Following are a few of the many testimonies from parents of children who completed PACE, Master the Code, or Samonas at Accomplished Learning Centre since 2005. Names have been withheld or changed to protect the child’s privacy.
For a few years we had a concern that Nick may be having problems in school. He had been attending learning assistance for four years and we had not seen significant improvements. We read about PACE in the local paper and decided to investigate. At the end of our meeting with Ross and Lisa we decided this program would get down to the bottom of any learning issues Nick may have. We began to immediately see a difference in Nick’s dedication to home learning. He was enthusiastic, which made us enthusiastic. He overcame the obstacles. Ross helped him. Nick was always proud when he passed levels. Nick’s reading and spelling have improved immensely. He doesn’t have to work as hard at it. We can’t wait to see how the program will help him in the future grades. Thanks!
When Ryan first started PACE before the end of the 2005 school year, I was slightly skeptical that this program would work for him. Ryan has been diagnosed with ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder. Although he is full curriculum in school with teacher’s assistant help for a half-day, I wasn’t too sure that this program would fit his needs and help the areas where he was below age level. It was encouraging that his trainer, Ross, had previously worked with autistic clients even though this would be the first child with ASD working in your centre attending the PACE program. Ryan can be hard to motivate to work when he doesn’t want to, especially for homework.
Surprisingly, Ryan enjoyed the sessions with Ross. He liked to come to Accomplished Learning Centre even if occasionally he did not want to do the work at home. When asked to complete the questionnaire at the end of the 38 weeks, I still was not 100% sure that he had gained as much from PACE as the more typical children. Well, he did gain and he has shown some major changes since school has resumed in September. I found out his reading skills took a jump just before school ended. He had started the year about 1 1/2 years below his grade and ended the year about 1 year above his grade. This was after 1 1/2 months at PACE. His other problem area was spelling tests. So far, his words in Grade 4 have been harder and he is doing great. Ross was able to help him differentiate between auditory sounds he was mixing up.
The last area of accomplishment that stands out is his ability to focus and stay on task longer than he used to. The teacher and teacher’s assistant were both blown away with how much less re-directing of his attention is needed. He has started his intermediate year in Grade 4 by showing an increase in following the class curriculum with less intervention. This was to be one of the biggest challenges the school wanted to address in preparing Ryan for middle and high school where he will probably not be assigned a teacher’s assistant.
I hope others continue to seek out PACE and be helped by this program.
Improvements: Better concentration on tasks; processing information more quickly; not using fingers in operations; was assessed by her school in reading in June at Grade 5.4 level and re-assessed in September (after completing PACE over the summer) at Grade 6.5 level.
(Note: The child was already reading above grade level and so did no reading training during PACE. Reading improvements were an indirect result of PACE’s auditory training.)
Katie loved PACE. She loved the program; she loved her trainer. We have seen significant improvement in Katie’s confidence and self-esteem. Although it is still early since finishing the program, we have seen improvements in a number of key areas. Most of all we no longer feel we need to rescue her from homework. Her desire to try and succeed are huge rewards for both her and her parents! We look forward to continued improvement in the next school year! Thanks, Lisa!
I have seen some wonderful changes come about in Amanda. Her understanding of math has greatly increased. When I explain something she understands pretty much right away. Her confidence has gone up tremendously. She sees that PACE has helped her greatly. She is doing much better in her spelling but her comprehension is what I am so happy about.
It was very exciting to see our son put so much effort into some of the exercises to get them perfect, without mistakes, and to do them in the allotted time. It was also exciting to hear comments from his teacher noticing improvements in the classroom.
We have seen much improvement in Victoria over the 12 weeks of the program. In particular, her ability to stay on task when doing a project for school or otherwise. Reading and spelling improvements as well. Good marks in spelling and she reads chapter books almost every night. The confidence she receives as a result of doing well in all areas of study translates to a well-rounded nine-year-old girl. We feel that getting her “on track” was well worth the effort and expense.
Devin’s self-confidence has changed significantly. He will not only try things that he wouldn’t before, but he lets his personality shine through now. He seems a lot happier. He has improved on getting projects done in a shorter time and doing a much more focused job. We hope to see more improvement academically in the near future. Devin really enjoyed coming to PACE and he will actually really miss his sessions. He had a lot of fun working his brain.
Sean would never do puzzles and word searches and now he enjoys both. Spelling is more natural. Handwriting and printing are better. Reasoning (i.e. If you do your homework then you can play outside). Most of Sean’s improvements I have noticed in the last month. I look forward to his growth to come.
I would absolutely recommend PACE. Although my son still has difficulties with focusing, he is now eager to work hard without getting frustrated and giving up. The most significant improvement I have noticed is the drastic change in his self-confidence–for this alone was worth every penny and then some! Thank you, Lisa!
We brought our son to Accomplished Learning Centre because he was failing a few courses in Grade 9 and he didn’t know how to get himself out of the slide. He was B Honor Roll in Grade 8 but had always had problems with concentration, focus, completing his work and hand it in. We thought it was because he was lazy and just didn’t like school. Through ALC we learned that he had problems taking in what was being said to him in class and carrying it over to getting his work done. He is now much more confident and will actually do his homework and hand it in most of the time. he still struggles with not enjoying the work but I think he is starting to understand that it still must be done. He is also much happier and enjoys going to school for some of the courses and the social aspect as well.
Samonas Parent Testimonials:
Samonas helped our daughter in many ways. The most significant change that we and her teacher noticed was her ability to stay on task and be distracted less easily. Her math and reading have improved and are age appropriate now. She no longer needs learning support for her reading. She has a favourite CD that she uses to calm herself after she has had a long and tiring day at school. She calls it her “hug” CD. It really calms her and prevents any emotional meltdowns. My husband and I feel that putting her through this program was very beneficial for her and plan to put both of our other children through also. Lisa and Ross are a great support and work hard to individualize each program for each child.
We just wanted to say thank you for all your help. The two of you made our family feel very comfortable, you helped explain what our son was dealing with and made us understand how to support him. You truly have a great way with children and make them feel important. I would also like to share our story with others; I think it is important for us as parents to follow our instincts when it comes to our children. I am glad I did. I have felt for a while my son was having some difficulties with reading and spelling. The teachers always assured me he was fine and to just keep practicing with him. Deep down I knew there was something more.
I came to Accomplished Learning Centre because one day I was in my son’s Grade 2 class (parent helper) and the students had to write a story on their Favourite Place. The teacher took about 20 minutes to explain what they were to do and how they were to do it, and sent them back to their desks to begin. About 10 minutes into the half-hour time limit they had I looked over at my son. His face was so red and his eyes were filled with tears and when he saw me looking at him the tears started to flow. He started crying, “I can’t do this! I don’t know what to do.” Going over to him and seeing that the only things written on his paper were his name and the date, I wanted to cry! I knew something was just not right. That day I called Accomplished Learning Centre. Rylie was tested a couple of weeks later. His problem areas were Auditory Analysis, Logic and Reasoning, and Selective Attention.
We began Samonas in the beginning of November 2005. We started noticing little things within the first couple of weeks and it only got better as time went on. He actually wanted to read, it wasn’t a fight anymore. He will not try to sound out words. His spelling was improving, he had this new look in his eye, “Hey, I can do this!”
Well, about ten weeks later I was back in my son’s class helping out. That day the students had to write four to five sentences on their feelings about a story the teacher just read to them. I was scared to look and see how Rylie was doing. When I did look over he called me over (I thought “Oh, no.”) but to my surprise he was already working on his fourth sentence and just wanted help spelling a word. I was so happy!
We have completed our 12-week Samonas program and the changes we see in Rylie just amaze us, not only in his reading, writing and spelling but his self-esteem has improved, his attitude has changed greatly. He has balance now as before he was very clumsy. He can actually stay focused on one thing for longer than a minute. He has self-respect and is not afraid to try new things anymore; he has grown so much in these past 12 weeks. Thank you, Ross and Lisa. Your support and encouragement have made a world of difference in our son’s life.
We entered the Samonas program as we saw a big slide in academics at the start of Grade 4. Sean was experiencing huge frustration at home and failures in class. Within two days of starting Samonas, all temper outbursts stopped completely. He developed insight into how he was feeling and was able to put the frustration into words and avert any outbursts. Our home is completely a happy place again. Sean’s relationship with his sisters is better. His social skills has increased + + +. Unfortunately we have seen little change in academics but we strongly feel that the results we have seen in behaviour was worth the time and month spent.
Our son’s self-confidence has improved so that he thinks he can achieve things and so he does. Baseball: he is now hitting the ball consistently. Track: he is saying he has lots of endurance and he keeps practicing and so he does have more endurance. He carries himself taller as well.
When Shawna started Samonas she had just received her report card for Grade 2 (almost all 2’s and some 1’s). She was continuing to have difficulties in joining in group activities, was not participating fully in gym, and would completely shut down if singled out (even if positively) or upset in any way. Academically she is very bright but was not showing this to her teachers. Her pediatrician stated she was emotionally immature. The schools could not help her without any diagnosis. She was not able to finish work at school on time or else “forgot” to bring home her planner and assigned homework. Midway through the program, Shawna’s Interim Report was showing improvement and the teacher happily said Shawna was participating more, she was not shutting down much and her work was being handed in. Now, at the end of Samonas, her report card came home with almost all 3’s and yesterday her teacher said Shawna was even putting up her hand to answer questions. Amazing changes in 12 weeks from what Shawna has experienced since preschool.
Thomas has shown a great improvement in his auditory processing along with many other improvements. At school Thomas had problems following directions in gym to many games but now he is right in there and his gym teacher is amazed! In the classroom he is grasping concepts better. He wants to do things “by himself” at school and his anxiety is very rare now. His attention has improved and his printing went from a “2 - barely meeting expectations” in November to a “4 - exceeding expectations” in his March report card (No extra practicing at home!). He is very talkative now and is a joy to be with. He also takes his time with his work as before he would rush through it. His social skills have really emerged now too. There has been a very positive effect with the Samonas program on Thomas. My only regret is not having done this sooner! Thank you so much Ross and Lisa. (Child diagnosed ASD)
Dear parents in need of help,
My 7 year old daughter has always been spirited! Her temperament traits are as follows:
- Activity level = high
- Intensity = high
- Sensitivity = high (labels scratching, socks crumpled, a slight graze is a BIG deal!)
- First Reaction = positive reaction to new people or things
- Adaptability = low (finds it difficult when plans change)
- Mood = fairly positive, lots of smiles and is outgoing, complains and whines frequently
- Persistence = fairly low, wants to quit if not successful quickly
- Distractibility = high
- Rhythmicity = fairly low (finds routines hard to follow and has unpredictable behaviour)
In kindergarten her aggression escalated and over the past three years she has become verbally aggressive and physically aggressive towards myself (mom) and her dad. In October of 2006 her aggressive explosions (mainly at night time) were 5-6 days per week. She was extremely non-compliant and would try to negotiate and manipulate situations endlessly.
She would scream and yell and threaten to run away and on one occasion threatened to kill herself by putting a chair underneath her bedroom window and jump out! Her frustration and anxiety levels were constantly heightened despite having a loving, stable and predictable family and home life.
Most of her behaviours were kept privately within the home and not displayed publicly, therefore friends and family that spent time with her could not understand (or believe) that she was capable of behaving so irrationally and physically.
I had exhausted every avenue I thought possible to provide her with the best parenting, however I was constantly left feeling defeated and at times inadequate even as an Early Childhood Educator with much knowledge and education. There was also strain being placed on our family unit. The energy she consumed from myself and her dad left very little for her older sibling, who at times expressed sadness and frustration at mom and dad always “dealing” with her sister.
The Samonas program has provided my daughter with “hope.” It has strengthened her mind, body, and spirit. It has reconnected us with our daughter.
The changes I have observed in my daughter after completing the prescribed (12 week) program are:
- Increased self-regulation
- Lower frustration
- Lower anxiety
- Ability to complete daily tasks without too much guidance
- Increase in self-confidence
- Very rarely does she become physically aggressive towards myself or her dad
- Expresses her feelings appropriately
- Increase in her logic and reasoning
- She has become more affectionate towards myself and her dad
- Increased communication, listening and cooperation
- Less negative self-talk
I love that she can take responsibility for her actions and behaviour more willingly, and her empathy is growing! She would often say that she doesn’t know why she “does inappropriate behaviour.” Now she says, “I am frustrated!”
The night time bed routine has really improved. The anticipated bedtime explosions are few and far between and can be defused quickly without the tears, hitting, and yelling.
Samonas is not a miracle… It is a powerful but non-invasive vehicle to help children become the best they can be. Samonas has strengthened my daughter’s inner-voice… and she feels heard.
Samonas has become a huge part of my daughter’s life! She will continue listening so she can continue to grow and strengthen her new found skills!
Sincerely,
A happy mom! |
