Watching your child struggle with learning can be hard, and it’s not always easy to know what kind of help will actually make a difference.
At Lindamood-Bell, we are committed to providing individuals with the opportunity to learn to their potential. Our instruction is personalized to address each student’s learning needs, with the goal of developing not only reading and comprehension skills but also the confidence that comes when learning feels possible.
For students and families around the world, that learning has been life-changing.
These are a few of their stories.
“I Was Learning to See for the First Time”
São Paulo, Brazil
When second-grader “A.” arrived at Lindamood-Bell’s São Paulo Summer Learning Camp, reading was difficult. Attending a dual-language school, he was shy, easily overwhelmed, and struggling to make sense of words on the page.
Then something began to change. A. compared his Lindamood-Bell experience to the Brazilian children’s book O Menino que Aprendeu A Ver—The Boy Who Learned to See. In the story, letters that initially look like meaningless squiggles gradually become recognizable as a child learns to read. A. told his father that at Lindamood-Bell, he was “learning to see for the first time.”
After 76 hours of personalized instruction, testing showed growth in word attack, symbol imagery, sight words, and oral reading.
But the numbers told only part of A.’s story. Reading felt easier. And a child who had arrived shy and overwhelmed was beginning to experience what it felt like to approach reading with greater confidence.
“This Child Is Confident and Happy”
Mobile, Alabama
Seven-year-old Charlotte worked hard during her summer at Lindamood-Bell. She completed 79 hours of Seeing Stars® instruction and demonstrated improvement in word attack, word recognition, paragraph reading accuracy, and reading comprehension.
Her grandmother saw another kind of growth taking place, too.
“She traveled miles with you this summer in knowledge and confidence-building. It wasn’t the easiest summer, but it was worth every bit of the effort.”
Then came the update that mattered perhaps most of all.
As Charlotte began her new school year, her grandmother shared:
“Bottom line, this child is confident and happy.”
For Charlotte’s family, progress wasn’t simply about stronger reading skills. It was about watching a child begin a new school year feeling more capable and confident in herself.
Small Moments That Changed Everything
Sydney, Australia
For Jett, at Lindamood-Bell’s Sydney Learning Center, success meant beginning to believe in himself.
He arrived as a third-grade non-reader who lacked confidence after years of struggling. After just a few weeks of Seeing Stars® instruction, his father could already see a change.
“It’s incredible to see how much his belief in himself is changing after only a few weeks here.”
“His Reading Is Truly Night and Day”
Elmhurst, Illinois
For nine-year-old Matty’s mother, finding the right learning support meant finding people who understood more than just what academic skills her son needed to develop.
They needed to understand Matty.
After instruction in Seeing Stars and Visualizing and Verbalizing, Matty demonstrated substantial improvement across measures of word attack, word recognition, paragraph reading accuracy, and reading comprehension.
His mother described the change simply:
“His reading has changed in a way that is truly night and day.”
But what moved her most went beyond reading.
She shared that Matty’s instructors took the time to understand how he learns, what motivates him, where he becomes frustrated, and what he needs to be successful.
“They have gone above and beyond what I ever expected from an educational program. I genuinely don’t think we would be where we are today without either one of them.”
Her experience left her with a powerful perspective on what can happen when a child receives the right support:
“I have seen firsthand what the right intervention, combined with the right people, can do for a child.”
For Matty, personalized learning wasn’t simply instruction designed around a test score. It meant being known, understood, and taught in a way that addressed his individual needs.
“A Happy Boy, Empowered by His Own Abilities”
Notting Hill, London
When “S.” came to Lindamood-Bell’s Notting Hill Learning Center, he faced significant challenges in reading and comprehension.
His personalized learning journey included both in-person and live-online instruction throughout the school year. Following Seeing Stars® and Visualizing and Verbalizing® instruction, S. demonstrated marked improvement in his reading skills.
His family saw something else changing, too.
At the end of his instruction, his mother wrote:
“You have made such a great difference in S.’s life, not only academically but emotionally and personally as well.”
She thanked his instructors for the effort, dedication, kindness, understanding, and care they had shown throughout his journey.
The Learning Center team captured his transformation in just a few words. S. had become “a happy boy, empowered by his own abilities.”
Sometimes the most meaningful measure of progress is not simply what a child can do—but what that child has begun to believe about himself.
“Absolutely Transformative”
San Luis Obispo, California
For Hailey’s family, the first step was understanding why learning was difficult.
At Lindamood-Bell’s Flagship Learning Center in San Luis Obispo, an initial consultation identified specific areas where Hailey needed support. Her family then committed to an intensive summer program designed around those needs.
Hailey completed 131 hours of Visualizing and Verbalizing® instruction. Her reading comprehension improved from the 75th percentile to above the 99th percentile.
But her parents saw a transformation beyond the test scores.
They watched Hailey become better able to understand complex topics, identify important information, remember what she learned, and communicate her understanding.
They described the change as “absolutely transformative.”
For her parents, understanding Hailey’s individual learning needs was critical.
“We consider ourselves fortunate that Lindamood-Bell was able to diagnose the specific areas of learning where Hailey was struggling, and then to develop a personalized curriculum to develop those pieces slowly, methodically, and concretely over time.”
Perhaps most meaningful was what happened as learning became easier.
“She has been able to unlock so many other pieces of her potential, and she actually enjoyed the process of doing so.”
For Hailey, progress wasn’t only about becoming a stronger learner. It was about discovering that learning itself could feel different.
Every Milestone Is Meaningful
For other students, progress showed up in moments that might seem small—but meant everything to their families. Here are a few real examples:
– After Visualizing and Verbalizing® instruction, Alexa’s father noticed that she was better able to follow conversations and interact with her cousins.
– Six-year-old Emi began participating in class without prompting.
– Declan, who began instruction as a non-reader, reached a milestone his family won’t soon forget. He typed: “I love you, Dad.” And when his father responded, Declan was able to read the reply.
Different students. Different challenges. Different milestones.
Each was meaningful because it represented something that had once been difficult becoming possible.
Wonder What’s Possible for Your Child?
If your child is struggling with reading, comprehension, or learning, the first step is understanding their learning needs.
Get in Touch or find your local Learning Center to talk with our team and learn how personalized instruction may support your child.
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