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Case Study – Dean: From Anxiety to Grade Level
Diagnosed with APD and dyspraxia, Dean was falling behind and struggling with school anxiety. Now he is on grade level with his reading, and is organized and engaged at school.
Dean
Age: 12
Location: Texas
Diagnosis: APD, dyspraxia, anxiety
Protocol
30 minutes/day, 5 days a week, for 3 months over summer.
He completed both Fast ForWord cognitive programs, Reading 2 and 3.
Results
Dean jumped two full grades in reading, and has become much more organized at school with no sign of the anxiety that used to hold him back.
The Sudden Struggle
Dean was always a happy, outgoing, and confident child. He rarely had much homework and seemed genuinely content most of the time. And so, his parents were surprised when he began to fall behind in his school work, and his teacher expressed concerns about his anxiety level.
His parents began looking for answers and soon learned that Dean had a learning disability. He was diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (APD) and dyspraxia. Dean’s school didn’t offer services to support learners with APD.
Working With Gemm Learning
Fortunately, the clinician who diagnosed Dean’s APD recommended Fast ForWord, leading Dean’s mother to Gemm Learning.
Dean’s mother liked the structure of the program and found that her son was very willing to work on the exercises. He looked forward to telling his mom when he’d improved in a game.
However, as the exercises became harder, Dean started skipping activities and sessions. This can happen with some students and is part of the reason our program managers monitor progress and usage so closely.
His mom feels the Gemm Learning professional staff played a key part in turning Dean’s behavior around.
“You know right away if they’re slacking off. You always call to check and see how things are. That shows that you care about your program, the individual and the frustration of the parent, which I think is wonderful. I also like the fact that you girls are rooting for him. You tell him what he needs to hear.” – Mother’s note to Gemm Learning staff
With some encouragement, Dean’s participation improved.
Results – Structure and Accountability Pay Off
“He’s reading at his grade level. I am sure that has to do with Fast ForWord.” –Dean’s mom
He worked hard on his program and began to see its impact, especially with his memory.
His anxiety at school decreased, and his mother noticed improved executive functioning skills, and he became more responsible and independent:
“Dean is more self-regulating as opposed to a learned helplessness. He’s taking charge a bit more when it comes to his schoolwork.”
Dean eventually went from reading at a 5th-grade level at the beginning of the school year to reading on grade level (7th grade) by the year’s end.
His mom feels that parental support, a child working on the program independently, and Gemm Learning in the background every step of the way is a structure that “can’t go wrong” and is instrumental in student success.