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Case Study: CJ Bounces Back From Traumatic Brain Injury
Although the odds were not with him, CJ showed us all what results good science, determination, and hope can bring, achieving 8 grades of reading gain in 4 months.
CJ
Age: 17
Location: VA
Diagnosis: (TBI) Traumatic Brain Injury, Reading
Protocol
CJ worked for 90 minutes per day, 5 days per week, for 4 months. He completed 4 programs in the Fast ForWord series.
Results
CJ went from a 3rd-grade reading level as a 17-year-old to passing the Virginia Standards of Learning assessment for 11th grade.
Car Crash and 30-Day Coma
At 17, CJ was an incredibly independent young man. He had a car and a part-time job. He went to school full time and spent 19 weeks of the year competing in motocross races across the country.
All that changed in August of CJ’s senior year, when a serious car accident nearly took his life and left him in a coma for thirty days.
He suffered such a severe brain injury that the doctors were convinced he’d live in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.
Thankfully, they were wrong. When CJ came out of the coma, he was transferred to a rehabilitation center in Atlanta. He had to relearn everything: how to walk, talk, dress, and even tie his shoes.
He made good progress, but his parents were concerned with how much more growth was needed once he left the center. CJ now knew the basics of life, but getting him back into school would be a huge challenge.
His mother wanted to keep his mind active and help him progress mentally and academically. A friend recommended Gemm
Learning.
“I’m telling you, it is a remarkable difference that Gemm has made in my son’s life.” CJ’s mother
Working With Gemm Learning
CJ was reading on a 3rd-grade level according to his neuropsychological evaluation, when he came to Gemm Learning. He wanted to improve. He opted to work for 90 minutes a day.
He loved the games. He impressed both our staff and his parents by how quickly he was able to move through challenging objectives.
In just over two months, he was getting into the language conventions, vocabulary and critical reading strategies in the Fast ForWord Reading Series.
Results – Subtle At First, Then Dramatic
“It is amazing the difference since the day he started with you guys to where he is today,” – CJ’s mother
His parents began to notice improvements in CJ’s memory, interactions with peers, and knowledge. Notably, the greatest gain could be seen in his confidence level.
After the accident, he was concerned that people would perceive him as unintelligent. He doesn’t think that anymore.
Just four months after beginning his first set of cognitive exercises, CJ took the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) assessment required to pass the 11th grade. He passed.
“It is amazing the difference since the day he started with you guys to where he is today,” his mother remarked. “I attribute his
passing [the exam] to Gemm Learning.”
CJ will begin his senior year this fall and is looking forward to graduation.
He hopes to go to college at Penn State, and his parents have no doubt that he’ll be successful. He is working on being able to drive again and has high hopes for himself.