"REWIRING" THE BRAIN
to help solve learning problems
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who can benefit from PACE?
A: Both school age children and adults benefit from cognitive skills training. PACE helps students with learning problems "in general," as well as those with specific diagnosed learning disabilities.
PACE training can benefit anyone who struggles with learning. Some common symptoms of learning difficulties include:
A: Both school age children and adults benefit from cognitive skills training. PACE helps students with learning problems "in general," as well as those with specific diagnosed learning disabilities.
PACE training can benefit anyone who struggles with learning. Some common symptoms of learning difficulties include:
- works too slowly
- needs instructions repeated
- labeled ADD or ADHD
- has trouble sounding out words
- poor math computation skills
- difficulty with spelling
- avoids work that seems too hard
- poor reading comprehension
- trouble with reversals
- poor planning abilities
- appears to make careless errors
- works much harder than peers for good grades
- has trouble with word problems in math class
Q: How exactly does PACE "rewire" the brain?
A: Please go to the bottom of the PACE page to read how brain cells, or neurons, are connected during cognitive training. You may also view a video featuring Dr. David Walsh to better understand how the brain develops. Click on this link (and look for a blue image on a black background with 6:50): http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=david+walsh+brain+power&search_type=&aq=f
Q: How can I help my child reach his potential?
A: Schedule a cognitive skills screening evaluation. It costs only $75 and takes about one hour or less to complete. If deficient skills are identified, then Learning Advantage can provide the appropriate intervention needed to correct the problem. PACE cognitive skills training will make learning easier and more efficient for the rest of your child's life.
Q: How long does the training take?
A: PACE cognitive training is a 12-week program. If the student has trouble with reading or spelling, then she will need Master the Code in addition to PACE. The combined program is usually completed in six months or less.
Some families request to continue PACE training for longer than 12 weeks. There is no reason to end the program as long as the student continues to show marked improvement and the family wishes to work a little longer to strengthen the cognitive skills even further.
Q: Why should I enroll my child at Learning Advantage? Can't he get by with the help of a tutor?
A: If a student needs a tutor year after year, it is likely that he has an underlying problem that needs to be effectively addressed. A tutor's job is to provide academic instruction, whereas a PACE trainer literally strengthens deficient learning skills to improve the student's ability to learn.
In many cases there is no need for tutoring after completion of the cognitive training program. Some students do require additional tutoring after PACE training to fill in the gaps in learning that occurred prior to cognitive enhancement.
For more information, go to the "How Tutoring Differs" page .
Q: How can I know if PACE is the best program for my child?
A: Learning Advantage first educates both parents about the program and what type of improvements might be expected as a result of PACE training. We will discuss your child's cognitive screening results, and together determine whether or not the program is a good option for your family. If the program makes sense to you, take advantage of our one week trial period. During this first week, you have the opportunity to decide whether or not PACE is the right choice for your child.
If you choose to discontinue training, you will receive a full tuition refund. Your decision to enroll is a big one, and we sincerely want you to be able to relax with this decision and watch how the training works. The more you see of the program, the more it makes sense.
Q: How can I trust that PACE training really works?
A: I had the same fear before deciding to become certified to train my own son using the PACE program. It almost sounds too good to be true. Rest assured that I will not continue training with any student if we do not see results. This is a commitment taken seriously at Learning Advantage. If we do not see progress during training sessions, the trainer will end the program and issue a prorated refund. Our reputation depends on success with every student. More importantly, we genuinely care about each individual child we work with. We revel in every tiny step toward the goals set for each student, and our values do not allow us to do any disservice to a child.
PACE is designed to make significant improvements in a short period of time. The trainer and student recognize improvements during training sessions. Most parents start to notice improvements outside of training sessions within the first two months of training. The only way that a student would not progress as expected would be if anyone involved in the student's training isn't putting forth the necessary effort. The training is required to be intensive, and we only begin training if we believe that a family is devoted to fulfilling their time commitment during enrollment with Learning Advantage.
Q: Why don't parents see results faster?
A: Cognitive enhancement training is working to literally change the student's brain. The brain is a muscle. Let's use the analogy of someone beginning a fitness program. If this person is overweight, she knows that results will not happen overnight. If she works diligently at aerobic exercise and strength training, always at the appropriate level of challenge and for the optimal number of hours per week, her muscles will gradually become more toned. She may feel subtle differences in her body soon after she starts working out. But it will take many weeks of physical training before the changes are noticed by others. The brain works the same way. The process simply takes time.
Q: Do the results of PACE and Master the Code really last?
A: In follow-up testing one year after completion of training, 98.7% of students are shown to score either the same or higher than they did on the cognitive skills screening prior to training. The reason that cognitive skill levels do not weaken over time is because the students use their cognitive skills in their daily lives - reading, thinking, working and playing, both at school and at home - which keeps the skills at the new higher ability level.
We strongly encourage every student to read daily for two or three months after completing Master the Code to help solidify the reading and spelling skills gained through training at Learning Advantage. Unlike cognitive skills, reading requires deliberate practice in order for the skills to be reinforced and retained at the level desired.
Q: The many options for academic help are overwhelming; what do I really need to know?
A: Remember that your decision about where to enroll your child is not irreversible. Research the remediation programs locally available. Talk with parents whose children have gone through each program. Consider your child's personality and goals for the future. Think about what his life might be like if no action is taken. Choose the solution that makes the most sense to you, knowing that you can always change your mind.
A: Please go to the bottom of the PACE page to read how brain cells, or neurons, are connected during cognitive training. You may also view a video featuring Dr. David Walsh to better understand how the brain develops. Click on this link (and look for a blue image on a black background with 6:50): http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=david+walsh+brain+power&search_type=&aq=f
Q: How can I help my child reach his potential?
A: Schedule a cognitive skills screening evaluation. It costs only $75 and takes about one hour or less to complete. If deficient skills are identified, then Learning Advantage can provide the appropriate intervention needed to correct the problem. PACE cognitive skills training will make learning easier and more efficient for the rest of your child's life.
Q: How long does the training take?
A: PACE cognitive training is a 12-week program. If the student has trouble with reading or spelling, then she will need Master the Code in addition to PACE. The combined program is usually completed in six months or less.
Some families request to continue PACE training for longer than 12 weeks. There is no reason to end the program as long as the student continues to show marked improvement and the family wishes to work a little longer to strengthen the cognitive skills even further.
Q: Why should I enroll my child at Learning Advantage? Can't he get by with the help of a tutor?
A: If a student needs a tutor year after year, it is likely that he has an underlying problem that needs to be effectively addressed. A tutor's job is to provide academic instruction, whereas a PACE trainer literally strengthens deficient learning skills to improve the student's ability to learn.
In many cases there is no need for tutoring after completion of the cognitive training program. Some students do require additional tutoring after PACE training to fill in the gaps in learning that occurred prior to cognitive enhancement.
For more information, go to the "How Tutoring Differs" page .
Q: How can I know if PACE is the best program for my child?
A: Learning Advantage first educates both parents about the program and what type of improvements might be expected as a result of PACE training. We will discuss your child's cognitive screening results, and together determine whether or not the program is a good option for your family. If the program makes sense to you, take advantage of our one week trial period. During this first week, you have the opportunity to decide whether or not PACE is the right choice for your child.
If you choose to discontinue training, you will receive a full tuition refund. Your decision to enroll is a big one, and we sincerely want you to be able to relax with this decision and watch how the training works. The more you see of the program, the more it makes sense.
Q: How can I trust that PACE training really works?
A: I had the same fear before deciding to become certified to train my own son using the PACE program. It almost sounds too good to be true. Rest assured that I will not continue training with any student if we do not see results. This is a commitment taken seriously at Learning Advantage. If we do not see progress during training sessions, the trainer will end the program and issue a prorated refund. Our reputation depends on success with every student. More importantly, we genuinely care about each individual child we work with. We revel in every tiny step toward the goals set for each student, and our values do not allow us to do any disservice to a child.
PACE is designed to make significant improvements in a short period of time. The trainer and student recognize improvements during training sessions. Most parents start to notice improvements outside of training sessions within the first two months of training. The only way that a student would not progress as expected would be if anyone involved in the student's training isn't putting forth the necessary effort. The training is required to be intensive, and we only begin training if we believe that a family is devoted to fulfilling their time commitment during enrollment with Learning Advantage.
Q: Why don't parents see results faster?
A: Cognitive enhancement training is working to literally change the student's brain. The brain is a muscle. Let's use the analogy of someone beginning a fitness program. If this person is overweight, she knows that results will not happen overnight. If she works diligently at aerobic exercise and strength training, always at the appropriate level of challenge and for the optimal number of hours per week, her muscles will gradually become more toned. She may feel subtle differences in her body soon after she starts working out. But it will take many weeks of physical training before the changes are noticed by others. The brain works the same way. The process simply takes time.
Q: Do the results of PACE and Master the Code really last?
A: In follow-up testing one year after completion of training, 98.7% of students are shown to score either the same or higher than they did on the cognitive skills screening prior to training. The reason that cognitive skill levels do not weaken over time is because the students use their cognitive skills in their daily lives - reading, thinking, working and playing, both at school and at home - which keeps the skills at the new higher ability level.
We strongly encourage every student to read daily for two or three months after completing Master the Code to help solidify the reading and spelling skills gained through training at Learning Advantage. Unlike cognitive skills, reading requires deliberate practice in order for the skills to be reinforced and retained at the level desired.
Q: The many options for academic help are overwhelming; what do I really need to know?
A: Remember that your decision about where to enroll your child is not irreversible. Research the remediation programs locally available. Talk with parents whose children have gone through each program. Consider your child's personality and goals for the future. Think about what his life might be like if no action is taken. Choose the solution that makes the most sense to you, knowing that you can always change your mind.
References & Additional Reading
Unlock the Einstein Inside
Dr. Ken Gibson
(Available to read during your child's session at Learning Advantage)
A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain
John J. Ratey, M.D.
The Scientist in the Crib: Minds, Brains, and How Children Learn
Alison Gopnik, Ph.D.
Why Our Children Can't Read and What We Can Do About It
Diane McGuinness, Ph.D.
(Extra copies available for loan at Learning Advantage)