Hardy Brain Camp Pilot 2 – October 2010
California Lutheran University Study: Academic and Behavioral Improvements in 2nd- Through 8th-Grade Students in the Hardy Brain Camp Program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme, Rio School District and the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County
The academic and behavioral performance of 54 students (grades 2-8) was studied before and after participation in the Hardy Brain Camp program. The students, who belonged to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme and attended school in the Rio School District along with students who belonged to the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara, were selected by Boys and Girls Club Staff and Rio School District School Psychologists as those needing academic, attention, and behavior improvements.
The students in both groups were selected because of observed difficulties with learning, attention, organization, behavior, poor grades, listening, following directions, completing schoolwork, reading and/or math weaknesses. Some of the students were struggling in regular classrooms, some in Special-Education pull-out programs, some with Special Education one-to-one aides, some in full-day Special Education programs and some in programs for emotionally disturbed children. Some had no diagnosis and some had diagnoses of Learning Disabilities, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, Central Auditory Processing Disorder, speech and language delay, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, Asperger’s Syndrome and autism. They all had severe difficulties that negatively impacted their ability to do well in school.
The students went through the Hardy Brain Camp program, which consisted of 20 sessions of 45 minutes using a proprietary training program designed by Sherrie Hardy to improve the millisecond timing of the brain. Improved millisecond timing has been shown to improve reading, math, thinking speed, attention, communication, and coordination.
Two standardized testing measurements were used to evaluate the students along with a Mathematics Performance Inventory. Twenty-two students were tested using the Woodcock-Johnson for Reading Fluency, Math, and Processing Speed. Thirty–two students were given the WISC Coding and Symbol Search to measure processing speed along with the Mathematics Performance Inventory.
The twenty-two students tested with the Woodcock-Johnson gained an average of:
* 9.1 months improvement in reading.
* 3.9 months improvement in math.
* 16 months (1.6 years) improvement in processing speed. This was the most significant outcome. Processing speed is the combination of thinking speed and decision-making speed. As students improve their processing speed they are able to think faster and absorb information more easily.
The thirty-two students who were tested with the WISC showed an average of:
* 10.9% improvement in processing speed in the WISC Coding measurement.
* 31.2% improvement in processing speed in the WISC Symbol Search.
The thirty-two students who were tested on the Mathematics Performance Inventory showed an average of:
* 2.9 months improvement in math.
The students also showed dramatic improvement in ratings from teachers, parents, and Boys and Girls Club counselors on the 11 academic and behavior traits for which they were rated. Remarkable improvements were made in academic performance, attitude, ability to process information, and ability to deal with the surrounding environment
Students showed an average improvement of:
* Ability to pay attention: 35.2% improvement
* Reading, math, spelling, and writing: 32.1% improvement
* Ability to organize and communicate ideas: 26.7% improvement
* Focus: 35.1% improvement
* Ability to finish work on time: 30.4% improvement
* Listening skills: 32.1% improvement
* Ability to manage frustration: 27.5% improvement
* Ability to finish work independently: 31.3% improvement
* Coordination and motor skills: 20.8% improvement
* Ability to work well with others: 25.4% improvement
* Self confidence: 30.5% improvement
Rio School District School Psychologist, William MacDonald, summed up the progress students made as “remarkable.” He said he has never seen this much progress so quickly with this population of students.
Principal of Rio Real Elementary School, Maria Hernandez, said the program “takes away the barriers and allows our students to experience academic success.”
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