Cash Luttge was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and auditory and visual processing disorders. He has been a student at Brain Boost Academy since 2018.
“They really allowed us to get to the root of the issue rather than just putting a Band-Aid on it,” said Katie Luttge, Cash’s mom.
When the pandemic hit, Cash was in 4th grade.
“I know the schools did their best to present something, but for a child with delays and different needs, being on a screen was horrific,” said Katie.
Distance learning was not working for Cash.
“Some random noise would show up, I would get like frustrated, and I couldn't control and work with it,” recalled Cash.
But getting that extra help with tutoring made a huge difference.
“Parents really could see how vast their struggles actually were and those that had auditory processing challenges, whereas in a regular classroom, they could pick up on visual cues,” said Karyn Lutes, the executive director of Brain Boost Academy in Arroyo Grande. “You're missing that when you're learning online. ”
In 2022, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducted their National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) also known as the Nation’s Report Card for 9-year-old students to see how much COVID-19 disrupted their learning experience.
According to the assessment, reading scores declined five points compared to 2020, the largest decline since 1990.
NCES found that when it came to math there was a seven-point decline if compared to 2020.
“We've got students that are falling behind two or three years,” said Michael Rosen, the owner of the Mathnasium franchise located in Atascadero. “We've got other students that are actually falling behind further because of the way that if you start to lose ground in mathematics, you continue to lose ground in mathematics over a period of time."
Mathnasium, which opened up a location in Atascadero in February, doesn’t focus so much on their grade level.
“At the level of the skills that they overlooked or missed,” explained Rosen. “We will build on those skills and bring them up to the point where they can handle their own grade level material comfortably and easily. ”
Brain Boost Academy uses a mix of tutoring and exercises in an attempt to get to the root of the problem.
“Physical movements where we are connecting the left and right hemisphere, so it's communicating better together […] it's integrating,” said Lutes. “We take them back through developmental patterns, but we're also working on foundations for reading. ”
Both Brain Boost Academy and Mathnasium said they are seeing an increased interest in learning services.
“Since COVID. I would say there's probably been about a 20% increase of parents […] that are looking for help,” added Lutes.
Cash is getting ready for 7th grade and his family couldn’t be prouder.
“Finding a village where you feel safe and supported,” said Katie. “This is our village here, and it's a village of gladiators.”
To learn more about services offered at Brain Boost Academy, click here. You can also call them at (805) 474-1144.
If you are looking for support in math through Mathnasium, click here. You can give them a call at (805) 292-2174.
