How can NOW! help me?

  • Any individual from 5 to 75 can benefit from (and HAS benefited from) NOW! programs.
  • There are ACADEMIC CHANGES
    Students show improvement in school, grades, classroom participation.
  • There are EVERY DAY LIFE CHANGES
    There are functional changes. NOW! programs can have an immediate effect on the quality of life outside of the program. NOW! Programs target memory, reasoning, language (expressive and receptive). You can not only communicate and be received better, but you can build and maintain better relationships. You can lead a fuller, more free life.
  • There are SELF-PERCEPTION CHANGES
    Frustration in school can ruin the entire educational experience for young students. Confident students are better students, they become more engaged not only in the classroom, but out in the world as a functional participant. They no longer take a passive role in their education, they can take an active role in their own lives. Students can begin to take control and explore the world fully.

The eTutoring program addressed the foundations of language. For people with mild reading difficulties, this program strengthens foundational language skills and helps to close the gap between them and their peers. Most programs start at a level with assumptions of skills and often overlook the leading causes of language difficulties. NOW! Foundations of Speech, Language, Reading and Spelling™ is designed to follow the neurodevelopmental path of language acquisition; beginning with perception of sounds and moving to the production of sounds while moving from concrete to abstract concepts. All gaps and levels are addressed and scaffolded throughout the program.

Red Flags

These warning signs vary with each child and all signs may not be present. A very strong warning sign is any family history of learning disabilities/difficulty — they are genetic.

Children 2.5 to 4 years of Age

  • Speaking — Trouble with articulation, persistently mispronounces words
  • Grammar — Trouble using correct verb tenses, plurals, or pronouns
  • Listening — Trouble rhyming, playing sound or word games
  • Word finding— Knows colors, but cannot name them when asked
  • Sequencing — Difficulty telling an event or story in order or sequence
  • Auditory memory  — Difficulty remembering multiple-step directions

Children 5 to 8 years of Age

  • Speaking — Persistently mispronounces words, and slow word finding when talking
  • Phonological awareness — Misses or changes sounds in words that are heard, spoken, or read
  • Reading and Spelling — Difficulty learning to sound-out words for reading and spelling
  • Reading — Relies on sight words, reading is slow, effortful, and unpleasant
  • Sequencing— Errors when reading — e.g. says was for saw telling an event in order
  • Auditory memory — Difficulty following directions, learning phone number
  • Self-esteem— Repeated difficulties or frustrations lead to lower self-esteem

Children 9+ to Adults

  • Speaking — Persistently mispronounces words, and slow word finding when talking
  • Phonological awareness — Misses or changes sounds in words that are heard, spoken, or read
  • Reading — Slow; avoids it; relies on sight words; guesses and makes errors
  • Spelling— Poor spelling, poor memory after spelling test, mixes up letters in words
  • Writing— Avoids it; written sentences are short and poorly organized or ordered
  • Auditory memory — Difficulty following or remembering multiple-step directions,
  • Visual memory — Difficulty remembering alphabet for phonebook or dictionary use
  • Self-esteem — Increasing frustration and poor self-esteem
  • Language expression— Difficulty putting ideas in words and sequencing them appropriately
  • Foreign language — Trouble learning other languages, e.g. Spanish, French
  • Achievement tests — Much better at math than reading, poor performance on FCAT