Tanya@LearningRx.com or (719)955-6703

National Brain Training Company Shares

3 Things You Can Learn From Your Child’s Handwriting

Colorado Springs, CO; January 10, 2011 –National Handwriting Day is January 23 and the brain training experts at LearningRx are offering three tips to help you analyze your child or teen’s handwriting.

1. Messy handwriting: Don’t assume your child is just being lazy. For younger kids, an inability to form letters correctly may be more about “motor dysgraphia,” or slow-developing motor skills. For school-age children and teens, writing illegibly may be a sign of dysgraphia (“problems with writing”), which is more about a lack of ability than effort – often due to weak cognitive skills like visual processing.
2. Misspelled words: Sometimes referred to as “dyslexic dysgraphia,” misspelling words when writing is often a sign that certain brain skills like phonemic awareness are weak. One quick way to evaluate the problem is to ask your child to copy written work from another sheet of paper. If the copied work has few or no mistakes, the issue may be less about poor handwriting and more about weak reading and spelling skills.
3. Extra, reversed or omitted letters; heavy pressure: A 2007 study found that students with attention deficits (like ADHD) were more likely to have dysgraphia. In addition to these graphemic buffer errors, writers with ADHD tended to write faster and exert “abnormally high levels of pen pressure.”

“While analyzing your child’s handwriting is by no means a scientific means of determining a learning disorder, there are clues that may help parents recognize a need for professional evaluation,” explains Tanya Mitchell, Vice President of Research and Development for LearningRx, a national brain training company with 71 centers across the United States. “Nationally standardized assessment tools like the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities, (WJ III-COG) and the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement, (WJ III-ACH) measure cognitive skills and academic abilities. Once the weak cognitive skills – like attention, visual processing or phonemic awareness – are evaluated, a personalized brain training program can be created to strengthen those skills and make learning easier for ALL areas of academics – not just handwriting.”

About National Handwriting Day

The day was founded in 1977 by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association to promote the use of pencils, pens and paper. January 23 is also the birthday of John Hancock, whose name is synonymous with the word “signature.”

About LearningRx

LearningRx specializes in treating the cause – not the symptoms – of learning struggles. The programs’ game-like exercises and 1:1 trainer-to-student ratios provide guaranteed dramatic improvement in as little as 12 to 24 weeks. With 71 centers across the U.S., LearningRx can help anyone – from 5 to 85 – increase the speed, power or function of their brain. The brain training company averages a 14.99-point increase in IQ.  To learn more or to find a center near you, visit www.learningrx.com.

Colorado Springs, CO – In honor of National Brain Training Week, June 11 through 17, national brain training leader LearningRx is offering highlights from brain research around the globe to offer hope to those with learning struggles.

• Brain Training to Help Treat Autism: Specialized brain training uses intensive, one-on-one, game-like exercises to quickly enhance weak cognitive skills. In one study, 49 students with Autism Spectrum Disorder who underwent personalized brain training gained an average of 18 percentage points across seven key cognitive areas. For example, before training the average child tested in the 41^st percentile of his peers for logic and reasoning. After training, that average jumped 23.4 points to the 64^th percentile.

• Brain Training to Help Fight Alzheimer’s: According to evidence published in the science and medical publication  “Nature,” cognitive intervention can be effective in preventing, slowing and treating Alzheimer’s Disease and mild cognitive impairment. The benefits of brain training are thought to reflect increases in cognitive reserve, which allows the brain to perform tasks (using cognitive skills like memory, visual and auditory processing, logic and reasoning, and attention) even if there is damage to the pathways between brain cells. One study of 29,000 people demonstrated that those with the highest cognitive reserves had a 46 percent reduced risk of developing dementia compared to those with lower reserves. In addition, brain training might be able to partially reverse dementia even after the symptoms are apparent.

• Brain Training to Raise IQ in Adults: A 2009 study showed that adults who underwent intensive, one-on-one cognitive skills training to strengthen brain function achieved an 11.4-point increase in their IQ.

“The key to successful brain training is that it is intense and one-on-one,” says Dr. Ken Gibson, founder of LearningRx. “The trainer needs to be providing immediate feedback to the student. And with any program, you want to see measurable gains.”

To learn more about brain training, visit www.LearningRx.com or call (719)264-8808.

About LearningRx

LearningRx brain training specializes in treating the cause – not the symptoms – of learning struggles. The programs’ game-like exercises and 1:1 trainer-to-student ratios provide guaranteed dramatic improvement in as little as 12 to 24 weeks. With more than 70 centers across the country, LearningRx brain training can help anyone – from 5 to 85 – increase the speed, power or function of their brain.

February 24, 2011 – Colorado Springs, CO – Studies continue to show that the right type of brain training can increase IQ and actually make people smarter. That’s the word brain training leader LearningRx wants to spread this Brain Awareness Week, March 14 – 20.

“This ability for the brain to improve, at any age, remains one of the most important messages we need to spread during Brain Awareness Week,” says LearningRx Vice President of Research and Development Tanya Mitchell. “People need to know they don’t have to settle for the mental capacity they’re born with. Strengthening cognitive skills leads to a smarter, faster, more efficient brain, a higher IQ, and all the benefits that tend to go along with it, like more confidence, a competitive edge in school or the job market and eventually, a higher-paying career.”

A study of test results for more than 2,500 LearningRx students from 2009 shows LearningRx brain training brought significant improvement, with students gaining an average of 14.9 IQ points.

“A measurable IQ jump of that significance brings an amazing boost in intellectual ability,” says LearningRx founder Dr. Ken Gibson. “It brings obvious improvement to the speed, ease and ability to perform mental tasks that can lead to vast improvements in everyday life.”

All students in the study were tested before and after training with the gold standard of testing: the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities. LearningRx continues to invite researchers to study the company’s results, testing, and brain training methodology.

For more information and insight on how brain training can raise IQ, contact Tanya Mitchell or visit www.learningrx.com.

About LearningRx

LearningRx brain training specializes in treating the cause – not the symptoms – of learning struggles. The programs’ game-like exercises and 1:1 trainer-to-student ratios provide guaranteed dramatic improvement in as little as 12 to 24 weeks. With more than 70 centers across the country, LearningRx brain training can help anyone – from 5 to 85 – increase the speed, power or function of their brain.

Contact: Tanya Mitchell

Study Shows Brain Training Can Eliminate Need for ADHD Medication

LearningRx raises awareness of safe, permanent solution during National ADHD Awareness Month

(Colorado Spring), August 9, 2011 – Brain training provides a powerful, proven way to permanently reduce or eliminate the need for ADHD medication. The brain training experts at LearningRx say it’s a solution that parents need to learn about this National ADHD Awareness Month (September).

“So many people still don’t know that brain training can often bring life-long relief from the stresses and struggles of ADHD,” says LearningRx Vice President of Research and Development Tanya Mitchell. “Medication can simply mask the symptoms with a short-term fix, and the need for medication, intervention and accommodation returns. Brain training targets the root cause of the problem and can often provide a permanent reprieve.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, surveys show nearly 10 percent of all kids aged 4 to 17 have, at some point, been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Of those with a current diagnosis, two thirds take prescription drugs to try to control it. Classic symptoms of ADHD include distractibility, fidgeting, hyperactivity, poor impulse control, and most visibly, the inability to focus or pay attention.

“Cognitive skills testing generally confirms that most people with ADHD have weaknesses in the underlying mental skills of memory, processing speed and attention,” explains Mitchell. “Our intense, one-on-one brain training targets those skills and strengthens them to the point where there is no longer a deficit. For many students the symptoms subside, the need for medication disappears and quite often the diagnosis – and the label – no longer fit.”

A recent study shows a full 37-percent of LearningRx graduates were able to reduce or eliminate their ADHD medication after brain training. The 2011 Report of LearningRx Training Results tracked all students who took prescription ADHD drugs when they went through brain training in 2009.

To learn more or to schedule an interview with a LearningRx brain training expert in your area, please contact Tanya Mitchell at 719-264-8808 or tanya@LearningRx.com.

About LearningRx
LearningRx brain training specializes in treating the cause – not the symptoms – of learning struggles. The programs’ game-like exercises and 1:1 trainer-to-student ratios provide guaranteed dramatic improvement in as little as 12 to 24 weeks. With more than 70 centers across the country, LearningRx brain training can help anyone – from 5 to 85 – increase the speed, power or function of their brain. Graduates now see an average IQ increase of 15 points.

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Contact: Tanya Mitchell

Tanya@LearningRx.com

719-264-8808

Explanations – and Hope – for the 1 in 70 Boys Diagnosed With Autism

New study shows why boys have higher incidence of autism

April is Autism Awareness Month and a new study out of George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences may have just explained one of the bigger questions about the complex brain disorder: Why are there more boys with autism?

According to Autism Speaks, one in every 110 children born in the United States will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but one in every 70 boys will be diagnosed with it. The discrepancy was large enough to send some of the best brain researchers into the labs and it paid off. They found that male sex hormones decrease RORA, a gene needed to develop the cerebellum and other processes that are impaired in people with autism, and female sex hormones increase RORA. In addition, RORA regulates a protein called aromatase, which converts testosterone to estrogen. So reduced RORA means reduced aromatase, which leads to a build up of male hormones, creating a vicious cycle.

The results of the study may one day provide help to prevent autism, but in the meantime, one of the best ways  to fight the effects of the disorder is to strengthen the cognitive skills affected. Cognitive skills – fundamental tools that help us learn – include things like memory, logic and reasoning, processing speed, attention, and visual and auditory processing. In ASD, these weak brain skills inhibit a person’s ability to communicate and develop relationships, and may include cognitive and behavioral challenges.

“Although there’s no ‘cure’ for autism,” says LearningRx Vice President of Research and Development Tanya Mitchell,  “intense, one-on-one brain training can provide incredible changes to improve the lives of those affected by ASD.”

A review of 49 LearningRx students with ASD shows brain training brought an average gain of 18 percentage points across seven key cognitive areas. For example, before training the average child tested in the 31^st percentile of his peers for logic and reasoning. After training, that average jumped 23.4 points to the 64^th percentile.

About LearningRx

LearningRx brain training specializes in treating the cause – not the symptoms – of learning struggles. The programs’ game-like exercises and 1:1 trainer-to-student ratios provide guaranteed dramatic improvement in as little as 12 to 24 weeks. With more than 70 centers across the country, LearningRx brain training can help anyone – from 5 to 85 – increase the speed, power or function of their brain.

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Although many small businesses are struggling to stay afloat, one brain training company continues to add centers across the United States.

Colorado Springs-based LearningRx is preparing to add its 70^th center, confirming economists’ statements about how the franchising world typically remains strong – even among the bleakest financial times. In fact, veterans of the franchise industry see a spike in interest when there’s a slump in the economy.

“Franchising offers a great opportunity for those who want to start a business using a proven business model,” says Tanya Mitchell, LearningRx VP of Research & Development and a Certified Franchising Executive. “They have the support, knowledge, and reputation of a proven product and system backing them up, and that makes their business highly likely to succeed. That’s why many franchises are considered ‘recession-proof.’”

So what makes LearningRx such a strong franchise? “We offer life-changing solutions to serious learning problems,” says Dr. Ken Gibson, founder of LearningRx. “LearningRx is primarily focused on helping children and teens become faster and more effective learners using intense one-on-one cognitive skills training. Our programs treat the root cause of learning struggles – not the symptoms – and our franchisees love that they’re running a successful, profitable business while changing people’s lives.”

And the changes are profound. In fact, the results of an independent research study funded by the National Science Foundation were recently presented to Congress touting the benefits of LearningRx’s programs – and the profound effects they could have on the country’s educational system. In addition, LearningRx was named the No. 1 Child Enrichment Franchise for 2009 and 2010 by Entrepreneur magazine and has been listed on Entrepreneur’s “Top 500 Franchises” for several years. The company has also been included among the fastest growing franchise systems by Franchise Times and has been among the “Top 100 Franchisors” according to Franchise Market Magazine.

For more information on the LearningRx franchise system, contact Tanya Mitchell, CFE at Tanya@learningrx.com or (719) 264-8808. www.LearningRx-franchise.com

Colorado Springs, CO – August 21 is National Senior Citizens Day and the news on age-related cognitive decline couldn’t be better. A just-released study from the University of California, San Francisco shows that specialized brain training actually reversed many aspects of age-related cognitive decline and significantly increased the number of neurons in the brain.

The findings, which were published in the July 19 edition of the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” indicated that in the rats that underwent targeted brain training, “myelin density and neuron health improved…to nearly the level seen in young rats.”

The older rats that received brain training were studied post-mortem. One researcher said, “The neurons looked young again. They were full and robust. It indicates the brain is a lot more plastic [capable of change].”

But what about brain training in humans?

A 2009 study with humans showed that adults completing an intensive, one-on-one brain training program saw dramatic increases in cognitive skills: IQ jumped 11.4 points.

“Both studies are more proof of what we’ve known for decades,” says Dr. Ken Gibson, founder LearningRx, whose brain training system was used in the human study. “The right type of brain training can help fight age-related cognitive decline. We see vivid proof of that every day from our own brain training methodology.”

About LearningRx

LearningRx specializes in identifying and correcting the underlying cognitive skill deficiencies that keep people from achieving their full potential in school, business or life. Personal brain trainers use intensive, one-on-one, game-like exercises to quickly enhance weak cognitive skills such as attention, memory, processing speed, and problem solving. Dr. Ken Gibson developed the program based on 30 years of research and clinical trials, and nationwide more than 25,000 students of all ages have gone through brain training at 70 franchised locations. To learn more, visit www.LearningRx.com.

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New online resource center for struggling learners

Colorado Springs, CO –  October 5, 2010 – October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month and the brain training experts at LearningRx have launched a new online resource center to provide free information for those seeking to end learning struggles or just build stronger brain skills.

The new site (www.LearningRx.com) includes hundreds of pages of content on topics like: Treating Autism, ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Tutoring vs. Brain Training, What are cognitive skills?, Sensory Integration Therapy, Phonemic Awareness, IQ Tests, Traumatic Brain Injury, Homework Help, Age-Related Cognitive Decline, Reading Struggles, and What is brain training?

Other free resources include:

• A live Webinar (or pre-recorded session) of “A Parent’s Guide to Eliminating Learning Struggles”

• An interactive Learning Skills Discovery Survey for parents

• “The Brain Buzz” – an eNewsletter with hints to improve thinking, reading and learning

• Videos of real brain training exercises

“When we initially talked about designing this new site, our top priority was to help visitors find answers to their questions quickly and easily,” says LearningRx Vice President of Marketing, Mark Finzel. “During our research phase, we asked our survey participants to choose between homepage options. The vast majority of people clicked on ‘Learn about brain training,’ which shows us that people want to know what brain training is all about.”

Finzel says his team focused on creating a site with easy-to-navigate features like a drop-down menu, search box and zip code box (to find local help). “With any new website, it’s tempting to use a lot of fancy Flash animation. But we know our visitors will be coming to this site for information – not entertainment, so that’s what we’re giving them: insight into how brain training can really make people smarter.”

About LearningRx

LearningRx specializes in identifying and correcting the underlying cognitive skill deficiencies that keep people from achieving their full potential in school, business or life. To learn more about brain training, dyslexia or other learning struggles, visit www.learningrx.com.

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1. A sheet of sound manipulation drills

FACT: 1 out of 8 children not reading at grade level by the end of first grade will never read on grade level without specific help. An estimated 88 percent of dyslexics are deficient in phonemic awareness, the No. 1 skill needed for good reading and spelling.

WHY THIS HELPS: By drilling sound manipulation skills, parents can help their children readily correlate sounds with letters or groups of letters, building reading speed and accuracy.

2. A “games for skills” chart

FACT: The root cause of almost all learning disabilities is weak cognitive skills.

WHY THIS HELPS: While intensive, one-on-one brain training is recommended for struggling learners, there are games that families can play to help strengthen weak cognitive skills. This chart shows some store-bought games and the skills they strengthen.

3. A free ebook of “Unlock the Einstein Inside” (paperback value – $19.95)

FACT: Unlike tutoring, cognitive skills training strengthens the underlying skills – like sound blending and segmenting – needed to read well.

WHY THIS HELPS: Many parents don’t know that a diagnosis of dyslexia doesn’t need to remain with their child throughout life. This book explains the science behind learning struggles and brain training and provides fun exercises parents can use at home to strengthen specific skills.

All three pieces are available for download at UnlockTheEinsteinInside.com.

About LearningRx

LearningRx specializes in identifying and correcting the underlying cognitive skill deficiencies that keep people from achieving their full potential in school, business or life. Students completing the program usually see three to four years of improvement in as little as 12 to 24 weeks and benefit from improved confidence, self-esteem and overall achievement. The company guarantees improvement for all people with deficiencies who complete the training.

To learn more about LearningRx, visit www.learningrx.com.

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