A necessary question I believe not all of us are asking ourselves, but the underlying presence is always there: where are we? Halfway there, or just living on a prayer? This question is important for all of us, whether it is regarding yourself, your spouse, or your children. Because we don’t review our growth or take time to think about the answer to this question, the phenomenon continues… we would rather wait for a diagnosis when everything is coming apart at the seams before we start with treatment. I have found it much more efficient to take action beforehand to ensure we are doing everything possible to have the best final result. This is a mind shift, an orientation that we must want to make. It won’t just happen by chance.   

With this in mind, let’s talk about school, ah yes, academic endeavours! It is one thing to do your best, but my question is, what if your best just isn’t good enough yet? What if your child is giving 100% of his or her capacity, but they still don’t make the cut? When the hours of hard work, continued learning, and even study skills sessions didn’t make much of a difference in their academic careers?   

Like most things in life, if a problem is inaccurately diagnosed, treated superficially, or ignored by saying, “It will get better with time”, the truth of the matter is that meaningful or focussed, directed growth does not have the opportunity to take place. Just like our physical bodies require stimulation, exercise, and nourishment, our mind needs focussed exercise and development. Neuroscience has proven that we can build new neuron pathways up into our late 70s because neurogenesis still takes place at that age. With the right training and exercises, you can help your child build better pathways in their brain.   

Now, for a moment, as the caregiver and responsible person for your child’s readiness for their future, ask yourself, “Do they have all the basics in place that are required to be able to master the art of learning?” If your answer is yes, I would like to ask you the following question “What is your measure of readiness? Will it be enough fifteen years from now? When you are not there to help?” It is a big question and should be answered thoughtfully and truthfully.  

Let’s look at five markers that can help you to identify that your child might be facing “expected outcomes” with an “underdeveloped” skill set: 1.     Reading and forgetting what was just read. 2.     Moving your lips when reading, otherwise known as sub-vocalisation. 3.     Dislikes reading in general. 4.     Reads very slowly and spells out most words when reading (applicable to grades 2 and up) These are but a few symptoms that can help you as a parent to determine if help is required.   

Eyebraingym just might be the answer to all your needs. Eyebraingym is an online personalised training solution that will do targeted and personalised development, meeting each user at his or her level. It will adjust the intensity and difficulty of the training as per the user’s progress and engagement, making sure they stay in what we like to call “The Growth Zone”. If you are interested to see if your child or perhaps yourself has the required level of competency when working with information or academics? Do the free Placeme eyebraingym evaluation. The diagnostic information will give you a clear picture of where you are with your relative efficiency and where you should be.   

Remember, your brain is amazing; make sure you develop it right and think forward!