We were first alerted to his learning problems in the third grade by Ben's teachers. His teacher wondered if he had issues with his hearing, as he didn't seem to hear or understand what others said to him. Ben basically floated around the edges of the classroom, not really fully participating. Even the LD resource person at his school didn't know what to do with him.

We took Ben to a neurodevelopmental psychologist in the East Bay. He helped us, and Ben, to understand what Ben's thinking and learning processes were, and what his challenges entailed. The Raskob Learning Institute on the Holy Names campus in Oakland worked with us, through a learning specialist, to help Ben's elementary school teachers understand how to address Ben's learning challenges. We had Ben evaluated. The evaluation found that he had trouble with executive function, particularly regarding initiating and planning tasks, and organizational skills, working memory problems, and learning disability in several areas. Timed tests were especially difficult.

The neurodevelopmental psychologist helped us understand that Ben did not have control over these problems, and this knowledge helped us as a family to deal with the issues he presented. He recommended that we apply to Raskob School, a school for students with language based learning disabilities. Brad attended Raskob from 6th to 9th grade. His self esteem soared, his motivation to do well in school increased greatly. He no longer felt isolated. In his earlier school, when teachers attempted to help him cope by reducing his homework load, other kids would consider him different. And, he hadn’t been able to keep up in class. He missed what the teacher said and wasn’t able to take adequate notes to know what was going on in class.

We wanted Ben to continue in a high school which provided the structure and support Ben needed to address his learning issues. We had Ben tested once again and he was diagnosed with ADHD- inatten

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