How a Brain-Based Approach Can Address Dyslexia

Traditionally, children with dyslexia get funnelled into a certain academic track, where they are either overlooked in favor of children who excel or accommodated with easier work. Either way, they are taught that this condition is lifelong and unalterable - that they will be forever behind the group and apart from the “real world.” But what if there was a way to do more than just cope with dyslexia? What if there was a way to change the parts of the brain responsible for reading and make them stronger? This is exactly what Eaton Arrowsmith school and the Arrowsmith Program do.

This approach views dyslexia as a symptom of certain under-developed cognitive functions. Instead of side-stepping the symptom of dyslexia by giving the child easier work at a slower pace, cognitive exercises are used to address the core of the problem. These exercises strengthen the brain’s abilities in phonological/auditory processing, verbal working memory, attention, word retrieval and Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN), and processing speed so that reading becomes easier over time.

The Arrowsmith approach also addresses a secondary - yet equally problematic - cause for impeded learning: emotional interference. As children experience an accumulation of reading failures, they begin to develop anxiety, depression, and a “stuck” mindset. We promote regular cardiovascular and mindfulness exercises in order to relieve the emotional barriers to learning as well.

Finally, each student is treated and evaluated as an individual. Since each student has a unique cognitive makeup, children are evaluated based on their own progress, rather than progress relative to their peers. This benefit is twofold in that it relieves anxiety-provoking competition between students and also gives each student the opportunity to notice and experience their cognitive achievements.. This helps build confidence, self-esteem, and the desire to continue learning.

Living with dyslexia can make learning a painful experience, but approaching dyslexia in a new way can actually strengthen the brain enough to make reading and learning much less of a challenge. Through cognitive exercises, emotional management, and individual evaluation, students can build up the cognitive abilities necessary to succeed in the very same classes, colleges, and careers as anyone else.