Information to Help Students Become Independent of Learning Struggles July 4 is Independence Day LearningRx Personal Brain Training Company Reviews Information to Help Students Become Independent of Learning Struggles July 4 is Independence Day and one-on-one brain training company LearningRx (www.LearningRx.com) is sharing information to help children and teens become independent of learning struggles. For some, learning struggles can reflect feelings of inadequacy (as a student or a parent), worries about being held back a grade, or fears of not getting into a good college. While many people assume that less-than-stellar grades are a reflection of poor teaching, lack of intelligence, student laziness, or poor parenting, these assumptions are almost always untrue. The truth is, many struggling learners have higher-than-average IQ scores. IQ assessments measure an average of the combined strength of all our cognitive skills—the underlying tools we need to successfully focus, think, prioritize, plan, understand, visualize, remember, solve problems, and create useful association. These skills include things like attention, visual and auditory processing, memory, logic & reasoning, and processing speed. It’s very common for a student to have an average or above-average IQ score and a learning problem at the same time. For example, a child who struggles with reading may have a severe deficiency in sound blending and phonemic awareness (two sub skills of auditory processing) and be well above average in other cognitive abilities. When you lump it all together, it’ll look like there’s no problem because the IQ score is average (or even above-average. In fact, that high score is masking what could be a serious problem. Cognitive skills training (also known as “personal brain training”) incorporates immediate feedback, intensity and loading, among other features. The most effective brain training starts with a cognitive skills assessment to identify weak skills, then uses customized programs of fun, intense mental exercise to strengthen those weak skills. If your child is struggling in school, take the first step toward helping your child become a more confident learner by having his or her cognitive skills assessed. Cognitive testing usually takes an about an hour and can pinpoint the weak skills that are making learning (and life!) harder than it needs to be. Find a center near you at www.LearningRx.com and speak with someone about scheduling a cognitive assessment.