We all know that no test is perfect, and few people are perfect, though many of us would like to be. The Structure of Intellect (SOI) test is an assessment of abilities and thinking. The SOI assessment is given in a timed situation, however, the main purpose of the test is to learn accurate information about students abilities. 

The SOI Tests are not tests of achievement, or of knowledge, or of how much one learned in school and retained. Many of the tests on this baseline assessment require students to think in new ways. The SOI analysis is new information, not complicated information. It gives us all an opportunity to find a beginning point to develop abilities. 

What happens when tutoring is not enough? 

We have a good number of parents who come to us after spending years and sometimes hundreds, even thousands of dollars, only to have their child continue to struggle in school. 

Parents often start considering tutoring a starting point, but what if this doesn't help? What if you're like many of the parents and students I've seen that are frustrated because they feel like they've tried everything and it isn't working? What happens when tutoring is not enough?

School Stages 

As a student starts school, they begin in the sheltering, nurturing early childhood stage (generally through second grade). Starting in 3rd grade students begin the transition into the older elementary stage where our learning is quantified and ranked by more external means (standardized testing), yet still with a degree of nurturing. It’s at this point that students, parents, teachers and the system in general begin to feel more pressure.

Just as we all begin to understand the system of Elementary School, Middle School and adolescence begins to loom.  School becomes more demanding and self directed. More independence, organization and self discipline are required. 

This is the stage that many parents seem to dread the most and where students tend to start having difficulties. How do we help our students accomplish successful transitions in school during the busy lives we find ourselves living especially when interventions like tutoring aren't working?

Why tutoring may not be enough

Each phase of school requires a basis, a well-developed understanding of previously taught concepts as well as organization and self discipline.  

In order to transition from one level to the next successfully, students must have key concepts and physical abilities in place so that the newly presented curriculum makes sense.  

If a student is still in the process of making sense of a concept and the class moves on to the next step, it creates an understanding level gap that eventually can build on itself and eventually becomes too great to cross.  

Frustration and even failure can set in, even in otherwise capable learners.

Tutoring a student that does not have these key concepts in place, may lead to some temporary success, but they will inevitably continue to struggle as the curriculum changes.  

For example, a student might have a lack of vocabulary understanding from not reading rich and interesting literature and therefore, a vocabulary concept deficit develops not necessarily a reading difficulty.

A student may not be able to grasp the material presented because lack of vocabulary has created a comprehension pothole on their road to reading. It’s a vicious circle! 

Unfortunately, vocabulary drills or writing and memorizing definitions are not always pathways to better vocabulary!

Going beyond Tutoring and Discovering the Missing Pieces

At Synap2it! Learning Center we are experts at discovering the missing pieces, training them, and setting students back on the path of success! We can understand and impact learning in ways that no amount of conventional tutoring can.

We would love to talk with you more about your child’s specific situation and help you come up with a plan to address the root causes of the struggles they’re having in school.

Whether it’s reading, math, writing, problem solving, or other academic concerns, we’re here to help! Contact us here to learn more and schedule a free consultation.

This is the story of an extremely bright student who, although he was captain of the his nationally recognized robotics team, had all but given up the idea of higher education. He was one of those students that I say, "slips through the cracks."

Nothing about his performance in school would have qualified him for special education, and most people would have just passed him off as just an “average student” or a student that just “gets by.”

Due to his inability to “get it” when it came to reading and writing assignments he had come to the conclusion that college just wasn’t for him. Because he was bright, he had figured out exactly what he had to do on assignments that didn’t involve writing in order to obtain a seventy percent passing grade. Seventy percent!

Obviously, he could problem solve but there was obviously something derailing his school work. Time was of the essence. He was already in his senior year of high school!

What Does Standardized Testing Measure?

The Texas STAAR program as well as any other standardized test measures the Essential Knowledge and Skills as determined by a state’s curriculum standards.

In other words, how well does a student remember the information presented through the designated grade level curriculum and how well are they able to interpret the questions written on the test and determine the right answer as presented in a multiple choice format.

Standardized testing DOES NOT measure THE IMPACT OF:

• the ability to see a complete word from first letter to last
• a students ability to classify and conceptualize multiple items
• if a student is misreading beginnings and endings of sentences
• if a student is able to conceptualize similarities and differences in meanings
• if a student can readily recognize new words
• the students ability to hold information in mind while “processing it at the same time”

Each of these areas are VITAL for a student to be able to take in the instruction that they’re given by teachers and actually learn the material they’re given. If these areas are not developed, a student will struggle and could “fall through the cracks”. 

What Does the SOI Measure?

The SOI system goes much deeper to determine the “root cause” of learning difficulties by identifying and helping a student improve up to 27 different “intelligences” needed to be successful in school. This, in addition to assessing motor-sensory integration and visual skills makes this program a more holistic approach for lasting change.

The listed abilities above are only six of the twelve different intelligences the Structure of Intellect system has identified as essential for the area of READING. Reading, as we know, also impacts Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, and Language Arts and many more endeavors.

Many smart individuals with just one or two underdeveloped abilities that cause them difficulty, wrongly conclude that they are just “not smart” or “not college material” as was the case with the student I was working with. This isn’t the truth AT ALL!

So what can be done to help these bright students who are “slipping through the cracks?”

In the case of the student I mentioned earlier, we assessed his cognitive ability and found many areas of strength….and some weaknesses. Because time was short, we met and decided on a very intense program of perceptual training coupled with intense cognitive training for the areas of weakness (evaluation).

His goal was to get himself in a position to be able to su

According to the Institute of Functional Medicine, “Integrative medicine is healing-oriented medicine that takes into account of the whole person (body, mind, and spirit), including all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative.”

Similarly, just as the body will heal itself given the right input in terms of nutrition, we believe that educationally, if the correct methodologies, therapies and input are applied, the mind and body will work together to accomplish learning!

Here is where we come to an understanding of functional, integrated education. This is an educational approach that takes into account the whole person.

Structure of Intellect

In the Structure of Intellect, as in good health, we obtain good results by healthy input. Whereas in health, input might look like nutrition, supplements, or a disciplined fitness regimen, in learning “input” looks like a combination of sensory integration, visual skills, and cognitive training.

Just as certain principles form a strong foundation for physical health (nutrition, fitness, hydration), there are specific principles that make up the strong foundation for how students learn. These foundational principles or “Areas” developed in the Structure of Intellect program have yet to be disputed successfully. These areas are outlined in The Meeker Paradigm and include:

• Area 1 – cognition and intellectual function
• Area 2 – social/emotional
• Area 3 – physio-neurological

ALL must be in place for a human to function and learn with efficiency and success.

Years of well-intended ideas, methodologies, schemes, and theories in the world of education only bring us back to these same truths about what works long-term in human learning.

This is not a “Band-Aid approach” to just get students through the next standardized test – but is a solution that allows a student to overcome obstacles long-term and achieve their destiny.

In health, many practitioners use the “FIT” acronym. “Frequency, Intensity over Time”. This is often used to reiterate to the patient or client that, the changes an individual makes to their health routine are only successful as part of a larger commitment to continue these practices consistently over time.

The same principle proves true in the Structure of Intellect program. True, long-term change in student’s learning is not a “quick fix”. It’s a process achieved through a strong partnership with parents, teachers, students, and our highly trained SOI practitioners over time.

Understanding these foundational areas, we at Synap2it! Learning Center are able to discern and impact learning in ways that no amount of conventional tutoring can. Contact us to learn more!

“I’M NOT DOING THIS ANYMORE! My head hurts, I keep losing my place, and I can’t remember what I read!” These words assailed me as I walked into our fifteen year-old’s room.

Her text book landed on the floor in front of her, just before her words landed on me. As a parent, these are not the words you want to hear from you son or daughter. Needless to say I was dismayed.

Aside from adolescence, what had changed this person from an enthusiastic student who claimed reading as her favorite subject, to the frustrated student sitting dejectedly on the floor of her room? I was an educator, a specialist no less! I was supposed to know what to do!

Little did I know, the next week would forever change not only my life, but also our daughter’s life and my professional career. I had been trained the previous school year to be able to assess students using a program called SOI, the Structure of Intellect.

With great enthusiasm, I was at last able to see the strengths and weaknesses of my students and to learn how to train those abilities that were weak and encourage and nurture giftedness in those areas which were stronger.

I could now understand the type of learner I was working with and how I could enhance his/her abilities by teaching them in the way he/she learns best.

I had previously assessed our daughter and confirmed what we knew instinctively as parents. She was very bright. This contributed even further to my confusion as I stood in her room and pointed out to her that throwing a book across the room was not an option.

What a Coincidence!

What happened next can only be described as a “Game Changer.” Simply defined, a GAME CHANGER is a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation in a significant way.

The next week I was scheduled to be trained in an innovative way to address what I now call the missing link to learning. It is a component of the SOI System known as IPP or Integrated Practice Protocol.

That week as we worked our way through the connections of sensory integration and visual skills, it began to dawn on me that this might be the answer to our daughter’s reading and study frustration.

I spoke with Diane, our trainer, and asked if she would allow her to be one of our students to work with in our training.

Altered Destiny

I know this may sound over dramatic, but I truly believe the training and the information gained that week changed our daughter’s destiny.

We discovered that, in spite of her intellectual ability, her eyes were not able to target properly. Due to something called “an undershoot”, she was leaving words off every line she read! A few lines down and the reading failed to make sense. She then had to reread the paragraph, sometimes more than once. It didn’t take long to lose comprehension and, after multiple attempts, eventually give up experiencing headaches and fatigue.

This wasn’t a new development, her eyes had most likely always done this, however, it didn’t
become apparent until the volume of reading increased in the higher grade levels.

It has been said that, “Lack of motivation is the greatest learning disability.”

Without this program, her difficulty would never have been discovered.

Since then...

*Listen to the rest of the podcast to know what happened next! 

Visit www.synap2it.com to learn more about these resources and how they can help your student.

We sometimes get this question about what sports are best for kids and their overall brain development. Here are a few sports we recommend to students for better brain development and even for improving their abilities for team sports later on!

The best sports for brain development include individual sports such as:

• gymnastics,
• diving,
• figure skating,
• tennis,
• golf,
• swimming
• dance

These sports all require high precision abilities in the area of sensory integration. What else do these sports have in common?

Crossing the Midline

Each of these sports requires THE PLAYER TO CROSS THE MIDLINE OF THE BODY. The sense of left and rightness and body awareness with and without the use of your visual system is also a key ability necessary in order to read, physically write a composition, and align and perform mathematical equations.

Early sensory integration training will pay big dividends later on at school and in team sports later on!

Precision in Body Movements

Each of these sports requires PRECISION IN BODY MOVEMENTS. Muscle memory and the ability to consistently perform prescribed large body movements with accuracy is necessary for the fine motor control necessary for good handwriting. Good handwriting is linked to positive learning outcomes like higher reading fluency, better grades, and writing activates the brain more than keyboarding because it involves more complex motor and cognitive skills.

Balance and Spatial Awareness

Each of these sports ENCOURAGES BALANCE AND SPATIAL AWARENESS. Being able to keep the body in balance requires mental focus and attention. Being able to control one’s body, sit still, and remain attentive to visual and auditory instruction is key in any endeavor. If a student is constantly moving and trying to keep their bodies in control, they don’t have much energy left to attend and process the information being delivered in the classroom. Students who are out of balance constantly drop things and spend time locating those things under their desks and gathering themselves back together. They are most certainly missing out on valuable instruction.

Getting students started in these kind of precision sports (gymnastics, tennis, swimming, karate, etc…) early on will even pay big benefits in group sports later on.

A goalie has to have good spatial body awareness. A quarterback or receiver must exhibit good balance and ability to throw or accept the ball across the midline of the body. A basketball player must cross the midline of the body to accomplish a lay-up.

These are some of the skills that we address at Synap2it! Learning. If you have a child who just does not enjoy or do well at these kinds of activities, it could be a clue and even relate to their academic success.

Early sensory integration training will pay big dividends later on at school and in team sports later on!

Welcome to Synap2it! Learning Toolbox! We’re so glad you found us! 

We're your hosts, Sophia Guzman and Renee Anderson with Synap2it Learning Development Center.

We are here to provide families like you with tools to give your students an edge on their learning, because when students connect to learning, everyone wins! 

Today we will covered the 5 essential senses for learning, what it can look like if these senses are underdeveloped, and what you can do as a parent, family member, or teacher to help a student develop these abilities. 

As you will see, developing these 5 essential senses is paramount to helping the mind and the body work together in order to learn more effectively long term, regardless of the curriculum. 

When we think about senses, we usually think about our 5 senses - touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. However, did you know that there are 5 additional senses that are essential for learning? It’s true! In fact, when these senses are underdeveloped a student may have difficulty in school. 

So what are these senses, and how do you know if your child needs to develop them further? Great question! There are a few key things you may notice when these senses could be impacting your child’s performance in school.

As a parent  few things you may be noticing

• Homework taking longer than it should
• Headaches or tired eyes after doing near-point work (explain near-point work)
• Trouble following directions/completing work
• Disorganization

We’re going to share some terms with you today that may sound a little technical, but Renee is going to help us understand these terms a little better with some examples, so stick with us as we share how each of these senses can impact your child’s learning and what you can do. 

These concepts were established by Dr. A Jean Ayres, based on earlier investigations by Dr. Marianne Frostig. If you want to know more, visit the footnotes in the description.

...Listen to the podcast to hear the rest of our facts!

Although a complete screening is the best approach to get a full picture of what challenges a student is having and helping them succeed in school, there are other things you can do to help build these abilities on your own. Activities that require symmetry such as:

• Building symmetrical shapes with blocks or legos
• Individual sports activities such as gymnastics, TaeKwonDo, or other martial arts.
• Walking in a straight line heel to toe, balancing as if on a tightrope.

Thank you so much for joining us today! We hope that today's episode gave you a few more tools to help your students gain an edge on learning. You are not alone in searching for additional resources to provide for your students. If anything in today's episode resonated with you, be sure and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast so you don't miss any of our future episodes! Also, we would love it if you would take 1 minute and write us a quick review! Writing a review helps more parents like you find this podcast and help their students reach their full potential.

You can also get more resources and find out more about what we do and how we can help you at www.synap2it.com or on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube simply by searching Synap2it in the search bar.

Episode resources:
-Ayres, A.J. (1979). Sensory Integration and the child. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
-Frostig, M. & Horne, D. (1964) The Frostig program for the development of visual perception. Chicago: Follet Educational.
-Hannaford, C. (1995). Smart moves: Why learning is not all in your head. Arlington, VA: Great Ocean.

Thank you for engaging with us today! We are here to provide you with tools to give your students gain an edge on learning. You are not alone in searching for additional resources to provide for your students.

Our students at Synap2it Learning Development Center  learn how to work smarter not harder. 

If you’ve noticed:

• Homework taking longer than it should
• Headaches or tired eyes after doing near-point work
• Difficulty with reading comprehension
• Math struggles with calculation or concepts
• Poor handwriting
• Low test scores or grades
• The avoidance of reading or writing
• Low motivation regarding school
• Trouble following directions or completing work
• Disorganization
• Simply working very hard for the A, B, or C

Synap2it Learning Development Center can help.

If you don’t have a complete set of learning tools, how long would you be willing to put out large amounts of extra effort only to fail over and over again? 

Most students do care deeply,  but why should you try hard if you know you are going to fail anyway?

If you had a bike with a flat tire wouldn’t it make sense to fix the tire before training for a road race? You could get by with a lot of extra effort and someone holding the seat and running alongside but your achievement level is seriously compromised. How long before our students just wear out and quit? 

The good news is, brain research over the last 20 years has validated that the brain can change at any time of life, not just during early childhood. 

• The brain can learn to think about and process information in new and more efficient ways and our students learn to work smarter, not harder with intensive specific training. 

Most learning challenges are caused by a weakness in the underlying learning skills. These skills are the root of the brain's ability to process information. The brain must be able to take information in, remember and organize it, and finally, use it in learning.

Unfortunately, when learning skills or processing problems are just left alone, it is still there months later and will follow the student into adulthood. Simple maturation will not fix the problem.

The truth is, when student’s connect to learning, everyone wins. 

Using this information and other screenings we are able to understand areas in an individual's learning profile that may be causing difficulty. 

• We then design an individual plan of learning and remediation to develop any areas which need improvement. 
• After we determine the individual learning plan, we will meet a minimum of two times a week for one hour. 

This training allows a person to accomplish his/her goals academically and professionally to realize their full potential.

Please visit www.synap2it.com to learn more about how our program could be helpful for your student. Stay connected to our social media on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram by searching @synap2it in the search bar.

We look forward to connecting with you, and thank you for joining the journey.