Enhanced Learning Skills for Kids » Memory

How to Decide Which Brain Training Program is Right for Your Child

colleen — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:36:08 +0000

Introduction

One of the most popular questions that I am asked by both parents and professionals is "Which brain training program should I use?" When you look at the top 2 programs on the market, BrainSkills and BrainWare Safari, it can be a bit overwhelming and confusing. Upfront, I am letting you know that one of main benefits of working with a Certified Student Transformation Specialist (CSTS) is that the confusion is removed from the decision making process. These highly qualified experts are able to guide you through the Student Transformation Program and answer any questions you may have about choosing a brain training program to work with your child yourself. What follows is a discussion around the most popular questions I am asked about each of the program's effectiveness to improve learning – especially within Reading.

Which program should I use to improve Reading?

Both programs will improve a child's ability to read. In order to give specific recommendations, I usually need to know what the parents really mean when they want to improve reading. Are we talking Literacy (reading, writing, comprehension)? In some cases, the parents are referring to only one specific issue whether it is reading, writing or comprehension. Depending on the child's background, medical and education history, my recommendation on which program to use would be different.

DECODING WORDS

For example, if a child is at least 6 years old and is struggling with sound-to-code, the ability to read new words and have a strategy to do so, then I would probably recommend BrainSkills. The reason for this is based off of the full child's history, the child may have been surviving to date on visually memorizing/recalling whole words. However, the child may now be at a level in school where memorizing will not work due to the vast amount of words required for his/her age group.

In this type of scenario, using research based approaches to support strengthening and development of phonological awareness, an intense exposure to sound to code of the English Language is recommended. BrainSkills provides this by speaking a sound or complex sounds to your child and then your child must select the correct code or codes. This exercise also strengthens auditory processing weaknesses.

BrainSkills also offers an extension (in Beta) of the reading exercises for drilling for your child to equate to the full Master the Code program previously completed in person now online. My online cognitive assessment will determine in which skills your child shows weakness and these results are factored in when making the recommendations.

Children I worked with to target auditory and word attack skills have shown progress comparing pre and post measures.

SPELLING WORDS

In this type of scenario, you need to be specific and your CSTS will ask you the right questions to allow you to answer with the necessary information – don't worry! You need to be clear if the spelling issue is due to a combination of sound-to-code issues and recall or just recall. If your answer is a combination of both, then again, I would recommend BrainSkills to attack the sound-to-code and spelling issues.

However, if your child can read new words using phonological awareness strategies but spelling is very weak, then I would recommend BrainWare Safari. BrainWare Safari is phenomenal when it comes to auditory/visual strengthening. Since your child is weak in recalling how the word is spelled, it may very well be weak visual memory or processing. My online cognitive assessment will determine in which skills your child shows weakness and these results are factored in when making the recommendations.

BrainWare Safari challenges your child in the most effective, yet fun approach to strengthening your child's ability to learn. Almost, if not all of the exercises in the program, use a strong visual component paired with some auditory and rhythm (metronome) component. Your child will strengthen visual memory and processing using this program. In fact, the children I worked with to target visual skills have shown progress comparing pre and post measures.

AUDITORY PROCESSING

When a parent comes to me and states that their child has Auditory Processing Disorder per their Audiologist, I will ask for specifics in symptoms and behaviors. Again, if sound-to-code weakness is being observed, then BrainSkills is recommended. However, if the child reads and spells fine but may be processing slowly or needs directions repeated, then BrainWare Safari can be used because of its high auditory/visual component. Any child that I worked with using BrainWare Safari will tell you not to be fooled by the program's presentation of a "Jungle Scene" as the games are quite challenging and very effective. The deciding factor in this type of scenario is really which game you and your child are drawn to for ease of use, budget, protocols and overall ability to sustain interest.

If a parent comes to me and states Auditory Processing symptoms or behaviors but reading is fine, this is another option to use BrainWare Safari. This program "speaks" to your child in almost every exercise requiring your child to attend, process, remember and recall while listening and following directions. Your child plays a lot of fun games without realizing they are training the brain. Again, the deciding factor in this type of scenario is really which game you and your child are drawn to for ease of use, budget, protocols and overall ability to sustain interest.

In Closing

Both programs, BrainSkills and BrainWare Safari do what they claim to do. Both strengthen all of the necessary cognitive skills required to learn. However, they do so using different presentation styles. Also, depending on your child's challenges, one program over the other can be tailored to meet your child's specific needs. I highly recommend that you work with a Certified Student Transformation Specialist to ensure you are providing your child with the most research-based, proven, resources for success. Get started today by having your child take a non-academic, online cognitive assessment and then discuss the results with me so together we can help your child reach success in as little as 12 weeks.

Back-to-School Checklists

colleen — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:58:49 +0000

mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Hi. I know most families are returning back-to-school this week in NJ. color:black"> Many families across the country have already returned to school. I wish you and your family great success in your journey back to school routines. We have our back-to-school night tonight for my son in middle school. This week has been a bit crazy and I suspect the same is for you.

mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">One great idea that I implement every year around this time is a clipboard with a morning routine/list attached. For example, my children each have their own checklist with all their essential "to do’s" before walking out the door for school. The list may contain items such as: brush teeth, pack lunch, pack cell phone, remember wallet, got a house key?, remember some water, jacket with hood, etc. Both my kids checks off as they progress through their lists which helps alleviate the morning chaos. I literally hang up the checklists on the clipboards – right in my kitchen! To get your own copy in word format, just click here and then choose to save the document to your computer. "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">

Memory Exercises

colleen — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 18:15:38 +0000

In order to improve the memory, we must also work with the entire cognitive picture. If your child has deficits related to ADD and you only do memory exercises without working with the other cognitive functions, you’re not going to get an integrated performance in terms of their ability to function well in school. Their memory performance might go through the roof, but they’ll still be lagging behind in other functions. That’s why I always perform a complete cognitive assessment to make sure that all of the skills are addressed in my Brain Training System. That way your child can live up to their full potential.

One thing that works in increasing memory is visual-auditory integration exercises. As an example, my daughter was having trouble memorizing the word citadel. I drew a picture of a castle, which is also a fort, which is another word for a citadel. I wrote the word citadel on the picture. After she looked at the picture, I had her close her eyes and visualize the picture as if she was drawing it in her mind with an etch-a-sketch. Then I had her say the word citadel. Using this exercise, she was then able to remember the word on her own.

Visual sequencing is a technique for working with ordered lists and processes. An example of this would be to give your child an ordered sequence of things to do. You say, “You have to go upstairs and get your backpack. Then I want you to get some extra pens and pencils out of your desk and put them in your backpack. Then I want you to come down and put the backpack next to the front door.”

Your child would sit down with you and imagine these steps in a visual sequencing exercise. You would have them describe the steps in as much detail as you are able, while making it fun for them. Have them describe the stairs as they’re walking up them. Then they describe walking into their room. Ask, “What’s the first thing you see when you walk into your room?” Make it fun and interesting. “Which pens and pencils are you going to take?” “What sticker is on your backpack?” “Where are you going to put your backpack when you come downstairs? Once you’ve done the visualization, have them perform the task. If they forget part of it, they close their eyes and do the visualization. This exercise strengthens the part of the memory that’s used in performing ordered tasks.

These are the types of exercises your child will be learning in my Brain Training System. In doing them, we’re strengthening connections in the brain, so that your child’s memory and cognitive abilities can be improved dramatically.

Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? I would be honored, and just ask that you include the following with the article:

Colleen Bain is the best-selling author of Overcomers Inc. She writes, trains and consults in advanced brain training for children and their parents, teachers and professionals. Professionals also look to Colleen for her expert coaching relative to starting and expanding a brain training business. To find out how Enhanced Learning Skills for Kids can help you – visit How Enhanced Learning Skills for Kids Can Help Your Child!

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Memory and Learning

colleen — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:15:33 +0000

Memory plays a huge part in learning and is a major component in cognitive functioning. Although long-term memory is important, short-term memory is often talked about when referring to a child’s ability to function in the classroom. That’s why a teacher will often remark about children with ADD that they have a problem with ‘working memory’, which is another name for short-term memory.

Oftentimes, a child will be blamed for not paying attention when they aren’t able to remember something. While inattention is often the case in children with ADD, it isn’t always the reason that they can’t remember. That’s why the first thing I do when I work with your child is to test them to get an accurate assessment of their cognitive functions. When I understand what’s going on with them, I can target strategies to strengthen the parts of the brain that aren’t working properly.

I use the example of a library to show the difference between long and short-term memory. When you put a library book in the return slot it goes into a bin. That bin is the short-term memory. From there, the book gets sorted and placed on the correct shelf for storage until someone wants to check it out. That’s long-term memory.

But before either short-term or long-term memory can happen, we have something called sensory memory. Sensory memory is either visual or auditory, i.e. seen or heard. An example of this is the ability to follow either written or oral directions. In the library analogy, if you told little Jamie to walk over to the librarian’s station and put the book in the slot on the left, they would have to be able to process that information and remember it long enough to carry out the task. If their auditory memory isn’t functioning, they wouldn’t be able to do it.

An example of visual memory would be if you wrote down the instructions for returning the book and they were able to do it, then you’d know that their visual memory was working properly.

This is really important when it comes to your child’s ability to learn. Whether it’s auditory or visual, they have to be able to process all these little bits and pieces of sensory information in order to be able to remember it.

Most of us are stronger in one area of memory than another, but with kids with the cognitive dysfunctions of ADD, the deficits are more severe and can seriously impact their ability to learn. The great thing to understand is that the brain is able to grow and change and that using the exercises in my Brain Training System, we can correct these problems and help your child to learn more effectively.

Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? I would be honored, and just ask that you include the following with the article:

Long-Term Memory

colleen — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:15:20 +0000

Most of us know the two main categories of memory: long-term and short-term. They’re both critical for learning and functioning in the world. If you have a child with ADD, you might already know that some memory functions can be impacted by the disorder, so it’s important to understand how it all fits together. I’ve gone over the category of short-term memory in a previous article, so in this article, we’re going to explore long-term memory.

In order to define long-term memory, I like to use the analogy of a file cabinet. We could say that the short-term memory is the paperwork on top of your desk. You sort through it and throw out what you don’t want – all of the junk mail and stuff that you don’t need any more. The papers that you need to keep, you put in your file cabinet, which is your long-term memory. Within the file cabinet are divisions to keep everything organized so you can find it again when you need it. Those are the categories within long-term memory. I’m going to go over them so you understand how this part of cognitive functioning works.

Declarative Memory: In this type of memory you need to consciously be thinking to access the remembered information. An example with your child would be if you asked them, “What kind of dog do we have?” Your child has to think the question through to come up with the answer. They’ll pull up a visual picture of the dog. Then they’re going to remember that you told them what kind of dog he was. Then they’ll access the memory of what you told them; that he was a mix of Border Collie and Lab.” That’s declarative memory.

Episodic Memory: This is the ability to remember things that had an emotional, experiential component. An example of this is when your child can remember specific details of a favorite family trip. You might be amazed that he can recall every detail of a particular fishing trip with Grandpa, including the color of the boat, what they ate for lunch, how many fish they caught and the names of the different fish, even though it happened several years ago. When an event strikes an intense emotional chord, it becomes an episodic memory. This is important to know, because you can increase your child’s memory by making certain exercises more enjoyable. That’s why when I’m doing brain training to create new cognitive pathways, I make a personal connection with your child and use exercises that are fun and exciting to create an emotional experience.

Semantic Memory: These are the more general memories that we may have learned in school, read about in a book, or picked up in conversations. An example would be that we know that zebras have black stripes, but we don’t remember where we learned it.

Implicit Memory: This is an almost automatic memory that’s learned through repetition and exposure. An example would be if I asked your child what their sister’s name is. They’d answer instantly, almost without having to think about it.

Procedural Memory: You know the saying used to connote something that you’ll always remember: “It’s like riding a bike, once you learn how to do it, you never forget.” That’s what procedural memory is. It’s a type of memory that’s learned by doing something over and over again until you know how to do it so well that you don’t have to think about it anymore in order to recall it.

With my Brain Training System, we incorporate the different types of memory into brain training exercises in order to increase the learning and functioning ability of children with ADD.

Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? I would be honored, and just ask that you include the following with the article:

Short-Term Memory

colleen — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:15:35 +0000

Most of us know the two main categories of memory; long-term and short-term. If your child with ADD is having trouble in school, their teacher may have used the term ‘working memory’ instead of short-term memory, as the two terms are interchangeable.

I like to use the analogy of a library when explaining how memory works. When you return a book to the library, you walk in and put it in a slot. From the slot it falls into a bin. In terms of memory, the bin would be the short-term memory or working memory. After the book goes into the bin, it needs to be sorted and stored somewhere else. The librarian goes through the books in the bin (short-term memory) and categorizes them and puts them on the shelves. The shelves are the long-term memory. They might decide that a book isn’t worth reading anymore and toss it in the trash. That happens with memories, too. We don’t put all of our short-term memories into our long-term memory shelf, just the ones that are important. That’s why you can’t remember what you had for dinner on a certain night six months ago. It’s not important, so you discarded the memory instead of putting it on the long-term memory shelf.

When we’re talking about your child’s ability to learn, we’re usually talking about their short-term or working memory. If they have ADD, chances are that they have memory problems. The memory problems are part of the cognitive deficits associated with ADD. The good news is that there’s hope for your child. By doing the exercises in my Brain Training System, we can improve their memory significantly.

In order to fully understand how memory works, a further breakdown is necessary before you get to the short term memory stage. Sensory memory is very brief, maybe only for seconds or minutes until it goes on to the short-term stage. Within the sensory memory category are visual memory and auditory memory. Visual memory is your ability to process information visually. An example would be the ability to retain visual information. Auditory memory is the ability to process and retain information through hearing. Let’s say you child’s teacher says, “I want you to open your history books to page 25, chapter 12, exercise 5.” The ability to follow those instructions depends on auditory memory.

Auditory and visual memory is critical to your child being able to function and learn in the classroom. In order to get information into the short-term memory, they have to have these components.

In the above example of auditory memory, if little Sarah has a deficit in this area, she’s going to raise her hand and say, “Could you repeat that, please?” It’s not that she wasn’t listening or that she has a hearing problem. It just means that her auditory memory cup isn’t working properly.

In terms of visual memory, parents of older kids know that a lot of classroom education involves PowerPoint slides, especially for math. If their visual memory is impaired, they’re overwhelmed with all of the bullet points, graphics and written information and aren’t able to remember it.

The great news is that the brain is plastic, which means that it can change. By understanding which types of memory your child has problems with and focusing on strengthening those areas of the brain, we can see tremendous increases in memory function. Children who use my Student Transformation System can train their brains to remember.

Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? I would be honored, and just ask that you include the following with the article:

Memory and ADD

colleen — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:15:16 +0000

We all know the general definition of memory. While our ability to remember things isn’t always perfect, if our memory works well, we pretty much take it for granted. But when our child’s memory is impacted by ADD or learning disabilities, then we need to explore and learn more about the subject and what we can do to improve it.

The two primary categories of memory are short-term (also called working memory) and long-term. There are sub-categories of memory, but I’m not going to get into those in this article.

Short-term memory is the ability to remember things that happened recently. In the instance of your child with ADD, it might be their ability to remember to take home their math book so they could do their homework. Long term memory would be their ability to recall a family vacation. You might wonder why little Joshua can remember the smallest details of the vacation you took three years ago, including what everyone had for breakfast at Howard Johnson’s, but he can’t remember to bring home his homework or take his backpack to school. That’s the difference between long and short-term memory.

Both types of memory play a part in learning, but the primary one that’s at work when your child is in the classroom is short-term. If your child is having trouble in school and can’t remember the information that’s being taught in the classroom, they’re going to be frustrated and fall behind. Their teacher might say that they’re not remembering their lessons because they aren’t paying attention. But in reality, if your child has ADD, the problem isn’t that they aren’t paying attention, it’s that they’re paying too much attention. This results in an information overload, which causes them to shut down. That’s when they’ll start fidgeting, talking, or jumping out of their seat in order to self-stimulate so they can start paying attention again.

Another way I like to illustrate this is through the example of a full cup. If our cognitive ability, of which memory is an important part, is functioning properly, we have a full measuring cup capacity to process information. Children with ADD might only have a half-cup capacity. In the classroom, let’s say the teacher is giving a full cup’s worth of information in a spelling lesson which lasts for half a hour, which is what most students can take in. In your child, when their half-cup is full after fifteen minutes, their ability to absorb any more of the lesson is expended. That’s when the lesson is effectively over for them.

Now the question is; do they remember the portion of the lesson that they were able to absorb? In this instance, we’re talking about their short-term memory, which is also called working memory. With a child who’s dealing with the cognitive disorders associated with ADD, they might not be able to remember the lesson that they were able to pay attention to. This happens for a variety of reasons, having to do with the different subcategories of memory that I mentioned earlier.

The good news is that using my Brain Training System we can strengthen your child’s memory, so that they can function much better both at school and at home. In addition to working with your child, I’ll show you exercises you can do at home to increase their ability to remember. These exercises can be fun to do and can be done in short amounts of time so that they don’t become a dreaded chore. You’ll find that life improves significantly for both you and your child when their memory begins to gain strength.

Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? I would be honored, and just ask that you include the following with the article:

ADHD Summer Online Program Updated to now be using BrainWare Safari Program

colleen — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:07:30 +0000

SUMMER SESSION FULL AND CLOSED If you are interested in the next group session – just let me know colleen@els4kids.com

I am offering this group to work through the same 12 week program using BrainWare Safari which has proven to have fantastic results for ADHD symptoms.

SIGN UP TODAY TO GET ACCESS TO THE REPLAY OF OUR RECENT WEBINAR ABOUT ADHD AND YOUR CHILD'S BRAIN AND HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD ATTEND, REMEMBER AND PROCESS BETTER.

I gave valuable information on:

How your child's brain processes
Why neurotransmitters are important
Theory of hyperactivity
Theory of neuroplasticity
RAS and what it means
Medication and options
How to improve ADHD symptoms
How to help your child learn easier and more efficiently.

When you sign up for updates on the testing program, you will also begin receiving my weekly ezine newsletter. Your email will not be sold and will be kept private.

Plus, upon investing in your child's life, I am adding a bonus which is access to my braintraining101 teleseminar replay.

When you listen to the replay of Brain Training 101 you will learn about . . .

The theory of Neuroplasticity
Underlying Mental Abilities (Cognitive Skills)
BrainSkills
BrainWare Safari
Fast ForWord
Processing and Cognitive Enhancement (PACE)
Using brain training in an intensive manner over 12 weeks to overcome learning differences.
The information you need to know before you work with a trainer.

The Summer ADHD group using BrainWare Safari is open for enrollment and I will begin shifting to provide more information to you on this program. The webinar will remain intact where I will discuss ADHD/Brain and of course, BrainWare Safari. I will be posting a new page for the webinar within the next few days.

The Protocol for BrainWare Safari remains similar at 3-4 x a week for 30 minutes all online from your home. All other parts of the program remain in tact offering you tons of value beyond the software program. You will receive a lifetime license and cd Kit within 2 weeks of purchase. You will be provided a digital download of the program prior to program start. We will take care of coordinating everything for you and your child.

I will be targeting to start this program 6/1/11 while most students will still be in school. However, on this schedule we will be targeted to end the work by 8/24/11 give or take for post – assessments.

We will be approaching this training as a group effort. We will have group weekly Q&A calls on Wednesday's at 1pm EST for 60 min. and emails in between our weekly calls to check- in. Replays of the calls will be available for your review. I will be monitoring your child over the internet weekly.

Are you up for this challenge to try and change your child's life? Lessen the outbursts and frustration at home? Ready to Lessen the impulsiveness and improve the executive functioning skills like planning and organizing and of course attention skills?

If yes, please register below with your name and email. This way I can keep you updated about our product launch and what is involved on your part. I know cost is an issue for everyone so I am working to keep it this to a minimum as much as possible.

**You can spend close to $1200 in tutoring fees for your child over 12 weeks or invest just $250.00 for lifetime permanent changes and access the program for LIFE. Sounds like a no brainer to me!

***Targeted investment - $250.00 per student. Ready to invest? Go ahead and Click Here to secure your spot for your child.

Siblings will be at an investment of $70.00 for this special summer program. Ready to invest?

Click here to purchase a sibling license. If your child already has or completed BrainWare Safari and you want your child's sibling to take part then yes, you can just purchase a sibling and participate.

Program kicks off on 6/1/201. Payment must be in no later than 5/23/11!!

SIGN UP TODAY TO GET ACCESS TO THE REPLAY OF OUR RECENT WEBINAR ABOUT ADHD AND YOUR CHILD'S BRAIN AND HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD ATTEND, REMEMBER AND PROCESS BETTER.

I gave valuable information on:

How your child's brain processes
Why neurotransmitters are important
Theory of hyperactivity
Theory of neuroplasticity
RAS and what it means
Medication and options
How to improve ADHD symptoms
How to help your child learn easier and more efficiently.

When you sign up for updates on the group BrainWare Safari program, you will also begin receiving my weekly ezine newsletter. Your email will not be sold and will be kept private.

****Schedule a consult with me if you have further questions. Once you sign up you will receive email updates about the product and launch. You will be asked to make your first payment within a few weeks to hold a spot for your child.

Reading Comprehension and Your Child’s Science Textbook

colleen — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:15:15 +0000

Reading is one of the most important skills your child must learn for school. Your child learns and communicates through reading and comprehending the written word. Your child will, more than likely struggle in Math, Social Studies, and Science if they can’t read and comprehend.

Science has become a big problem with students. Tests that are given show students do not understand the Science programs the schools are using and this is being related back to the struggles with reading and comprehension.

Without the complete understanding and comprehension of text related to science, success will be hard to reach. To learn how to get the understanding and comprehension several different studies were used with children in the fourth grade and higher.

Teaching reading comprehension is a big thing and needs to happen so the scientific text will be easier to understand. With the different learning styles children have, it’s best to learn multiple strategies so the children can benefit from one that works for them. It’s a waste of time to try and teach in a way that won’t work for them.

Reading vocabulary is another important key to understanding and comprehending scientific text. Children need to know the definition of words they may not use every day or they’ll just be reading and not understand a thing. The connections between the words and the topic will be understood when the words make sense to the child.

When children use note taking when they’re learning about science and reading, it will help them to comprehend and remember things. This will help down the road when the topics come up again. It will make it easier for them to understand the new things and will help them learn things quicker and possibly retain it for a longer period of time.

Reading encompasses the need for strong cognitive skills, receptive vocabulary,fluency and concept imagery. I work with your child to strengthen the underlying capacity to learn and then bring those strong skills into the forefront of your child's consciousness to begin applying them when reading and comprehending. To help your child with vocabulary skills, I often integrate programs such as WordlyWise or Passwords Science Vocabulary upon request.

Feel free to contact me for more information and to begin transforming your child into an independent learner today!

Reading Comprehension and Your Child's Science Textbook

colleen — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:15:15 +0000

Feel free to contact me for more information and to begin transforming your child into an independent learner today!

Enhanced Learning Skills for Kids » Memory

How to Decide Which Brain Training Program is Right for Your Child

Introduction

Which program should I use to improve Reading?

DECODING WORDS

SPELLING WORDS

AUDITORY PROCESSING

In Closing

Related Posts:

Back-to-School Checklists

Related Posts:

Memory Exercises

Related Posts:

Memory and Learning

Related Posts:

Long-Term Memory

Related Posts:

Short-Term Memory

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Memory and ADD

Related Posts:

ADHD Summer Online Program Updated to now be using BrainWare Safari Program

Related Posts:

Reading Comprehension and Your Child’s Science Textbook

Related Posts:

Reading Comprehension and Your Child's Science Textbook

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