The word “remediation” comes from the root word, “remedy.” A remedy is something that corrects a condition. Our goal is to correct learning problems that keep children from reaching their potential. We are not satisfied with treating symptoms or teaching a child to adapt to a learning problem; we want the child to be free of the difficulty. We believe our programs offer this hope.

Individual school systems may use one or more of the programs that are used at Restored Hope Education Center, with excellent results. However, many school districts do not, partly because most of the programs require one-to-one intervention, which is expensive and time-consuming. We at Restored Hope have many programs available in one place and are trained to use all the programs effectively.

“Neuroscience-based” simply means that the programs grow from research into how the brain functions. Not all of our programs are neuroscience-based. Some were developed without neuroscience input, but have since been validated by rigorous testing, or have been proven effective through extensive usage.

No. Learning difficulties can be corrected at any age. The idea that the brain is susceptible to change only in the very young has long been disproven. Our programs can help individuals of all ages, even senior citizens. Progress for older adults may be slower but is definitely possible.

Testing is very important. We must identify the underlying causes if we are to successfully treat the difficulty. Otherwise, we might find ourselves treating only the symptoms. In addition, children with severe difficulties often have more than one factor interfering with learning. Testing allows us to identify all of the areas of difficulty rather than just concentrating on the most obvious ones.

Much of the testing done in schools is performance testing—testing done to determine at what level a student is functioning in a particular subject area. This is important information, but it gives little insight about why a student is doing poorly in school. For this, testing is required. Testing that looks at how the brain processes information, in conjunction with certain performance scores, can yield information that makes effective intervention possible.

This happens frequently, especially with children of high intelligence or who are highly creative. It is very common for creative children to devise coping strategies that allow them to “get by” even though certain tasks are very difficult for them. However, those coping strategies are much less effective than the skills that they replace, and require more time and work to complete. Very intelligent children often “slip through the cracks” because they get average grades and thus are not in danger of failing. What should be considered with such children is the often enormous discrepancy between their potential and their performance. A child with superior intelligence should not be getting average grades. A discrepancy between potential and performance should always be investigated.

Dyslexia is a frequently-misunderstood term. For an explanation of this condition, please click here.

For a discussion of attentional difficulties, please click here.

Absolutely. Many programs that were originally designed for children have been found to be very effective for adults. In addition, programs such as Brain HQ are now being especially designed to interest and help older individuals.

Learning disabilities classrooms tend to focus on the techniques of accommodation (teaching the child to adapt to the problem) and compensation (changing the learning environment so that learning tasks are less demanding). We believe that, although this approach is valuable in the short term, it is inadequate for actually solving the learning problem. It is somewhat like using aspirin to bring down a high fever–this may be totally necessary in the short term, but does nothing to actually cure the underlying problem that caused the fever. The programs utilized by Restored Hope Education Center work at actually eliminating the disabling impairment rather than responding to the symptoms.

This depends upon the type of learning difficulty and the response of the individual. Several programs can be successfully applied before the age of six. All are designed to be used by the age of eight. There are probably no upper limits on the usefulness of these programs. All have been successfully used with adults.

No. We do not know all the causes of learning difficulties. There are undoubtedly many conditions that interfere with learning that have not yet been discovered. Nevertheless, our programs can have a significant impact on many categories of learning barriers, and more programs will be added as they become available.

If a child is able to function in the classroom with his medications, he should be able to function in a remedial environment.

None of the programs are designed to be ongoing for long periods of time. Positive results can often be achieved very quickly, sometimes within weeks and almost always in less than a year. Costs vary with the programs used. Every effort is made to ensure that costs for both testing and therapy remain reasonable.

Absolutely not. The purpose of tutoring is to establish skills and understandings that have not been mastered, due to such factors as absences from school, poor teaching, or lack of effort. Although Restored Hope Education Center offers tutoring options, our primary purpose is to remediate the underlying conditions that make learning very difficult or impossible even when the above factors are not an issue. Tutoring in the presence of such learning barriers is usually very difficult and often fruitless, because the underlying skills necessary for mastering the subject matter are missing. Tutoring after intervention is much more effective.

Some programs can be done at home if adequate supervision and equipment are available. Some can be done at our learning center or even online. Some may have to be done at other facilities, under the supervision of other professionals.

Yes, in the same way that practicing skills in a sport can improve performance by making those skills fluent and automatic. What must be considered is whether the time, money, and effort spent is worth the potential results.