Dear Neurolinks,

I know my son is smart and intelligent – he loves discussing politics with his father and is up-to-date with world news – but it doesn’t seem to extend to the classroom. He’s a disaster at school! His memory is so poor he can never remember what his Rebbe is teaching; and his reading is so dreadful that he can hardly read a sentence, let alone a blatt of gemara! How could this be?

– Perplexed Mom

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Dear Perplexed Mom,

Your son is not alone; there are many smart people in the world who under-perform for various reasons. In this case it sounds like your son might be struggling with processing issues. Processing disorders are caused by a person’s inability to effectively use information gathered by auditory, visual, or sensory means. This does not mean that they are lacking in the IQ department, but rather their brain is unable to process the information received. Thus, it’s not that your son’s brain is broken so much that he is unable to thrive academically because the wiring in his brain isn’t working properly – this can also result in problems socially and behaviorally as well.

There is a great book that we’d recommend called “When Bright Kids Can’t Learn” by John Heath. He is the founder of the Physio-Neuro Therapy Program used by Neurolinks to rewire the brain. Not only is a great read, but Mr. Heath explains how sometimes smart children get left behind in the classroom and how new brain research is helping children across the country who suffer from processing issues.

Yehudis & Chayala
Neurolinks