Cognitive Learning Therapy Programs
Research-based programs that are clinically-proven to rewire the brain.
The cognitive learning therapy programs we provide cover the entire Learning Skills Continuum. This ensures that you have a strong cognitive foundation for learning. Accommodations will no longer be necessary.
No two brains are alike which is why we custom tailor a treatment plan using a precise combination of programs that are unique to each student's cognitive needs.
Program Descriptions
Core Learning Skills
This program helps eliminate the interference caused by primitive reflexes and under-developed visual and motor skills. It is a series of physical balance and movement activities that improve visual skills, internal organization, coordination, self-awareness, self-control, and attention. Core Learning Skills Training uses sound therapy to help the student gain a sense of reference point and an understanding of space and time, which are so critical for developing attention awareness and control and organization skills.
Quantum Reflex Integration (QRI) combines sound (harmonious frequencies) and light (low-level laser therapy) to stimulate reflex pathways and acupressure points with the intention of integrating neurological reflexes that have not matured. Correction of the reflexes may lead to significantly improved physical functioning and mental development.
Brain integration involves simple movements to help unblock learning. Learning is easiest when the whole brain is involved – when the right and left hemispheres are working together, the front and back of the brain are working together, and the top and bottom parts of the brain are working together.
These brain training exercises facilitate the ability to cross the midline of the body, such as moving the eyes from left to right across a page of reading. They also stimulate back-to-front processing, which facilitates receptive and expressive language, and top-bottom integration which is important for organization.
Brain training exercises are done once a week in the clinic and a few minutes daily at home.
PATH is a computer-based cognitive therapy that helps improve neuro timing, attention span and stamina, visual perception for reading, memory, and processing speed.
PATH Therapy was developed by neurobiologist, Dr. Teri Lawton, to help children and adults permanently improve reading skills. It is geared to retrain the two visual pathways in the brain to work together optimally. PATH permanently improves the timing in the brain so that the mind is able to focus on the letters in words and the words on the page, allowing the student to take-in and decode the information accurately. This program is particularly effective in addressing problems with disorientation and attention loss when reading, and reading fluency, stamina, and comprehension.
Attention Focus And Processing Skills
Awareness of attention focus and increase in the ability to attend to tasks is developed through the Vestibular Integration Sequence and EDU-K (Educational Kinesiology and Brain Gym). The combination of balance, movement, and dialogue between the clinician and student, guides students in taking an active role in learning by teaching them to recognize when they are losing focus and consciously regaining control of their attention. Development of attention focus awareness and control is integrated into all areas of the student’s program.
Optimal learning depends upon the brain and the body working together. Infinity Walk is a series of sensory and motor activities that prepare the mind for learning and open the doors to overcoming learning difficulties by developing increasingly more sophisticated neural networking in the brain.
Infinity Walk helps organize the body in the most efficient way for each particular task, helps increase attention, and provides a tool for helping students to become aware of and control their internal time clock.
APT-1 provides the student with a variety of sequenced activities that train the attention components critical to new learning: Sustained attention, selective attention, alternating attention, and divided attention. This is a cognitive training approach that helps reorganize brain systems for more efficient thinking and learning.
AMPS is a cognitive processing skills program based on proven ideas from the fields of behavioral optometry and cognitive neuroscience. These brain exercises are designed to improve kinesthetic processing, mental processing speed, working memory, attention, sequential processing, spatial processing, visual and auditory memory, phonological awareness, motor planning, problem solving, and reasoning. These are processing skills needed for easy, independent learning and functioning.
AMPS is a cognitive processing skills program based on proven ideas from the fields of behavioral optometry and cognitive neuroscience. These brain exercises are designed to improve mental processing speed, working memory, attention, sequential processing, spatial processing, visual and auditory memory, phonological awareness, motor planning, problem solving, and reasoning. These are processing skills needed for easy, independent learning and functioning.
The metacognitive approach with AMPS helps students to think about their own thinking, learning, attention, progress, planning, and goals in order to increase motivation, self-direction, and executive functioning.
This is a cognitive training program that improves processing skills needed for easy, independent learning and functioning. Skills trained include: attention, memory, processing speed, auditory and visual processing, and logic and reasoning.
Auditory Processing, Language, Reading, Comprehension, Spelling, And Writing
ILS is a music and sound stimulation method that focuses on re-educating the ear and auditory pathways for increased learning, attention, communication, listening, sensory integration, and physical coordination. This is accomplished through the use of specially modified classical music that stimulates the auditory system to take in a full spectrum of sound.
SSP is a short-term listening therapy designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity while enhancing social engagement and resilience. SSP is a non-invasive application of the Polyvagal Theory based on decades of research and developed by Dr. Stephen Porges to help children and adults feel safe and grounded and to increase calm, resilience, connection, attention, and clear thinking.
TLP is a music and sound stimulation method that focuses on re-educating the ear and auditory pathways for increased learning, attention, communication, listening, sensory integration, and physical coordination. This is accomplished through the use of specially modified classical music that stimulates the auditory system to take in a full spectrum of sound. Auditory training techniques encoded into the music improve spatial awareness and auditory attention.
inTime is a rhythm and frequency-based sound stimulation method that focuses on re-educating the ear and auditory pathways for increased learning, regulation, attention, communication, listening, sensory integration, and physical coordination. This is accomplished through the use of specially modified percussion-based music that increases internal timing and organization and stimulates the auditory system to take in a full spectrum of sound.
Guided body percussion and drumming activities improve rhythm, timing, attention, mental organization, and verbal and non-verbal communication.
AST-R/S integrates the techniques of the best researchers in the field of dyslexia, reading, and auditory processing to develop the underlying auditory, visual, and language processing skills critical to successful reading.
Auditory processing is stimulated through prescribed sound therapy and specific brain-based audio-vocal training lessons. Sequential research-based reading and spelling lessons improve working memory; grammar and word usage; phonemic and phonological awareness; phonetic and visual decoding; visual attention to detail; reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension; and spelling.
This is a scientifically-based auditory training program that uses a combination of sound therapy and specific brain-based audio-vocal training lessons to improve the auditory skills needed for good listening and processing of auditory information. It addresses the critical components to comprehension starting with stimulating and improving auditory processing and receptive language and building to self-guided logical reasoning.
Auditory skills are improved through passive auditory training (listening to prescribed sound therapy music) and actively through the audio-vocal training lessons so that the learner gets clearer and more accurate information when listening. This impacts speech clarity, intonation, comprehension, verbal expression, and attention. Lessons are structured to stimulate and improve working memory, visualization, grammar and word usage, and reading fluency and comprehension.
This is a scientifically-based auditory training program that uses a combination of sound therapy and specific brain-based audio-vocal training lessons that specifically address the auditory skills needed for good listening and processing of auditory information. It includes all of the critical components to comprehension starting with stimulating and improving auditory processing and receptive language, and building to self-guided logical reasoning.
Auditory skills are improved passively through listening to prescribed sound therapy selections and actively through the audio-vocal training lessons so that the learner gets clearer and more accurate information when listening. This impacts speech clarity, intonation, comprehension, verbal expression, and attention. Lessons are structured to stimulate and improve working memory, grammar and word usage, and reading fluency and comprehension, as well as study strategies and on-going application of skills learned in AST-C to textbooks, vocabulary, and studying for tests.
This is a scientifically-based auditory training program that uses a combination of sound therapy and specific audio-vocal lessons to develop language competency. Auditory processing skills are improved through the sound therapy and audio-vocal training lessons that help the learner get clearer and more accurate information when listening. This impacts speech clarity, intonation, comprehension, verbal expression, and attention. Lessons are structured to stimulate and improve working memory, grammar and word usage, and vocabulary, articulation, and receptive and expressive language.
Enhanced Lateralization has been found to be highly effective for improving reading and language processing and expression in students who struggle with dyslexia and slow processing of language. Research on dyslexia indicates that many dyslexic individuals read from the right side of the brain. This creates disorganization and confusion as the right brain in most people simply cannot process language in the way that the left hemisphere does.
During reading or language lessons, the student will receive verbal input through the right ear while simultaneously listening to music in the left ear to increase right ear dominance for language and stimulate left hemisphere processing of language and reading. The music in a sense “distracts” or occupies the right brain’s attention while the language is processed by the left hemisphere. This eliminates the processing delay and frees the left brain to learn phonics, reading, and language skills.
This program is a gentle/ sequential approach to developing reading skills and concepts. It has visual perceptual skills, auditory and visual memory skills, phonemic awareness, sequencing, and synchronization built into the teaching of phonics, reading, and spelling. Because the critical, underlying processing skills are integrated into the program, the student can avoid many of the typical stumbling blocks experienced by students with learning challenges as they approach reading.
Master the Code is an intensive reading and spelling program that develops phonemic awareness, phonological processing, and an understanding of the phonetic code of the language. Basic and alternative spelling codes are taught, as well as multi-syllable skills (processing sounds and syllables, affixes, flexibility with accent and schwa, and breaking syllables for reading and spelling). Application of skills is made to context reading and writing.
Master the Code is used in conjunction with PACE (Processing and Cognitive Enhancement).
Discover Reading™ is an intensive reading and spelling program that develops phonemic awareness (the thinking process critical to understanding sounds for phonics and spelling), and an understanding of the phonetic code of the language. Vocabulary development and visualization strategies for spelling, sight word development, and comprehension are integrated through the program, as are opportunities to apply skills to context reading and writing.
Quick Steps is a decoding program that simplifies the complex English language into 8 rules and 3 steps. It is a very effective decoding program for students who know the sounds and basics of decoding, but who have gotten stuck at the multisyllable level and with becoming automatic with sounding out words.
Words and symbols (such as letters, letter combinations, numbers, and punctuation marks) are explored through the association of meaning and construction in clay. Emphasis in this process is placed on the multi-sensory approach, which creates experiences with the word or symbol in many areas of the brain, enhancing long-term retention and eliminating the confusion associated with it.
The Davis Reading Correction Method: Spell-Read, Sweep-Read, and Visualize at Punctuation, is used to help the student to notice all of the letters in words for improved accuracy and word recognition, and to increase the ability to maintain orientation while reading. In addition, this technique moves students from focusing on recognizing words to reading for meaning by stimulating automatic mental imaging of the material as they read.
Symbol Mastery and the Davis Reading Correction Method are highly effective with dyslexic learners who experience symbol confusion and disorientation on the page when reading and writing.
Many students find they have lots to say once they get started with writing. It is that initial getting started that is so challenging. The Power Writing strategy gives students a structure that jump-starts the process, making writing more fun and less daunting.
Writing Adventures is a process-based program for developing written language skills. Through a variety of games and activities, students discover the function of language and brainstorm their language to build strong sentences, paragraphs, essays, and narratives.
Editing and proofreading are included in the writing process.
Executive Function
Executive function involves the higher level thinking skills that guide and manage our behavior and attention. The Executive Function Training program helps students develop skills in the areas of:
- Effectively using visual and verbal inner language
- Reasoning
- Problem solving
- Developing and using strategies
- Time conceptualization and Time management
- Materials management
- Managing multiple tasks and task completion
- Study strategies
- Testing and test anxiety
Basic Academic Skills
Discover Math™ is a comprehensive program that focuses on teaching math concepts, operations, and processes. Concrete experiences and manipulatives bring understanding, and concepts are explored through verbal discussions and mental imagery. Applying concepts to problem solving is done in a natural progression throughout the program. Repetition and reinforcement is used only after a concept is understood. This program allows students to apply and use what they have learned in previous programs. There is not a strong emphasis on drilling math facts, but on understanding how numbers work so that students can successfully figure out any part of math, including facts, that they need to.
Discover Math™ provides an avenue for developing comprehension, language expression, and logic and reasoning skills as the math concepts and skills are taught.
To learn more about the efficacy of each program, please visit our Research Studies page.