Learning RX

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Will try to be as succinct as possible. Have been taking my 8 yr. old for ABA at psychologist every week since Feb. at $125 per hour. What they are doing is playing Go Fish, Checkers and Jumpstart. I decided that is ridiculous and I do things like that at home and he is doing imaginary play with next door neighbor friends. When he was in school 2009-2010 (2nd grade) he was growling, having much trouble socializing, being bullied for being so different, banging his head against the wall when in trouble, and exhibiting a lot of repetitive behavior, and avoiding physical touch from classmates and teachers. Since being home (I am home schooling), 99% of his symptoms have disappeared. I attribute this to lack of stress. I actually commented on this in another post. Now......He is having trouble with math so I had him tested at Learning RX. She told me #1 he didn't have Aspergers ("Asperger kids weren't social, he played with her boys, avoided touch, he shook her hand, and had meltdowns"). She then said his test scores revealed poor math skills (I knew that), but the processing scores were also poor. I thought that was strange because the testing at the psychologists office showed him to be off the charts. They said the highest they had ever seen. Does anyone have any experience with this program? They want $6,800 for a 24 week math program that will also train the brain in other areas and "cure" his ADHD. Feedback appreciated.

I'm afraid I don't know the program, but the cost alone has me suspicious.

As for processing scores ... exactly what does she mean by "processing?" Verbal, visual, speed, or ??? And as a component of what?

The one "processing" score my son got during his AS assessment was processing speed, a function of IQ, and on that he scored low despite have an extremely high composite IQ. It was the disparity between the IQ components that I was told was a strong marker of his being AS.

Some AS have something called discalclia (sp?). If your son is struggling with math, that could be worth looking into.

dyslexia

My son is only 5, and he appears to be very social with adults and older kids. When he is with his peers, then he is not very social. So, I wouldn't let that make you think that he doesn't have Asperger's. Especially from everything I have been reading on WP, it does appear that some Aspies are indeed social.

I am not familiar with this program either, but the cost does seem high....

Two words:

Run away.

They don't know their Aspergers (she clearly has no meaningful understanding of the diagnosis), and they don't know their ADHD. There are much better places to go to have a math disability assessed and addressed. Keep looking.

Sounds similar to my ds. His processing speed tested so low, it was almost in the mentally ret*d range, although he scored highly gifted in every area (except math). That is a ton of money for a 24 week program, I think....I'd look at other options. We homeschool as well, and we just started using a computer program called Teaching Textbooks for math a couple of months ago, and it is going really well. I think seeing everything and audibly hearing it at the same time is really helping him understand the concepts he is struggling with. The program cost us about $100.

LearningRx does not give out a diagnoses or comment on a diagnoses. Their main goal is to test cognitive skills (processing skills) and then offer training programs that strengthen weak cognitive skills. This director must also be a professional that allows her to add some additional observations. When someone struggles in math the likelihood is that they have certain cognitive skills that are weak. It is very possible that your child has some skills that are very high while also having a couple skills that are weak.
Many kids on the autism spectrum have very strong visual skills and low auditory skills. So your son may be strong with visual processing, logic and reasoning, but still have low processing speed or long term memory that would not only affect math but other academic subjects as well as his social life. By improving these skills not only should his academics improve but you should notice a difference in his personality. This program has done wonders for kids diagnosed with autism and ADHD. Remember that the brain is plastic and changeable, that has been proven. They also have research results on all different populations, maybe you can ask her for some results?

The director of this particular Learning RX is a retired school teacher.

school teacher or not, she should not be trying to diagnose him or promising to cure adhd. some autistics are more social. you cannot say someone is not autistic simply because they are social. thats a myth.

that right there would make me leery of using the service, even regardless of the enormous pricetag. someone teaching your child must accept his diagnosis if they have any hope of being successful in helping him.

ive never heard of the program myself. i took a look at the website, and did see that they guarantee dramatic improvement in 12-24 weeks. im not sure i'd be willing to trust that, but if you are paying over 6K for it, it better be dramatic improvement. be sure to get extensive info on their guarantee, and whether thats money-back or not.

the only other thing that stood out to me was in reading the FAQ about the ethics of the company. the only thing they say about their ethics is "LearningRx acknowledges God as creator and provider of life’s instructions to be practiced daily." i find it rather odd thats the companys only statement on ethics, and it would make me concerned there may be a distinct religious slant to the program.

if it helps, you may be able to find more info about others' experience with the company at these links:
http://www.bbb.org/southern-colorado/bu ... o-15001436
http://www.complaintsboard.com/?search= ... Everything

Thanks Azurecrayon. I commented on director being retired school teacher solely in response to post that was pro the program and her statement that director must have some sort of advanced training or degree to diagnose like she did ; however, she does not.

I am connected to LearningRx but also have a son with attention issues and a nephew with PDD. I am not sure who
the director is, but I see the post is from LA, one of the centers has both a Doctor of Education and a director who is getting
her doctorate. Again, it is not normal for a center to even comment on a diagnosis. This director has actually helped pass state
legislation so that cognitive therapy can be covered by the state for students on the autistic spectrum, so I would say that she is an exception.
Training the brain and improving processing skills can help anyone whether or not they are diagnosed with something
or not. The program has dramatically helped traumatic brain injury, stroke, dyslexia etc. The connection is that they are all
brain related issues. If you wanted to improve your body we all know that going to a personal trainer would help us strengthen our muscles and improve our body. The same is true for your brain and this program. It is intense but helps strengthen multiple processing skills more than anything else I have seen. They pre and post test every student and publish all their results.
The program does not have a religious slant and the centers are run by all types of people that just want to make a difference
and help people. 98% of Parents are extremely happy with the program. I have not heard that they "cure" ADHD but they can build attention skills through training and 50% of students on ADHD meds discontinue their medication after training (a great result, but 50% are then still on medication).