June 15
I don't think I've broken my rule yet that all guests must be women who are either diagnosed or have a child who is diagnosed with ADHD, but I think that what our guest is going to talk about in this episode warrants me breaking my rule. Besides, as I told her during our interview, she has a lot of ADHD traits.
An innovator and author in the field of neuroeducation, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young’s work utilizing the principles of neuroplasticity is used worldwide to enhance cognitive functioning. Her work, begun in 1978, is recognized as one of the first examples of the practical application of neuroplasticity to address learning difficulties. Since then, its use has expanded to include those dealing with traumatic brain injury, addiction, cognitive decline with aging and those who want to enhance performance.
Barbara’s vision is to “put the Brain in the Education Equation” and she’s well on her way to making that happen, with her Arrowsmith Program already being used in over 100 schools around the world. I am so fascinated by Barbara and the work she’s done, and I'm confident that after our conversation, you will be too.
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"Think about, you know, the history of education. And it was really designed initially, you know, to kind of create workers for the Industrial Revolution."
- Barbara Arrowsmith-Young
"I think it is because in the right, this the brain is the brain and the brain underlies learning, right and attention. Something is not working there, it can lead to, you know, a learning difficulty without attentional difficulties or learning difficulty with attentional difficulties, it just really depends on what are the cognitive functions for that individual that are underperforming, whether there'll be an attentional component or not."
- Barbara Arrowsmith-Young
"So what you have is a brain that's working incredibly hard, like much harder than a student without learning difficulties, but less efficiently."
- Barbara Arrowsmith-Young
- Barbara shares her story of overcoming learning difficulties and proving her teacher's low expectations wrong.
- Barbara struggled academically in school, was placed in a special reading group, and had difficulty with coordination and spatial awareness.
- Barbara discovered her learning difficulty at age 26 and found that it was related to a part of the brain that connects ideas and sees relationships, which is critical for comprehension and insight.
[21:41 - 41:52] Brain training and learning difficulties
- Barbara discovered her ability to improve her cognitive abilities through self-directed exercises, including one that involved using clocks to strengthen her brain's processing of relationships.
- Barbara discusses her program that helps students with attention and learning difficulties by exercising specific parts of the brain, with significant improvements in attention and learning outcomes.
- Barbara struggled with ADHD medication in high school but found success with Vyvanse in college, leading the speaker to question the conventional understanding of ADHD as a learning disability.
- Barbara emphasizes the importance of targeted, focused stimulation to address specific cognitive functions, rather than a scattergun approach.
- Barbara discusses her book "The Brain's Way of Healing" and how it relates to education, highlighting the importance of neuroscience in understanding how the brain works and how it can be trained.
- Barbara explains how the brain processes spatial information, highlighting the importance of landmarks and visual details in navigation.
Website: www.arrowsmith.ca
Recent blog article: Is ADHD a Learning Disability?
Arrowsmith Blog: The Arrowsmith Blog
Free webinar series on the brain: arrowsmith.ca/webinar
TEDx Presentation: https://youtu.be/o0td5aw1KXA
Book Resources (including The Woman Who Changed Her Brain, authored by: Barbara Arrowsmith-Young):
Media Books
Learn more about your cognitive profile by completing the free Arrowsmith: Cognitive Questionnaire
LinkedIn: Arrowsmith Program
YouTube: Arrowsmith Program
