The main objective of LDHope is to help students become independent learners. Research has proven that students succeed in well-planned, repetitious exercises that target particular deficit areas. Physical and occupational therapies have proven that specific and repeated exercises can create new pathways for the brain to process information if the usual areas are damaged or deficient.

For example, if a stroke victim loses the use of the right arm, repeated external movement and stimulation helps speed up the process of regaining feeling and muscle control. This does not happen by regenerating damaged neurons, but through the creation of new pathways for sensory flow.

When people have difficulty processing auditory or visual sensory information, the cause can be a neurological deficiency; the only solution is to correct the problem in the brain so it will have the necessary skills to process information.

Sensory integration therapy is a series of neurological exercises that combines the visual, auditory, and motor kinesthetic pathways in the brain. Sensory integration therapy aids in learning by giving the brain stimulation in one sensory mode, asking it to call up information from memory using a second sensory mode, and asking for a response through a third sensory mode. By completing these exercises with the correct sequencing and timing, the brain’s sensory pathways are interlocked and learning becomes reflexive. As LDHope trains auditory and visual senses to work smoothly and quickly with the motor or movement capabilities of speaking and writing, it is providing the basis for increased learning efficiency. Sensory integration training is practiced in each of the SENSE IT exercises. Students also process the lesson words through integration tasks that include the following computer-aided exercises: Duplicate IT, Match IT, Choose IT, Edit IT, Race IT, and Repeat IT. Worksheets and reading aloud are additional exercises that enhance fluency.

The multi-sensory approach to correcting and strengthening weak modalities has worked exceptionally well according to our statistics. In a three-year period, over 84% of the almost 10,000 students on the LDHope program observed positive increases in reading comprehension skills. Considering that this data concentrated on special-education classes, Chapter 1 curriculum, and other at-risk groups, these figures are astounding. In fact, a quarter of students experienced growth of one whole year‘s grade equivalent increase. Eight percent of students advanced with a grade equivalent of six months, and notably, thirty two percent increased between two and four grade levels. This program is clearly working with proven tools that start to correct problems that learning disabilities can cause in the classroom.

LDHope differs from other programs and curriculum because it is a learning system that focuses on gaining the ability to learn, not just practicing current skills. Furthermore, LDHope helps students acquire strong comprehension skills, and not just complete exercises to teach facts. There is a definite balance between LDHope and the classroom curriculum that can be very beneficial to the classroom students that need additional assistance. Not only do the skills students gain using LDHope apply in the classroom, but they also apply to everyday living, increasing students’ confidence and self-esteem.