Neuro-Sensory Brain Training System from Learning Link Technologies- Product Review

This past year I was contacted by Learning Links Technologies to see if I might be interested in trying out their Neuro-Sensory Brain Training System. 

This system is a set of DVDs that was designed to help students with learning disabilities such as ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, autism, and children who are performing below their grade level. It was developed by Lisa Harp, a learning disability specialist, educational therapist, and founder of the Harp Learning Institute, a leading edge learning center in Northern California.

None of my three children have been diagnosed with a learning disorder but my oldest has had some minor age appropriate struggles with reading and I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder in college. I was assured that this program was not just for those with learning disabilities but was designed to help retrain all brains including those who were young and those who were older. I was told by the company that it would help anyone who used it. So I agreed. If I could do the activities with my children and improve some of my distraction issues it sounded great.

Before I started the brain training program, I took some time to explore the site and try out some of their assessment tools. The Learning Links Technologies website offers Dyslexia testing and Dyscalculia testing. The website also offers some nice introductory level articles on many of the learning disabilities mentioned above.

Learning Links Technologies Website states the program is “an easy to follow, do at home program to help your child achieve grade level success. This twelve part neuro sensory educational program will address underlying problems that can cause problems in school. Getting to the root of the problem is far more effective than just piling on more homework. Help Your child succeed!

Typically results will be seen starting at month three and increasing through month twelve. Grade level success is typical in one year even if your child is several years behind. If you'd like to help your child develop an increased learning ability and get through any learning problems they may be struggling with, this is the program for you.”

The time commitment for this program is one hour per week for the brain retraining exercises and then about 20 minutes per day for the additional exercises 4 or 5 days per week.

From the website

The exercises are designed to emphasize the building blocks of learning:

• The brain takes in information from the senses
• If there is a problem in one of the sensory areas, then a breakdown occurs
• By combining brain and sensory activities, the student learns how to learn
• Academic success is then met
  

Exercises are designed to build learning abilities. Cognitive training, visual processing, kinesthetic/ eye-hand coordination. These are all necessary for learning success. The program starts small and slowly builds these skills.

Learning Links states, “Our program was developed over the past twenty years and includes the following:

• Weekly brain retraining that rebuilds neural passages in the brain
• Daily and weekly sensory building activities
• Easy to understand instructions
• Workbooks for independent activities
• One hour weekly sessions
• 20 minute daily sessions
• Weekly lesson plans that are laid out for anyone to understand and use
• The tried and true formula for success that helps students achieve grade level success “
  

What did we think?

To be honest? We all had a very hard time getting into the program.

While others who have worked with this program have stated that the Brain Training System provided really simple instructions for parents, I really have to admit that what I was given (4 DVD's and a very brief note) was quite confusing when I had absolutely no background on what the program was, why exercises were being done or how the exercises selected were supposed to be helpful.

I found myself spending hours on the Internet watching Learning Links videos and still only kind of understood what was going on.

Perhaps this program just didn't make sense to me because I am lacking detailed Special Education training in background or because I do not have a child who has obvious deficits? Perhaps, I just have a personality that rebels against doing anything unless I understand exactly how things work and have this obsessive need to know what my efforts are accomplishing (specifically). Perhaps, I just REALLY like paper teacher manuals and stumbling around on the 4 DVDs without any printed directions or table of contents completely lost me? Or, perhaps it is the combination of all of those plus the demand of 20 minutes of my day with an additional hour a week for the Brain Retraining portion. I know that to many people that time commitment does not amount to much at all but in my life that time commitment for activities which I vaguely grasped as helpful just seemed too big of a demand for the life that we live here on the farm. My time and energy are too valuable and I guess after giving this program a good trial run I ultimately decided that “if it ain't broke” we were just going to continue on in our lives without trying to fix it.

I am not sure if this product would be a good product for you if you have a child with ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, autism, or whom is performing below their grade level. I have read many reviews and it just might be possible that I am the only one to say that this product was not a good fit.

All in all, I CAN see the potentiality of benefit to retraining and rewiring the brain for those in need. We just were not desperate enough to continue the time commitment in order to see if it might help us improve the little we might need to improve.

Neuro-Sensory Brain Training System is available in 2 formats:

DVD OPTION: 12 Month Program Delivered monthly via DVD. $69 /Month

Online Program: 12 Month Program. All Materials Provided via Instant Download. $49 /Month

*Product may be canceled within 30 days of purchase for full refund of purchase price!

If you CLICK HERE you will be taken to Learning Link's very helpful resource page and if you are interested in being notified of blog entries and webinars on Learning Disability topics go visit the sight and sign up for an account.  This will register you to receive updates and announcements from the company.

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I received 4 DVDs from Learning Link Technologies, Ltd at no cost in exchange for my honest trial and review of this product. No other compensation or requirements were given.