulties matches its own philosophy of guiding each student to embrace their own mind, body and imagination to find a personally meaningful path in life.

Parents who would like to investigate the programme for their children or for themselves can find out more at the Seven Oaks Open Day on April 28th. Determine your child’s suitability: www.brainex.net/protoQuest/User.html Follow: Facebook Arrowsmith Program at Seven Oaks

ENDS

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