Smart Questions

Parents take children to professionals looking for answers to their behavior, school, and life struggles. As an educational psychologist, I was tired of only having clear answers to, "What is wrong with my child?" but not to, "What can we do about it?"

Why Wait?

Contemporary learning science promises to overcome learning struggles and unlock your child's hidden potential.

by Dr. Russell Griffiths

Over the past 14 years, I completed over a thousand psychoeducational evaluations and intelligence tests on struggling learners, preschool to adult. What I lacked was a quick and effective way to help once the problem was diagnosed. I was limited by solutions requiring environmental modification, accommodation, or medication. Truthfully, for the most part, these "solutions" failed miserably. I encountered family after family who surrendered to the notion their child would always struggle. These parents gave up dreams of higher learning and were happy to see their child receive a diploma, regardless of its value. This hopelessness spanned all ages and demographics. The duration of my practice granted me an unfortunate perspective on kids I had evaluated in early elementary age that continued to struggle, ultimately ending up in juvenile detention or similar facilities. My colleagues and I used a bandage to treat an internal problem. We needed solutions that could consistently produce lasting change. Personally and professionally, I reached a critical juncture.

Disillusioned with ineffective treatment options, due process hearings, and IEPs; I sought to apply science to my skills and expertise. I wanted better solutions. One clear correlation emerged: the relationship between cognitive deficiencies and academic struggles that led to poor self-esteem, family discord, and behavioral problems.

Thankfully, in the last few years, science opened the door to develop cognitive skills and truly modify intellectual capacity and function. Accurate identification of skills weaknesses and intense cognitive training has the ability to create new synapses in the brain and enhance its processing ability. (Even Einstein didn't have a larger-than-normal brain, but had more synaptic connections than most.) This training proved to be the solution I was looking for.

The key step now, both for professionals like me and for parents seeking help for their children, is to take advantage of these new training opportunities. It's important to take rapid, intentional steps to eliminate skill weaknesses as early as possible. Planning ahead and investing the time now will eliminate many problems in the future.

Of course not every struggling child will end up in legal trouble, drop out of school, or face detention in a facility...but every child's future can be enhanced with life-changing testing and training. Why let your child continue to struggle when there is a solution? Timely intervention can eliminate problems and open up a whole new realm of possibilities.

Dr. Russell Griffiths is a Licensed Educational Psychologist who was awarded the Outstanding School Psychologist of Orange County by his peers in 2004/2005. He was the school psychologist for the Orange County Department of Education for 6 years and worked with Probation and Social Service students. He was recipient of the prestigious Crystal Bell Award by the Orange County Department of Education for outstanding service to the community. Dr. Griffiths is a professor of the School of Psychology and School Counseling at Alliant International University in Irvine, CA.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you believe there is unrealized learning potential in yourself or someone you love, a simple cognitive skills test could be the key to unlock that potential. At LearningRx, we offer such testing as a wise and affordable first step. Please give us a call today. We will answer your questions and help test and strengthen skills that can lead to that brighter future.