Brain trainers offer ways to avoid the same mistakes as last year

August 2010, Haverford, PA—As more than 56 million American kids head back to school, many take with them a dread of the daily learning battle and struggle with class and
homework. Those struggles can be eased this year, according to brain
training experts at LearningRx, a nation-wide cognitive skills testing
and training center. 

“After years of watching their child struggle, a common mistake parents make is to assume their child is lazy, unmotivated, or simply not smart enough to get their
work done quickly and accurately,” says Janet Rutzel, Director of
the LearningRx  in Haverford. “But for many kids, the struggles
stem from weak cognitive abilities – the basic mental skills we use
to think, reason, remember and pay attention. Repeating last year’s
attempts to fix the problem will only lead to more frustration.” 

Ruzel says parents can do many things to help kids strengthen underlying mental skills and make learning and school easier. Some ways taken from a LearningRx tip sheet include:  

1. Breaking down assignments into smaller segments and timing how long the student can stay focused. This will work on attention skills and help kids become independent
   learners.
2. Turning math problems into a fast-paced game where kids are challenged to do each row of problems faster than before. This builds the skill of processing speed, making
   kids faster thinkers.
3. Trying to distract the child while they try to stay focused on a task. This fun, and often funny, activity grows attention skills that can help block out distractions
   in school and throughout life.

“Intensely focused bursts of mental activity while doing homework can be a very effective and fun way to build cognitive abilities, which will make learning easier
and help prevent the same struggles of years past,” says LearningRx
Vice President of Research and Development Tanya Mitchell. “Kids who
go through our program are often able to build these skills to the point
where they no longer need medication for ADHD, or no longer have reading
problems. Anything that can build mental skills will make schoolwork,
and learning in general, much easier.”  

For a complete list of brain-building homework tips, or to schedule an interview on how homework can build cognitive abilities, please contact Janet Rutzel at 610-440-3600 or
mainline.pa@learningrx.net.

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. More than 15,000 students have
gone through the training and graduates now see average gains of 4.12
years across nine essential cognitive learning areas. To learn more,
visit www.learningrx.com.

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