“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” – A.A. Milne

Engage the Brain is not unlike the sun-splashed Hundred Acre Woods featured in the classic
Winnie the Pooh stories written by A.A. Milne. We are populated with a variety of characters
who each brings vast experience, diverse personalities, and a love of our mission to help
children ease through school (and childhood) by supplying them with strategies and
interventions all covered in dabs of honey in the form of genuine care, compliments and positive
reinforcement.

We do not take our mission lightly. In fact we are oozing with gratitude for the parents who trust
us with their children. According to Harvard Health Publishing, in positive psychology research,
gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. It goes on to state that
gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, improve their health, and – not surprisingly –
build strong relationships. That is what we strive for at Engage the Brain: strong and trusting
relationships with the children we serve.

How do we accomplish this lofty goal? By offering a suite of services that is unrivaled in Central
Florida. If a child is struggling in school, Engage the Brain can help. Whether it is reading
comprehension, decoding the confounding letters of the alphabet, math struggles, Executive
Functioning issues, or just an overall malaise towards school, we have Learning Specialists
trained to help.

Services offered by Engage the Brain

Orton-Gillingham instruction

Orton-Gillingham has long been declared the gold-standard of instruction for students with dyslexia. According to the website, it is a “method based on the Science of Reading research that focuses on multi-sensory techniques that teach reading and spelling.” Engage the Brain has 20 people trained in O.G.: 8 at the Classroom Educator level (30 hours of training) and 12 at Associate level (60 hours of training). These professionals continually collaborate to bring a child the best in dyslexia instruction practices.

Multi-sensory math instruction

Math is much more than a series of operations and numbers on a piece of paper (or computer screen). To build true understanding and mastery over an abstract concept, instruction must be multi-sensory and directly taught. To that end, three Specialists are trained in Marilyn Zecher’s Multi-sensory math approach. It mirrors “recommendations from current research and suggestions from the National Math Panel regarding instruction for struggling learners.” Additionally, Jennifer Disch is trained in On Cloud Nine, which is a program developed by Lindamood Bell. Like our Orton-Gillingham instructors, the math specialists meet and share best practices so each child receives hands-on instruction tailored to their needs.

Reading comprehension instruction

Students who are not diagnosed with dyslexia but still struggle with comprehending text receive valuable instruction in a variety of researched-backed approaches. One such program that is popular is Visualizing and Verbalizing, also created by Lindamood Bell. This program is perfect for “word callers,” or those children that can read fluently but do not comprehend. Often these students do not create an image in their mind and then miss significant parts of the passage. Benefits of the approach, according to the website, include “development of concept imagery improves reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing.”

Executive Functioning instruction

If a student exhibits a weakness in their executive functions, it will affect just about every area of learning. According to the Center on Developing Child at Harvard, Executive Functions “skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully.” An exasperated parent may view their child as having no idea how to study. Engage the Brain has Specialists trained in several leading Executive Functions programs including Seeing My Time and the Landmark School, known for their expertise in working with the students with language-based learning disabilities.

Written expression

Written expression can be challenging for students because of the heavy load required to string together sentences. Skills required include:  expressive language, receptive language, decoding/encoding, studying, self-regulation and self-efficacy, and fine motor skills. Specialists have been trained a series of approaches including The Institute for Excellence in Writing  (IEW), which emphasizes prewriting and constructing sentences orally first to help build towards competent and logical sentence structures. In addition to IEW, Specialists have also trained in methods prescribed by the Landmark School referenced above.

Speech and Language Therapy

Engage the Brain currently has 6 Speech-Language Pathologists.  Each offers traditional Speech and Language Therapy, which focuses on students’ speech/articulation needs, as well as receptive and expressive language needs.  Many SLPs also work with students with reading difficulties. As a bonus, they tend to incorporate the Speech/Language needs into an Orton-Gillingham lesson. 

Occupational Therapy

Engage the Brain is proud to announce the recent hire of an Occupational Therapist. Her main goal is to focus on OT principles such as sensory, self-regulation, fine-motor, and attention.  Like our Speech-Language Pathologists, the Occupational Therapist will also work in academic interventions during the sessions.

North Park Learning Group

In addition to all these services, Engage the Brain also offers homeschool students a hybrid school option with the North Park Learning Group. Students ages 7-14 work in small groups in an experiential and academically-focused environment. Project-based learning and direct instruction focus on real-world applications of academic material. Classes are offered Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and follow the OCPS calendar. 

Gratitude conclusion

Engage the Brain truly is the Hundred Acre Wood, a magical place where students can come and discover the best versions of themselves. We are incredibly grateful to all the families that have trusted us to assist their children. Not unlike a tire with too much air and pressure building, Engage the Brain prides itself on being the valve, to help release the pressure built up and allow a child to relax and learn. Jennifer Disch, our Christopher Robin, leads the Specialists and matches each to the child they can best help. 

We have a lofty goals at Engage the Brain. We do not want your child to remember us; rather we want them to never forget us. From the bottom of our hearts – and with our bellies full of honey – thank you to everyone who has supported us during the past year.