We present case studies here to give you an idea of how these principles can work and some of the complications you could encounter.  The first case study demonstrates how a school can cooperate if they wish.  Most of the schools we have worked with have been difficult to work with.  Some have been literally impossible to work with.  We have spent a considerable amount of time in court and at hearings advocating for our students.

Mark

          Mark attends school at Jefferson Elementary School.  Mark’s father has literally searched the globe trying to find a way to help his son.  He and his wife have spent great amounts of time and money trying to figure out what was wrong.  Mark’s father found Neuro-Learning Systems on the internet.
          Mark appears to be an average eleven-year-old boy in the fifth grade.  He likes all of the stuff that boys this age like.  He is a handsome young man that has an older brother.  The first thing you notice about him is how quick his mind is, quick to joke, to think, and to enjoy life.  One would never guess that he had any problems.
          Mark was having considerable problems in school.  His school said he was reading on a first grade level and was just slightly higher in other areas.  He was identified as a special education student and received a significant amount of support in the “resource room.”
          I met Mark in late June and tested him in reading.  He scored as a non-reader or “readiness level” as many schools call it.  He seemed very eager to learn and please.  He also displayed many of the classic symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  He seemed a little immature for his age but also seemed quite normal in all other aspects.  His neurological tests were unremarkable.  I noted how eager he was to please in regards to the reading tests.  His tests were terrible!  It was obvious that he was simply guessing at every word.  I was not surprised how poor he did; I was surprised that he got anything correct.  On the word “red” he might guess “ride” or “watch.”  There really was no rhyme or reason to his guessing.  It was the worst case of guessing I have ever seen.
          After testing, I talked to Mark about school.  He started by telling me how much he liked school but only gave me terrible stories about school.  He lowered his head and quietly told me that no one wanted to play with him at recess and that many boys he knew called him “retard.”  He told me that he liked science and math but that he could not read any of the science or math material. He said that Mrs. R, that’s his nickname for her, and Patty were nice to him but that he wished he didn’t have to visit them everyday in the resource room.  He told me that children teased him about going there.  He also told me that he had overheard a teacher say that he was retarded.  I asked him if he thought he was and he very quietly and softly said, "No."
          After I scored the tests, I told Mark that he was definitely not retarded.  I told him that I thought he was actually very bright. You could see the relief on his face.   I told him what I thought the problem was.  I told him that I thought that when the school was trying to teach him reading in kindergarten, he was not ready.  When he was ready they were far ahead of him and that he pretty much had taught himself a coping strategy….guessing.
I told him that I was sure I could teach him to read and all that he had to do was stop guessing. (No small task!)
          I tutored him over the telephone twice a week for five months.  That brings us to the present time.  While I was eating dinner last week, Mark called me at home.  He wanted to share that he had just taken a 5th grade math competency test and had passed all but one part.  He also had just received his report card and was on the honor role!  He is currently reading like a champion on the 3.2 reading level with no end in site!  He will most likely be reading on or very close to grade level before this school year ends.
          His dad tells me that he has many friends this year and there is always someone visiting at the house.  His Aunt Becky says that she thinks he even looks different.  His mom and dad are so proud of him they cannot contain themselves.  They love when Mark talks about going to college, etc. and I am sure he will.
          There are four remarkable stories here.  First the story of Mark.  How can a kid be beat down for so long and so hard but never give up?  Mark did it, he is an inspiration to all of us.  The next remarkable story is of Mark's parents, just like Mark, they never gave up.  Next is the remarkable story of how this reading system could not just help someone to read but have the ability to alter lives forever.  The last remarkable story is about Mark's school.  Jefferson Elementary came together as a school and said, "What do we need to do?"  Mark's dad and I told them.

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