Ways that the Sharper Mind’s program has been effective

Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia, ADHD & Medications

Typical Improvements

The usual change for most of our students who are fairly bright, but who are experiencing some mental block due to a learning disability, ADHD, dyslexia or the like, is for their academics to improve to the A/B grade level. If they are already at that level, but taking substantial amounts of time (such as five hours) to do homework each night, this time requirement rapidly diminishes. Of the students who are on medications such as Ritalin or Adderall when they start the program, 70% are off of them within 12 weeks, 90% are off within 6 to 9 months, and the rest, for various reasons, may remain on medications. Typical reading grade level improvement is to or above the expected grade level for their age. The average is 3.4 years for those who complete the program. The larger the discrepancy between their entering reading level and where they should be, the bigger the jump. Dysphonesia or auditory analysis/ discrimination issues are generally completely resolved. For those who are severely developmentally delayed, we can usually help optimize their mental function, giving them better hope for life.

From Four Years in Special Education to Mainstream

Justin had been four years in special education, and still could not read or write at the age of 12. After 12 weeks in our program, he came home with his first A ever, and this was on a spelling test! At 16 weeks he was reading (to the tearful delight of his mother). After eight months in the program, he was retested by the school and mainstreamed into the regular classroom setting. He was delighted that his grades were now to the point where he could play football.

Great Improvements in Reading Comprehension.

Rachel, a 14-year-old, had a reading comprehension of 3.0 (as measured using the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II). After just 2 ½ months in the Sharper Mind Centers program, when retested, her reading comprehension had jumped to a 7.5 reading grade level, a 4.5 reading grade level improvement! Kristin, another 14-year-old, also had a reading comprehension of 3.0 when she started the program. Just 9 months later, her reading comprehension had jumped to a 12.0 reading grade level, a 9.0 reading grade level improvement! Hugh, a junior in high school was also stuck at the 3^rd grade reading level. Just 8 months after using a predecessor program, he was reading at a college level. Hugh went on to get two college degrees. Isaac jumped from reading slowly at an 8^th grade level to a college level in just 10 months, reading at over 400 words per minute with high comprehension (measured at the 98^th percentile for a 10^th grader).

From Medication to Being Drug-free

Cindy, a school guidance counselor, was uncomfortable having her son on medications for a number of years. It took him 4 to 5 hours to do his homework, often with her standing over him. Within a few weeks of starting the program, he was able to discontinue his medications. After school started up again just three months later, his parents noted that his academics had greatly improved and that he could finish his homework easily in one hour, most importantly doing it without constant supervision.

From Difficulty Tying His Shoes to the Top of His Class

Daniel at the age of seven had difficulty controlling his fingers and thereby tying his shoes. His evaluation showed severe dyslexia and had substantial problems with reading (fine motor control and reading problems often go together). After going through the program, his skills dramatically improved. In his first year in a regular classroom setting (5^th grade), his vocabulary comprehension tested out at the 99th percentile on the nationwide Iowa tests score. He has maintained his high function over the years and scored at the 94^th percentile as a 15-year-old high school freshman.

From Mental Retardation to Reading and Writing

Andrew, a congenial 12-year-old, had been labeled as mentally retarded by the schools he attended. Experts there said that he would never be able to read or write. Our testing confirmed his cognitive skills at five-year-old level. After just eight months in a customized version of our program, he was reading and writing at a remedial level, with much more progress expected.

Better Than Vision Therapy

While some progress was noted after going through vision therapy, Adam and Austin’s grades were still D's and F's. As they went through the Sharper Mind Centers program, their grades made a substantial improvement; as one boy put it, “shooting up like a rocket.” Their hand-eye coordination also dramatically improved, allowing sports to be much more enjoyable.

Dyslexia and Autism

Brockton's guardian grandparents were hoping that their grandson, who was fetal drug affected and struggled with dyslexia, could improve enough that he could take care of his autistic brother. Brockton's grades went from C/D/Fs to an A/B level. Even his autistic brother showed some improvements in his ability to compose sentences and paragraphs.

Joshua was 6 years old. He had no speech function, no emotion and had just been potty trained. He was subject to 5-8 seizures a day, including convulsive seizures. After our initial 5-week protocol for autistic kids and allowing another 5 weeks for stabilization, his seizures were gone, he was making speech attempts and was beginning to show emotion, including teasing and humor.

Adult ADHD

A Job Promotion Finally?

At 57 years old, Chuck had often been passed over for promotions at the grocery store where he had been a stocking clerk, as he had difficulty completing tasks and was not organized enough to take a management role. As he was completing the program, he had the opportunity to take both his supervisor and the store manager’s place during their unexpected absence. He did so well that his boss wondered what had happened to him, and his supervisor said he would nominate him for a promotion.

Lost over $100,000 in Wages

Rudy, a 42-year-old, stated that he lost well over $100,000 in income due to losing jobs because of his processing problems. Rudy always wished to become an attorney. By the end of the program, his skills were vastly improved, and he working at an attorney's office, looking forward to going to law school.

Head Trauma

Shaken Baby Syndrome/Split Brain

Joseph was thrown against the wall at two days of age by his biological father, who was irate at his crying. Medical personnel later determined that brain had split between the two hemispheres due to the impact. He was turned over to the State of Washington at two months old as his parents were no longer able to tolerate his incessant crying and ~8 seizures a day. He was examined by a number of institutions in Washington State, later diagnosed with ADHD, and was on Ritalin for a number of years. We began working with him when he was 14 years old. At the end of the program, his ADHD symptoms as well as his seizures were gone and he was able to function at normal levels. Years later, in conversation with him mom, she shared that he was very dependable in his work, had dated the same girl for a year, was on his own and independent.

Pediatric Stroke

Jamie had a stroke after her third open-heart surgery for a congenital heart defect at the age of 3½. At eight years old, she still did not know her alphabet, couldn’t read, her face was slightly distorted when she smiled, and her walking was not smooth. After several months in the program, her walking became smoother, her smile became balanced, she learned how to read, and by the end of the program she had caught up to her classmates. Several years later, her parents stated that she was doing very well in school, was studying piano and Latin and appeared to be fully normal.

Nerve Damage

Lynn was in a light plane crash while on a mission trip in South America when he was in his mid twenties. He sustained some head and nerve damage, losing among other things the enervation of his upper thigh muscles as well as some of his mental acuity. He walked with assistance using two crutches and suffered from depression. At the age of 43, after just four weeks in the Sharper Mind Centers program, he stated that his depression was greatly reduced, and that he was able to stand up by himself in the shower for the first time in many years. Within 14 weeks he was able to walk without assistance with just one crutch and after nearly a year, he is able to stand by himself and walk for short distances without any aid.

22 years earlier, Wes had been struck by a van driven by some drug dealers fleeing a pursuing police car. He was dragged for ~200 yards and ended up in an intensive care unit for six months. He all but lost the use of one arm and one leg, dragging himself around with his other limbs. After eight weeks in the program, he stated that he had a greater urge to move his paralyzed arm and leg then he had felt in years.

Anita had been in a roll-over car accident 4 years earlier. Due to the head injury she sustained, she could no longer balance her business checkbook or play the organ at church. Around the age of 60, she went through the Sharper Mind Centers program with her adult son. By the end of it, she had regained full brain function, was balancing the checkbook and playing the organ again.

Overcoming Fetal Alcohol Affects

Improved Academics

The Schultes had been foster parents to over 120 children over a number of years. The last three were fetal alcohol affected. The three children had difficulty paying attention and their academics were poor. Within six months of beginning the program, the foster parents were very pleased with the progress the children had made, noting substantial improvements in academics and behavior; one child had even been placed into a talented and gifted program.

Bicycled Across the Nation

The Phillips had four foster children (siblings) in their care who were fetal alcohol affected. Due to the substantial progress the children made going through the program, the family decided to set a goal of bicycling all the way across United States from the West Coast. After much practice, the family, including an eight-year-old, embarked on their journey. Two months later, they reach their goal. The family was very excited about this great accomplishment. Grades, behavior and persistence levels all dramatically improved.

Alcohol Treatment Program - Reduced Addictions

When the brain is wired correctly, most addictive behaviors disappear.

Recovery Pilot Program

The recidivism rate of alcoholics going through most treatment programs is very high; generally between 50 to 70% go back to drinking within 3 years. One of the components of the Sharper Mind Centers program was used in a pilot alcohol treatment program in the Vancouver Washington area. It was used with approximately 20 alcoholics for about six months. A survey of the test subjects three years later showed that none of them had gone back to drinking.

Rescue Mission

One of the components of the Sharper Mind Centers program was used in a pilot program at the Tacoma Rescue Mission, where many of the homeless were suffering from mental illnesses and addictions. Progress was remarkable and memorable within just five weeks of the program. About 12 years later, both the rescue mission director and the pilot program supervisor at the mission called to see if there was a way they could use the program for other worthwhile projects in the Seattle area and a youth ranch for troubled boys in upper Washington State.

Free from Marijuana Addiction

Cory had some serious problems academically and behaviorally at school, low motivation and grades and was addicted to smoking marijuana. Within six weeks of starting the program, he lost his interest in marijuana and stopped using it. His grades, behavior and motivation all improved.

Slowing Down the Aging Process

Wheelchair to Shopping

A 90-year-old woman spent much of her day in a wheelchair. Her caretaker son, a businessman, struggled with some siblings who were all too eagerly waiting for their inheritance from their mom’s estate. He enrolled her in one of our predecessor’s program, and within three months she was back shopping at some of the local malls.

Maintaining Their Mental Acuity

Two eighty five-year-old women enrolled just for the fun of it to improve and maintain their mental acuity. Not only did they have fun, but they found themselves much sharper afterwards.

Athletic Improvement

Basketball

Kirk’s son and his friend both went through a predecessor to the Sharper Mind Centers program. During the final basketball game of the season, they teamed together in the last few seconds of the game to sink a basket from half-court and win the game. Kirk’s son developed such a strong photographic memory that he was able to picture in his mind chemistry’s complex chart of elements in detail.

Baseball

Nick was a pitcher on his school’s baseball team. Several months into the Sharper Mind Centers program, he became the best pitcher as well as the best batter on his team. He led the team to a state championship and then to the regional tournament. His grades also improved from D's and F's to A's and B's and his teachers no longer complained about his behavior.

Ed was an extremely poor batter during his childhood and teens, usually being the last student chosen for softball games (or any team sport for that matter). After going through the program, he was able to enjoy softball much more, often hitting singles, doubles, and even a home run once in a while.

The Most Improved

12-year-old Kyle was nominated as the most improved player on his baseball team. A number of parents came up to his folks during and after recent games and commented on how much better he was doing. His grades and behavior also dramatically improved.

Bowling

Ed’s score when he bowled was usually in the 130s. After going through the program with his children, he developed much better hand-eye coordination. The first three games he bowled after completing the program (with no other practice), he scored over 180 points each time. His bowling scores now are typically in the 160s, which given no practice, is still a dramatic improvement.

Golfing

A number of parents going through the Sharper Mind Centers program with their children reported that their golf games dramatically improved. One individual stated that prior to the program, they had great difficulty in hitting the golf ball straight for any substantial distance. After completing the program, they had no trouble hitting the ball 150 to 175 yards, and much straighter down the fairway.

Conclusion and Disclaimer

The Sharper Mind Centers brain development program has been very effective for a number of different conditions and for a large variety of individuals. However, as everyone is different and has differing levels of commitment to doing the exercises, no one can guarantee that the program will produce the same results in every situation. That being said, if the student/ client will do the exercises as instructed to them, they will likely see a substantial degree of improvement in mental, academic and physical performance.

Contact us

To schedule an evaluation, to start in the Sharper Mind Centers program, or to license the Sharper Mind Centers program for use in your school or practice, contact our main office at:

1-866-HELP-A.D.D. or 503-641-5707

www.SharperMindCenters.com

Sharper Mind Centers is a registered trademark of Sharper Minds, Inc. Ritalin and Adderall are trademarks of their respective manufacturers.

How the

Sharper Mind Centers

Program Has

Positively Affected Lives

Think Better – Live Better!

How the Sharper Mind Centers® Program Has Positively Affected Lives

As a parent with a struggling student, as an adult that has a processing disorder, an addiction or someone just wanting to excel in athletics or slow down the aging process, we all look for hope. Hope that improvement is possible. Hope that positive change can be real and lasting.

From Mental Retardation to Reading and Writing

Rescue Mission

Conclusion and Disclaimer

How the Sharper Mind Centers® Program
Has Positively Affected Lives