When to Choose Gemm

(and, Why We Are Different)

The world of learning options is dizzying as you know.  But actually, it boils down to three basic choices:

• A tutor -- chains like Sylvan or individual tutors
• A learning clinician -- speech pathologist, neurologist, etc.
• Learning intervention centers like Gemm Learning that can impact learning ability at a foundational level

Choose a tutor when ...

Your child has sound fundamental skills but difficulty in one subject.  This could be "getting" geometry or writing essays.  Individual tutors with specific skills, such as Orton-Gillingham instructors, who provide individualized instruction catering to a child's learning style can also be helpful, although they also do no target the underlying learning issue.  

Choose a clinician when ...

Your child has a number of identifiable and foundational learning issues, not confined to any one area, such as reading.  Learning is a sequential process and so a weakness in a foundational learning skills will inhibit the development of higher level thinking skills.  The difficulty with children like this is truly understanding where to start -- this takes a clinician's knowledge and while we have clinician resources in-house, if your child is a more complicated case, we will refer you to a clinician. 

Choose Gemm when ...

Your 5-8 year old is not building foundational language or learning skills as quickly as you'd like or your 7-17 year old is doing OK at school except that reading or math fact fluency is holding him or her back.  More examples here.  Some children come to us because they are either behind in their reading or have dyslexia, due most often to an auditory processing weakness.   Others are at grade level but their parents know that they are capable of more.   Students with Asperger's and autism have also benefited from our programs, but most often they come to us with a Fast ForWord recommendation from a learning clinician. 

When choosing a learning resource, in addition to the learning profile of your child, consider the factors below also.  As you can see Gemm Learning sits in a unique place in the after-school learning landscape.

Why We're Different ...

... from tutoring centers

Tutors and tutoring centers instruct.  They provide more of what is not working at school by working around the learning issues.  By contrast, our approach is to target the learning issue directly, to remake the learner, brain change.  This is a radically different approach. In addition:

1. We are cost effective.   After 3-4 months with us your child has the potential to be learning at a more normal rate with potential to get to grade level a few months thereafter. This compares with a 12-15 months at most tutoring centers, with the possibility of requiring more tutoring later.
2. We can be life-changing. By empowering your child to learn normally we can boost confidence which pays dividends in many ways. Homework goes more easily, school is more fun, grades are higher and reading for pleasure is a realistic goal.
3. We are a one-time shot. Once the brain learns new skills they endure, since they are used every day. Brain rewiring sticks. Tutoring centers offer no such outcomes. While your your child may catch up, because the underlying learning glitch is left untouched, chances are there will be more tutoring a year or two down the road.

Children come to us mainly with reading or language-based learning issues. In this way we are specialized. We are also focused almost entirely on children with dyslexia or auditory processing disorders (CAPD) and so we are not able to help every child.  This also unlike tutoring centers who try to have a program for every child.

... from clinicians who offer Fast ForWord

Fast ForWord is likely available from a clinician near you, either a speech pathologist or a neurologist.

We are a much different option however.  We are of the country's #1 provider of this exciting software because that is all we do. Unlike clinicians who use a variety of different therapies every day, we are all about Fast ForWord, all the time. Our technology is leading edge, our protocol management is more sophisticated than most, our service and support is expansive and sophisticated, and our motivational programs for the children are second to none.