Gifted Elementary Clients
Third grade gifted male with ADHD:
While attending an accelerated private school, finally
during the spring the boy’s first grade teacher was concerned that he had
difficulty paying attention in class and often “zoned” out during instruction
in his accelerated private school.
His grades were beginning to fall. After a visit to an ADHD doctor, he
was given a low dosage ADHD stimulant. This seemed to be the answer to his
attention problems and he appeared back on track until the fall of third grade.
His third grade teacher expressed concern to his parents because, although he was gifted, he was always the last student to finish assignments and
tests. He did not finish just a few minutes after others, but rather 30 minutes
to an hour after his peers went outside for recess. He began cognitive training
once a week in November of third grade. His auditory memory was below average,
which caused problems when he was asked to follow multi-step directions and was
unable to retain his math facts.
After four weeks of cognitive training and physical
exercises, he made improvement, but his parents were told to find him a new
school next year. The client then went through additional neurological
evaluation by our doctor, Dr. Ruben St. Laurent. The client had a cerebellar
dysfunction, small frontal soft lesion, and mild transneurodegeneration. He
started neurotransmitter support and continued cognitive training and
integrated exercises. Within two weeks the client’s teachers noticed a
remarkable improvement in his brain processing speed. His average and low
cognitive tests were reevaluated after 30 hours demonstrating above average on
his entire brain profile, except for one area. Prognosis for his fourth grade
year looks bright.
Kindergarten female:
She appeared bright, thoughtful, and socially inclined, but she struggled with reading. Her Montessori teacher suggested the parents look into reading programs as she passed the dyslexia testing. The parents brought her in for testing which revealed several weak cognitive issues suspect for the delayed connections and ability to read. Pat Stafford started the Listening Program, then Learning Ears, as well as individualized cognitive activities. After two and a half weeks of summer camp, she was reading on level. When she entered school this year, she was performing on grade level and even became first grade class president.
