Success Story: 14-Year-Old Now Does Homework on His Own

After school, it was always the same routine. George, now 14, came home from The Lexington School and set his books on the dining room table.

His mom, Evelyn Shashy, would then oversee the homework process for the night.

While he is a successful student – George makes A’s and B’s – he works “exceptionally hard,” Evelyn said.

“He knows the right answer, but getting it from his brain to the tip of his pencil is difficult.”

Though he has a high spatial IQ, George struggles with reading comprehension and has been diagnosed with ADHD. “He’s a bright kid, just disorganized,” Evelyn said.

Doctors prescribed medication but that rankled Evelyn, who believed there was a better way.

She talked with another mom who recommended LearningRx, which uses brain training to help students improve cognitive function and perform better in school.

Neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and grow, is the science behind brain training.

“It might not help, but it certainly won’t be harmful,” Evelyn reasoned.

She approached George with the idea and he was “super into it!” Evelyn said.

George began the LearningRx program over the summer, attending four days a week for 75-minute sessions.

“Our goal was to create change without medicine,” Evelyn said.

And that’s what has happened.

George has become more confident and more in control. “He knows it has helped and at certain times, he really recognizes the differences,” Evelyn said. “His auditory processing is so much better.”

George loved the program, saying LearningRx was good exercise for his brain.

“It’s like weightlifting,” he said. “I love it. You know it’s going to be hard, but afterward, you feel so good.”

Keeping with the sports metaphor, Evelyn compared it to circuit training. “By the time you’re fatigued, you move on to another exercise,” she said.

Today, George is doing “great” in school. And he’s doing it on his own – Evelyn no longer oversees George’s homework.

“He works completely independent of me – which is nice!” she said. “No more hovercraft.”

George enjoyed LearningRx so much he wants to do it again next summer.

“There is tremendous value in the program,” Evelyn said.

“I don’t care who you are, with LearningRx you become quicker, more on your toes, and your mental acuity is better.”