For more than 40 years, the Arrowsmith Program has applied neuroscientific research to help students strengthen the weak cognitive capacities underlying a range of learning difficulties, overcome effects of brain injury, and achieve peak performance.
Our goal is to help students become effective, confident and self-directed learners. For children and youth, this includes enabling them to return to school after a three to four year program, and life-changing progress in the everyday life of adult students.
What is the Arrowsmith Program?
The Arrowsmith Program is a series of cognitive assessments and exercises used to identify and strengthen 19 cognitive areas related to learning. Unlike a typical curricular approach, our students receive a unique cognitive training plan based on their individual assessment, enabling them to strengthen their ability to learn.
Developed in Canada, the Arrowsmith Program is offered in-person and online through more than 90 sites throughout North America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Spain, the Cayman Islands and Switzerland.
Customizable part-time programs available starting at $160 per week by cognitive area.
Learning Challenges & Outcomes
We all have cognitive inefficiencies. It’s when they start to pile up, that people begin to experience difficulties, whether from learning challenges, brain injury or stroke. Everyone can benefit from Arrowsmith Program cognitive training exercises, either for peak performance or to meet everyday demands. In particular, our exercises effectively improve cognitive function, affecting the following:
Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia
Attention & Focus
Reading, Writing & Mathematics
Reading Comprehension
Auditory and Visual Processing
Auditory Memory
Non-Verbal Learning
Take a look at possible learning outcomes by cognitive area when using the Arrowsmith Program.
Meet Founder, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young
The Woman Who Changed Her Brain
TEDxToronto
In The Media
With more than 40 years of proven results and well-researched studies, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young has been featured by Huffington Post, 60 Minutes, BBC, TEDx Talks, Google and many other organizations for her groundbreaking work with neuroplasticity. Her programs have revolutionized neuroscience and changed the lives of thousands around the world.
“He’s so much happier and getting along better in the family.”
–Ck2 Inc. parent, adult student
“The Arrowsmith Program helped me come out of my shell.”
–Ck2 Inc. student, age 13
“I’m so proud of him, and he is proud of himself, which is new.”
-Ck2 Inc. parent, middle school student
Are learning difficulties holding you or your child back?
Complete this 30-minute questionnaire to discover why learning difficulties may be holding you or your child back.
Best viewed on a desktop or tablet.
Meet Our Team
Karen Cameron Friesen
B.Ed, MA (English), ARCT
Executive Director
Lead Arrowsmith Teacher
A passionate educator and fearless advocate for students with disabilities, Karen has taught from preschool through undergraduate levels. Founding a vibrant fine arts and academic collective for homeschooled students, her work with business and education leaders and parenting five amazing kids uniquely inform her leadership with Ck2 Inc.
Lani van Rooyen
Private Certification, NCHM
Arrowsmith At-Home Lead Teacher
Lani has enjoyed working across the globe, and her teaching background includes training and tutoring in the fields of fashion design and hospitality. After becoming a parent to a special needs student herself, she became immersed in learning more about special needs and learning disabilities and is passionate about helping others. As our lead online Arrowsmith Teacher, Lani is honoured to discover a career that positively strengthens the brain while having a profound impact on students' lives.
Julia Hamm
Program Assistant
A creative since birth, Julia loves finding places where her invention and imagination intersect with building relationships. Julia rotates through the roles of Social Media Manager, Educational Assistant, and general Jack of All Trades. Between Ck2 Inc. and five years directing a summer camp in Manitoba's Interlake, she is well practiced in encouraging and empowering young people, as well as finding ways to get them involved in art projects as often as possible.
She can most often be found sewing, knitting, making chain maille, or picking up an entirely new hobby.
FAQs
-
The Arrowsmith Program is appropriate for students from six years of age to adults.
-
The student to teacher ratio in an Arrowsmith classroom is 10:1.
-
The majority of students will require a three to four year program of full time attendance before returning to a full academic program in a public, private or homeschool at his or her appropriate grade level. If a student is unable to complete the three to four year program, they achieve benefit each year they are in the program.
Upon completion of the program, some students may require one to two years to gain experience using their newly strengthened cognitive capacities and some students may need tutoring initially to bring academic skills to grade level.
-
The Arrowsmith Program has been successful in addressing attentional difficulties. Many individuals with specific learning difficulties experience attentional issues, which can arise from different underlying causes. In many cases, these issues are a result of a combination of specific learning difficulties making it hard for the student to sustain attention in specific learning situations; others are related to specific learning difficulties related to regulating attention. These types of attentional difficulties have shown improvement as students engage in the cognitive exercises.
-
Students that we have followed up to 30 years after completion of the program have maintained their improvements. Once the improvements are in place, it is hypothesized that the individual maintains this gain by using the cognitive area in everyday functioning.
-
Ck2 Inc. accepts enrolment during the school year, subject to availability.
RESOURCES
-
A comprehensive list of research studies and repots on the effectiveness of the Arrowsmith Program in achieving neuroplastic change.
-
Ck2 Inc.'s full time school age Arrowsmith Program students notify as homeschooling students in MB. As a therapeutic program, part-time students spend up to half their day in Arrowsmith programming and attend school part-time.
-
Many Arrowsmith Program students qualify for the Disability Tax Credit.
-
Ck2 Inc.'s Arrowsmith Program students may be able to claim the Medical Expense Tax Credit; mileage may also be claimed for those living more than 40 kms distant, one direction. Some students submit tuition to private insurance providers; others qualify for GST exemption with a letter from a qualifying medical professional.
-
Ck2 Inc. families may also be eligible for federal and provincial caregiver tax credits.
-
Barbara Arrowsmith-Young: The Woman Who Changed Her Brain
The genesis of the Arrowsmith Program of cognitive exercises lies in Barbara Arrowsmith-Young’s journey of discovery and innovation to overcome her own severe learning disabilities.
Ready to start your journey?
Full time or part time, in-person, independent or at-home, and everything in between.
Complete our inquiry form to begin the admissions process.