5 Reasons Brain Training is Helpful for Struggling Readers
When it comes to approaching reading struggles, it’s critical that you build a solid foundation. Brain training can be a useful tool for struggling readers as it can help improve cognitive skills that are essential for reading, such as attention, focus, processing speed, memory, phonological awareness, and working memory. Without these skills, even good reading instruction may not be enough to help your child become a successful reader.
Brain Training Vs. Reading Tutors
The approach brain training takes to reading struggles is very different from what you’ll find in classroom environments. Instead of just re-teaching concepts or developing coping strategies, brain training targets the root causes of the struggles.
While some reading interventions may address phonics and sound manipulation, what is different about brain training is that it takes another step back. Instead of just focusing on the symptom (reading struggles), LearningRx brain training looks at the root cause: weak cognitive skills.
What Causes Reading Struggles?
Why is it that some kids struggle so much to grasp reading? It’s not necessarily because of poor instruction or lack of effort. For many kids, reading is a struggle because of cognitive skill weaknesses that impact their ability to focus, remember, and think efficiently.
Click here to learn more about how specific cognitive skill weaknesses impact reading ability.
5 Reasons Brain Training is Helpful for Struggling Readers:
#1: Improves attention and focus
Struggling readers often have difficulty paying attention and staying focused on the task at hand. Brain training exercises can help improve these cognitive skills, making it easier for them to stay engaged with the material they are reading.
#2: Increases processing speed
Targeted brain training with a certified trainer can focus on increasing processing speed, which can help struggling readers read faster and comprehend more information in a shorter amount of time. Processing speed deficits are a core part of why so many kids struggle with reading. If their brain can’t quickly and efficiently process what they see, turn it into a sound in their brain, and assign meaning, they are going to continue to struggle.
#3: Enhances memory
Memory is an important cognitive skill for reading, as it helps the reader retain information and recall it later. Beyond just the comprehension aspect of reading, strong memory skills are critical for just basic decoding of words as well. Your brain needs to remember what sound each letter combination is a code for. Then it needs to hold onto each one long enough to blend them together. Weak working memory and long-term memory are behind virtually every student’s reading struggles.
#4: Enhances phonological awareness
Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in language. Brain training exercises that focus on phonological awareness can help struggling readers improve their reading skills by helping them better understand the sounds of words and make this process more automatic.
While many schools are returning to core phonics instruction, brain training approaches this skill a little differently by also combining its practice with exercises that build attention, memory, thinking speed, and more.
#5: Brain training is systematic and personalized
While school-based interventions may be helpful for some, brain training presents the unique opportunity to have a completely personalized reading support program. Each client is taken as an individual with their unique cognitive profile. From there, we build out a brain training program that focuses on the cognitive skill weaknesses and reading skill weaknesses that are holding them back from success.
LearningRx’s state-of-the-art ReadRx program is designed to lay a solid foundation, reinforce itself, and move forward to build in complexity. This systematic approach aligns with the Science of Reading. But what it does differently is fill each learner’s specific needs so they can become a confident, successful reader.
Hope for Struggling Readers
If your child is just starting out or if you’ve been fighting reading battles for years, we are here for you! Brain training has been a helpful tool for thousands of individuals. On average, students have gained over 3 years’ in reading skills—in only 6 months! While every outcome is unique, we’d love to talk about ways to support your child in their unique needs to help reading become more natural and fun. Click here to get started today!
