Most smart struggling students are right brain neurodivergent learners.
Closing the Read Gap often focuses on dyslexia and reading fluency. We believe these are two critical issues, but we believe that improving reading comprehension is the key goal that is needed to succeed in life.
Our daughter went through years of dyslexia training, but in 8th grade her reading comprehension was still 3 years below grade level, even with a 119 IQ.
When we were told by her guidance counselor that our daughter was not college material, my husband Mark turned to my daughter and asked her, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Without batting an eyelash, she responded, “The teacher I never had”. The guidance counselor responded, “Honey you can be a teacher’s aide”.
At that moment I became a mom on a mission. Leveraging my Master’s in Education and a commitment to help my child succeed, I did my research.
I discovered that my daughter was a right brain kinesthetic learner, who learned best when she saw and experienced information. I then developed what has become known as the 3D Learner Program ® that helped my daughter improve her reading comprehension 4.2 grade levels in 7 months. She later earned her Master’s in Education from the University of Florida. She truly became the teacher she never had.
The icing on the cake came in August 2024 when our daughter earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of Florida
Over the last 28 years, we have helped thousands of students succeed, with a hands-on visual program that recognizes that:
– Most smart struggling students are right brain kinesthetic learners, who can close the reading fluency and reading comprehension gaps much faster when one leverages their strengths and identifies and addresses their challenges.
– Almost 75% of the students we have assessed have a significant visual processing issue. They might be able to see well, but their eyes do not work effectively together. This results in their skipping words and/or lines when reading. See this video for how one of our student’s eyes tracked before and after our intervention.
– Many have problems with executive function challenges.. They frequently have trouble paying attention to that which is boring or frustrating. Working memory and processing speed issues are also common
– Anxiety issues are frequently present
Many smart struggling students are right brain, visual or kinesthetic learners, who often, but not always have visual processing, executive function, dyslexia and/or anxiety challenges
To help you to better understand whether your child is a right brain kinesthetic learner and whether they have a visual processing, attention and/or anxiety challenge, we have developed three different assessment tools you can use. We strongly urge you to answer these questions with your child, their answers may surprise you.
Click here to download:
– Does my child appear to have an attention and/or anxiety challenge?
If you complete these three screening tools and scan them, you can email them to me at parents@3dlearner.com and schedule a no cost consult — two or more days later. To schedule your consult, you can either call us at 561-361-7495 or click here to schedule a Close the Reading Gap Conversation.
We also offer a comprehensive assessment that includes:
- The Structure of Intellect Assessment ® that shows how your child learns best, where they are strong and where they struggle. One principal commented that this was the best assessment they had ever used. She asked her Special Education Specialist why they had stopped using it. The answer was that the SOI does not label a child, which is what the school needs to do to qualify a student for special education. What it is good for is tailoring a program to help a child succeed, which is why 3D Learner uses it.
- For third graders and above we include the Mindprint Assessment ® that assesses Executive Function Skills. This tool was developed by a team at the University of Pennsylvania. It identifies strengths and challenges related to attention, working memory, processing speed and flexible thinking.
- A Core Dyslexia Assessment.
- A reading comprehension assessment.
This assessment can be done online.
For the right brain neurodivergent learner, our comprehensive assessment will identify how your child learns best, where they are strong and where they struggle, whether they appear to have a visual or auditory processing issue, whether they have dyslexia, and what their present level of reading comprehension is. It often boosts a student’s self-esteem and allows us to tailor a program to help your child succeed.
For any parent who attends the Closing the Reading Gap Program and who invests in our Comprehensive Assessment by November 30th, 2024, 3D Learner will offer a 20 percent discount on our comprehensive assessment.
Transformational Strength Based Parenting can make the difference for your child this school year.
Comments parents have shared with us:
“My 4th grade child’s reading speed is so slow it makes reading comprehension very difficult”
“My child’s reading comprehension is at the 1st grade level as she enters 5th grade, despite our investing $34000 in a program”.
“My 6th grade child is at the 48th percentile in reading comprehension. I asked her principal what I can do and he said “nothing was needed, someone has to be average”
The good news is that each of these parents rejected the status quo and helped their child to make significant gains. This included:
- Improving reading speed by 80 percent, increasing reading comprehension by 3 grade levels, and identifying and addressing a visual processing issue that allowed the student to read without headaches
- Doubling a student’s reading speed, while improving reading comprehension by 4 grade levels
- Helping a student improve her reading comprehension from the 48th to the 95th percentile
None of these parents were willing to accept the status quo. This blog post is focused on:
- The risks facing present 4th, 5th and 6th graders and their parents
- The opportunities that exist to significantly improve reading fluency, reading speed and reading comprehension. This can improve confidence and self-esteem
- The pivotal role that you the parent can play to make the difference for your child
- Some resources that may be available to you in Florida that include:
- For public and charter school parents whose VPK to 5th grade child meets certain criteria, your child will qualify for a $1200 New Worlds Scholarship Accounts Program
- For private and homeschool parents, there are two opportunities that include:
Three important perspectives these parents had:
- They were unwilling to accept the status quo and they wanted a program that would yield transformational results that would improve reading fluency, reading speed and reading comprehension
- Once they realized their child learned differently and had a number of challenges, they wanted an integrated, engaging and effective program that would improve academics, self-esteem and confidence.
- They wanted help to be the coach and advocate their child needed
Note, at one point we were in this exact situation. The 3D Learner Program ® was developed for our own daughter, who was 3 years below grade level in 8th grade. “With the 3D Learner Program I developed our daughter was able to improve her reading comprehension 4.2 grade levels in 7 months and in August 2024 our daughter Julie earned her doctorate in education from the University of Florida.
The Risks are Real
Reading fluency, reading speed and/or comprehension are common issues for 4th, 5th and 6th graders. This is especially true in this post pandemic era, where your child was not in school during some critical years. 4 of the key risks students face include:
- Being a slow reader and continuing to avoid reading. Having their reading comprehension fall 3, 4, or even further below grade level. As the graph below shows, for students with a disability in middle and high school 45% were 3 to 4.9 years below grade level and an additional 21% were 5 or more years below grade level in their reading comprehension
- Homework will take more time and frustration often follows. Especially as math word problems become more complex and the reading becomes more complex, with less pictures.
- Standardized test scores continue to be low, and your child missed the fun electives as they are pulled out for additional reading help
- Self-esteem and confidence often decline
The Opportunities are Often Significant
- Reading fluency and reading speed can often be improved
- Significant comprehension gains can be made within months
- Homework time and stress can often be reduced by 25 to 50%, with your child becoming more independent
- Many students learn to love reading and their confidence and self-esteem increase
- With new tools to be an even more effective coach and advocate for your child, the stress decreases, you become an even more collaborative and effective advocate and raising your child becomes much more fun
The Pivotal Role of Transformational Strength Based Parenting
- Seeing if your child is a right brain neurodivergent child who learns best when he or she sees and experiences information — click here for a screening tool to see if your child is a right brain neurodivergent learner. Most smart struggling students are right brain neurodivergent learners.
- Identifying and addressing the challenges if your child has dyslexia, ADHD, Executive Function challenges, visual processing issues and/or anxiety challenges. Most of our students learn differently and have several of these issues
- Rejecting the status quo. This is a critical step on your child’s pathway to success
- Being committed to Transformational Strength Based Parenting and making a huge difference in your child’s life
- Finding the right professional help to make it happen
At 3D Learner, we want to better understand your challenges, offer advice on how you can help your child and if appropriate, share how we can help. If you would like a no cost conversation you can either call us at 561-361-7495 or click here to schedule a How Can I Help My 4th, 5th or 6th Grade Child conversation
3D Learner, Committed to Transformational
Strength Based Parenting
That Makes The Difference for Your Child and You
Advice on How to Improve SAT scores often focus on:
- Getting and using accommodations, especially extra time and read aloud option
- Learn how to use the calculator
- Practicing SAT tests, especially under timed conditions
- Get the right SAT Tutor
We believe it is incredibly important to focus on where your child’s is at and what their goals are:
Let’s take three cases:
- A student who had 1000 on their SATs and a 2.8 GPA going into his senior year. He wanted to qualify for the Gold Medallion Bright Futures Scholarship – a Florida scholarship that could be worth $20,000 if he went to either a public or private school in Florida. That means he has to improve his GPA his senior year to a 3.6 and to score a 1210 on the SATs.
Note, this student was a visual neurodivergent learner — who needed to both understand the benefits of working hard and a more visual approach. He was considered unmotivated and was not operating anywhere near his potential.
On the present Digital SAT, that would mean he had to go from 61 questions right out of 98 questions to 76 questions. We discussed that he could earn the scholarship or work 2000 hours at $10 an hour. This student put a $20,000 check above his desk made out to him and worked hard. The results:
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- A 3.7 GPA his senior year
- 1230 on his SATS
- Earning his $20,000 scholarship
- Another student had a 4.2 GPA that was high enough to earn the academic scholarship worth $30,000. He was at 1100 on the SATs. On the new Digital SAT, that would be equivalent to increasing the number of questions right from 67 to 82. He also got advice that the higher SAT score would allow him to get into the University of Florida. We helped him to improve his SAT scores to 1370.
- International College Counselors help students to target a stretch school and to have a clear vision of what is needed to get into their dream schools. The student wanted to get into the University of Michigan, where the lowest quartile got a 1350, the average SAT was a 1435 and the upper quartile averaged an SAT Score of 1530. The student set a goal to get an SAT score and achieved it with help and hard work.
At 3D Learner, we agree with all these recommendations and believe it helps to set goals and to improve foundational skills including:
- Attention, as many students lose focus during the test
- Reading speed. While the read aloud option on the SAT helps, we know that many students read slowly.
- Visual processing — many students skip words and lines when reading and make too many mistakes in math problems as they miss signs and small words
- Vocabulary.
- Inference skills
- Reading comprehension
- Understanding key math concepts used in the SAT
- Developing what we call a Hawk like skill, to identify the trick that is required to either understand the question or to solve it quickly
Improving reading fluency and reading comprehension can really help. One student could not get accommodations, because, while he read slowly, he did not have a qualifying condition. While his comprehension was at the 12th grade level, he read at only 125 words per minute. We were able to improve his reading speed from 125 to 300 words per minute, while improving his comprehension 2 grade levels.
The Right SAT Practice Works Best
Many students take multiple SAT tests, but do not make significant gains. The 3D Learner approach is to help the students in their practice to:
- Start with clear goals and plot their progress – the goals may come from advice from others on what is needed to get into the college of their choice.
- Better understand the math concepts and the formulas to use.
- How to draw out questions – so they can see the answer
- How to check their work
- How to understand questions – for punctuation, grammar and inference questions, this are often skills they have not mastered
- Adjust their approach if they are not making progress
- Be over prepared
Three Steps on How to Improve SAT Scores
1- Understand your child’s present leve of performance and how many more questions they need to get right to achieve their goal. The right college admissions counselor is best suited to know what is needed to get into specific colleges or universities.
Website for calculating SAT Scores
2- Get help from the right SAT Tutor who can help your child achieve their goals – which may include both improving foundational skills and SAT Scores — which can also improve your child’s GPA.
3- Put in the time on task and learn new skills
If you would like to discuss How to Improve SAT Scores for your child, you can reach us at 561-361-7495 or give us a call to have a “How to Improve SAT Scores” for your child
At 3D Learner, we address parents’ concern on how to improve SAT Scores. For years, we have worked with International College Counselors, a highly reputable and experienced company that has helped thousands of students to plan for and be admitted into the just right college or university.
On Thursday evening, September 12th, we will be part of a webinar hosted by Nicole Jobson, a longtime member of the International College Counselors team.
Nicole will:
- Provide college preparation, selection, and application strategies which address the unique needs of neurodivergent students.
- Offer insight on how to balance a competitive application process with compassion, while meeting the student’s specific needs.
- Ease the anxiety often faced by families during the college application process by equipping them with practical tools and resources specifically designed for neurodivergent applicants.
We will be addressing how to improve SAT scores, and how to improve reading comprehension and GPAs for:
- The bright right brain, neurodivergent learner who needs to improve their reading comprehension, attention and other issues to improve SAT scores. We define a right brain neurodivergent learner as one who learns best when they see and experience information.
- The motivated student who wants to know how to improve SAT scores to get into a better college and/or to earn a scholarship — like Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarship
- How increased SAT scores can help a student in Florida earn scholarships that may be worth $20,000 to $30,000
Help your child to get into a better college and to be far better prepared to succeed in college.
The Digital SAT was introduced in March 2024. The new Digital SAT was hard for all students. For right brain neurodivergent learners, the Digital SAT was even harder. While the new digital app worked well, there were several comments that were shared by a number of students we have spoken with:
- The math section of the Digital SAT was very hard, with a number of new and different types of questions.
- The reading section was different – with a number of new questions on punctuation, “dependent” and “independent“ clauses and many questions that required inference skills.
- Overall, the SAT scores were close to historical levels, since the test was curved to do that.
The bad news is that those who struggled with the new format did much worse.
A positive note is that once a student learns how to solve the problems, they can see significantly improved SAT scores. It’s about learning new skills, looking for the tricks and finding patterns!
We have been helping students improve SAT scores for many years. What we have found is that many students struggle and:
- Lose focus during the test
- Read slowly and have problems with vocabulary and reading comprehension
- Struggle with the SAT because the questions are tricky. It is not straight forward, so being able to understand multiple meaning words is vital
3D Learner has a unique approach, where we can help a student:
- Improve their attention. This helps them to score better and do better in school and athletics
- Increase their vocabulary, reading speed and reading comprehension
- Then work on improving reading and math SAT Scores
- Show the student even more effective ways to solve the problems
- Increase their test scores, often by a significant amount
Advice to All Parents
- If your child complained about the March 2024 or June Digital SAT test — listen and respect their frustration. As with any new test, change is hard.
- If you are using books from before 2024, get new books. The questions are quite different. We use two 2025 Princeton Review Books for the Digital SAT 2025. Here are the books and a link to Amazon for each one:
- Practice with the new questions can be very helpful. We recommend you consider:
- Working with a professional who has had experience with these tests
- Having your child practice more than normal
- Be prepared to have your child take the test more than once
- Set goals with your child. This is especially true for students who want to get into a top flight school or one who wants to earn a scholarship
For example, in Florida, a student needs a 1210 combined SAT to qualify for the Bright Futures Scholarship that might be worth $20,000 over 4 years, and a 1340 combined SAT score to earn a Bright Futures Scholarship that might be worth close to $30,000 over 4 years.
We had a rising senior who needed to get a 3.6 GPA and a 1210 on his SAT to qualify for the Bright Futures Scholarship. This was a challenge given his cumulative GPA was 2.8 and his initial SAT scores were 1010. With our help and the motivation provided by the scholarship, he got a 3.75 GPA and a 1220 on his SAT score. Motivation matters.
Have your child set goals, track their progress and reward their gains.
Advice to Parents to Improve SAT Scores and Get Into the Best College for Them
- Work with professionals whose expertise is helping kids like yours get into the best possible schools. International College Counselors helps both:
- Neurodivergent learners get into a school that meets their needs
- Neurotypical students get into top universities
- Do all of the above and consider working with someone who understands your child’s specific strengths and challenges and can help them succeed. These might include:
- We have a number of students who lose focus during the test, and this happens elsewhere. At 3D Learner, we use the Interactive Metronome ® to improve attention. It also:
- Improves reading fluency by one grade level
- Improves math fluency by two grade levels
- Improves sports and related skills
- Creates new neural pathways that appear to be permanent
- Improving vocabulary, reading speed and reading comprehension
- The wording is different, and it helps to have someone who can explain things in a hands-on visual approach, that will allow your child to understand the concept
- Reading speed is often a challenge for the right brain neurodivergent learner. We have been able to significantly increase a student’s reading speed, while also improving their reading comprehension
We had a student who read at 125 words per minute and could not complete the test. With training, he increased his reading speed to 300 words per minute, while improving his reading comprehension 2 grade levels. His reading SAT score increased by 140 points.
- Reading comprehension is an issue for two different groups:
- When reading comprehension is well below grade level, getting a good SAT score can be very difficult. When one improves reading comprehension by 2 or 3 grade levels, GPAs and SAT scores both improve
- When a student wants to get into a really competitive school, improving reading speed, reading comprehension and vocabulary combined with SAT Prep can result in a significant improvement in their SAT score
- Finding someone who can show them an even easier way to solve the problems and who share it in a way that your child will accept their advice
- Having someone who can explain the new grammar questions and how to address them
- Having the availability to schedule extra sessions to help your child adjust and master the necessary skills. All of this training is done remotely-
- Be flexible and consider having your child take the test more than once, with enough time in between to significantly improve their results
Due to the significant changes in the Digital SAT, we expect those students who get the right help and practice enough, to see even greater benefits than normally. For a right brain neurodivergent learner, the new Digital SAT presents both significant risks and opportunities.
If you would like to discuss your child’s unique situation and explore how to improve SAT scores, please
call us at 561-361-7495 in Florida or
at 919-371-5295 in North Carolina.
For personalized guidance on the college preparation, selection, and application process for your child, please contact Nicole Jobson, MS. Ed. at 954-414-9986 (office) or 954-288-4496 (cell).
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES – UA) and the Personalized Education Program Vouchers can be used to significantly improve your child’s reading fluency, reading comprehension, processing skills and confidence.
For those applying for the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES – UA), the deadline qualify for the scholarship for 100 percent of the award is, your child must be awarded the scholarship by October 25h. To get it done by that date, apply ASAP. The Parent Guide provides more details.
3D Learner specializes in students who are a visual learner, a right brain learner or a kinesthetic learner. That is, the kids who learn best when they see and experience information.
We leverage a student’s strengths and interests, we identify and address their challenges, and our goal is to help our students make significant progress in months. We have 27 years of experience doing that and close to 10 years’ experience helping voucher students succeed.
The best way to learn what we can do for your child is to call us at 561-361-7495.
We can help students statewide via zoom, or we can do the training locally in the Coral Springs, Parkland and Boca Raton area.
For parents investing in a Comprehensive Assessment by July 31st, we will provide you with the Safe and Sound Protocol ®, a $300 value, that will reduce your child’s anxiety and can be used for the whole family
The 3D Learner Comprehensive Assessment will provide valuable insights on whether your child has dyslexia, their present reading comprehension level, their strengths and challenges and for students in third grade and above, an Executive Function Assessment.
Our focus is on the visual learner, kinesthetic learner or neurodivergent learner, who learns best when he or she sees and experiences information. We also identify and address dyslexia, ADHD, visual processing issues and executive function challenges.
We are Dyslexia certified trained for the UFLI ® Program — the University of Florida’s Reading Intervention that incorporates a Core Assessment, and an engaging and effective dyslexia treatment. This is an Orton-Gillingham based program.
Call us at 561-361-7495 to discuss your situation or to schedule a time to
Discuss How Your Child Can Make Significant Gains in months
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES-UA) is for homeschool and private school students with a qualifying disability. Here is a list of qualifying disabilities. Parents can register at https://www.stepupforstudents.org/scholarships/unique-abilities/ (FES UA).
Note, this same offer is for voucher students in the Personalized Education Program.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can help your child and you, call 3D Learner at 561-361-7495 or click here to schedule a Conversation on How The Florida Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities can help your child
3D Learner is a provider for this program
Homeschool successes with 3D Learner. We have helped:
7 ways 3D Learner is different than any other provider:
- Our hands-on program is designed to help the right brain learner, kinesthetic learner or neurodivergent learner who learns best when he or she sees and experiences information.
- We address both reading fluency and reading comprehension. We have had students make 2, 3 and even 4-year gains in their reading comprehension in 4 to 6 months. While we are a hands-on program, we also address phonemic awareness and reading fluency with the University of Florida’s UFLI Program ®.
- We identify and address executive function, visual processing and related issues,
- We strive to ignite a love for learning, while boosting self-esteem
- We help parents to be even more effective coaches for their child,
- We tailor our program to meet the individual child’s needs. We can also address math and writing issues.
- Our assessment is done online, and it will show a parent:
- How your child learns best
- Their learning strengths and challenges
- Whether there is an executive function or visual processing issue
- The child’s present level of performance for both reading fluency and reading comprehension
If you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can help your child and you, call 3D Learner at 561-361-7395 or click here to schedule a Conversation on How The Florida Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities can help your child.
3D Learner is best known for helping bright right brain kinesthetic learners succeed. These are the students who learn best when they see and experience information and who are often a lot smarter than present results would indicate.
3D Learner has helped many homeschool and private school students improve their:
- Reading fluency
- Reading comprehension — often, but two, three or even four grade levels in months
- Self-confidence and so much more (e.g. attention, executive function skills, math etc.)
Our first goal is to help parents with a child who learns differently to realize their child can do far better with strength-based training. We often start with a no cost Stress to Success Conversation parents can have by either calling us at 561-361-7495 or clicking on Stress to Success Conversation and finding a mutually agreeable time to talk.
Our second goal is to help you as a parent to understand your child’s reading fluency and reading comprehension levels and to determine where your child is at, what help they need, and to tailor a solution to help your child to be all he or she can be.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can help your child and you, call 3D Learner at 561-361-7395 or click here to schedule a Conversation on How The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities and the Personalized Education Program can help your child.
Ask about our assessment special available through July 12th.
Call 561-361-7495
Most smart struggling students are right brain, neurodivergent and/or visual spatial learners. That is, they learn best when they see and experience information. They often think in 3 Dimensions.
7 Strengths and Challenges right brain, neurodivergent and/or visual spatial learners often have. They:
- Learn best when they see and experience information and are engaged
- Often skip words and/or lines when reading
- Very often have a combination of working memory, processing speed and/or attention challenges
- May have dyslexia or a learning disability – -half of our students do and half do not
- Are often anxious and frustrated
- Almost always are a lot smarter than present results would indicate
- Are dependent on their parents to make the difference
The right brain, neurodivergent and/or visual spatial learner often needs their parents to find the solution to unleash their potential
Your smart struggling child might have been in public school, being homeschooled or in a private school. We have had a half dozen calls this month from parents this month with four common themes:
- Their child is struggling with a combination of reading fluency, reading comprehension and math word problems
- The school or the homeschool parents are frustrated by the lack of progress — despite having done many things to help their child
- The child is frustrated and anxious
- Parents want a better answer that will make the 2024-25 year far better for their child
The good news is that the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES – UA) and the Personalized Education Program (PEP) can be used to significantly improve your child’s reading fluency, reading comprehension, ability to do math word problems and their confidence.
Whether you are renewing for your child or are new to these programs, here are links to both the Florida Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities and the Personalized Education Program.
3D Learner has been a provider for these programs since they started. These vouchers provide parents with the opportunity to access private schools, tutoring and other services. 3D Learner offers both live training in the Parkland – Boca Raton area and zoom training statewide.
5 Steps to Get It Right For Your Child
- Reject that status quo and commit to your child’s success over the next year
- Identify your child’s strengths, challenges and their present level of performance. You can use our assessment special to do all of this.
- Set BOLD Goals that will change your child’s life
- Get help from professionals who can teach to your child’s strengths, identify and address their challenges and help you to be the coach and advocate your child needs
- Take massive action ASAP
If you have any questions or want to discuss how we might be able to help, call us at 561-361-7495 or click here to have a Conversation on How Vouchers Can Help Your Child Succeed and ask about our assessment special available till July 12th.
Note, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES- UA) and the Personalized Education Program (PEP) can be used for traditional tutoring and for SAT Training.
3D Learner students have made significant gains with both the Family Empowerment Scholarship and the Personalized Education Program, including:
- A second grader improved her reading comprehension from the kindergarten level to grade level
- Another second grader improved her reading comprehension from the kindergarten level to the third-grade level in 7 months, read 23 chapter books, and her anxiety decreased and her confidence increased
- An 8th grader who improved her reading comprehension from the 4th to the 8th grade level.
The FES – UA and PEP Programs can be leveraged to change your child’s skills, confidence and love for learning.
If you have any questions or want to discuss how we might be able to help, call us at 561-361-7495 or click here to have a Conversation on How Vouchers Can Help Your Child Succeed, especially if your child is a right brain, neurodivergent and/or visual spatial learner
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