Every child has a different starting point and because the software adapts, every child has a different protocol. However, the general flow is the same – language processing and cognitive skills first, then reading fundamentals. Here is a summary of the more common changes we hear about.
Early On – Better Listening
Here is a list of positive behavioral changes related to listening often reported by parents.
- Changes in vocabulary – when processing is better, more words are heard accurately and are then used by your child in conversation. The use of longer words with 3+ syllables are a wonderful sign of progress
- Following directions – more able to hear and respond to multi-step instructions
- Sense of humor – when listening is easier, your child has more time to think about the words and so if it’s funny s/he is more likely to get it
- Singing along with songs – using the right words!
Attitudes to Reading
Here is a list of positive behavioral changes related to reading often reported by parents.
- More willing to read – when more words on the page are recognizable your child is more likely to at least give it a go
- Reading out loud – for many of our children, reading out loud is connected to humiliation and frustration. Any change in attitude here, e.g., less of a fight or even willingness, suggests a deep-seated change in your child’s perception about reading
- Does not skip around as much while reading – this suggests more words are decodable, able to be read and so reading is more left to right as should be the case
- Willingness to spell – specifically phonetic words like cat /c/ /a/ /t/ that are spelled exactly as they sound will get easier for your child. And once phonemic awareness improves phonetic words, 85% of all words, can be spelled intuitively. This makes spelling more manageable. Then your child can focus on those (unfair!) so-called “red” words (e.g., right) where phonics is not as helpful.
Attitude to Learning
Here is a list of positive behavioral changes related to homework and learning often reported by parents.
- Less homework drama – if your child is able to follow the teacher better in class due to our program, homework assignments will be better understood. And to the extent reading comprehension is better, your child will be able to work more independently on homework
- More focus in class – once your child is able to process what the teacher is saying, lessons will be more engaging and so the teacher may report your child is more attentive. That’s a positive sign of progress.
- Better grades – all of the above plus better working memory makes test-taking easier for your child, and so a natural outcome should eventually be better grades.
- More confidence – in attitude to learning and often in other areas of life. Reading and learning is your child’s “job” – and really, how good we are at our job has a big impact on self esteem and confidence. If you notice changes in confidence, this suggests your child is feeling it, feeling that they are getting better at learning – it’s a positive sign.
Change in Awareness – Less Positive to Start
One of the hurdles in this process, especially for older children, is sometimes that when improved processing slows the world down for a child, she can become aware – they have more capacity to observe and think. And so they sometimes realize for the first time that their peers find things at school easier than they do.
It’s a necessary step to learning health, to have that level of awareness, and actually quite a positive sign that changes are in motion.
But for some children, that can be a shock to their world that leads to acting out or other behavior that is an outlet for the frustration and perhaps self-doubt that this entails. Of course, multiple all of this for a teenager, who already has a lot going on.
The best way out of this kind of behavioral change is to keep going. Momentum is happening and learning proficiency will close the gap with peers and hence the source of acting out.
