The Blind Men and the Elephant.  Do you remember this old fable? Six blind men each felt a different part of an elephant and afterward described his idea of what an elephant was like.  The man who felt the side thought the elephant was like a wall; the one who felt the tail thought it was like a rope; the one who felt the leg thought it was like a tree trunk; and so forth.  The crux of the story is that although each was right in his own way, none “saw” the whole elephant. The elephant story illustrates one of the frustrations for parents of a child with learning difficulties.  When they seek help for their child, they are usually referred to various specialists.  Each expert with whom they consult views the problem from a different prespective. For example, a vision professional focuses on the eyes and the brain’s processing of visual information.  An audiologist looks at the ears and the processing of auditory information.  A reading specialist understands the importance of phonemic awareness.  Each professional’s training and insight is accurate and reliable. But it’s also incomplete; each has only one piece of the whole story. At Restored Hope we are experts in learning.  Our whole focus is on whether a child can function in the classroom—and if not, why not? Having been trained by specialists in many fields, we can take advantage of their insights without being limited to a single perspective. Using tests recommended by those specialists for the valuable information they yield, we are able to pinpoint the root causes of each child’s difficulties. After testing a child, we carefully explain to parents “The Big Picture”, priortizing problem areas that need to be corrected.  Neuroscientific studies have shown that the brain is amazingly adaptable and capable of being “retrained”.  In recent years, programs have been developed which do an excellent job of retraining and can eliminate the underlying causes of learning barriers. Restored Hope offers a wide range of such programs that are proven to change how the brain processes information. Does your child struggle with learning barriers?  Are you confused by the differing opinions from various professionals?  Do the time and money it might cost to isolate and treat your child’s difficulties overwhelm you?  Perhaps it is time to carefully look at the whole elephant.  Let Restored Hope help.  Go to our website at www.restored-hope.org for further information on the testing and programs we offer.