The Brain Pioneer
Did you know your brain is plastic?!
That’s right: because “plastic” means it can change.
This is the story of Barbara Arrowsmith Young. As a child she was told she would never overcome the learning disabilities that made school so difficult and frustrating for her. But Barbara refused to believe that was true.
With courage, inventiveness, and resilience, she found ways to actually change her brain and improve her skills. A dedicated researcher and innovator who came to be known as “the brain pioneer” for her groundbreaking research on what’s now known as “brain plasticity,” Barbara has transformed how people with learning disabilities are perceived and educated.
Barbara created her own brain improvement program, and opened the Arrowsmith School in 1980 to bring the program to other students. Today there are over 100 schools offering the program around the world. The program can also help adults who have had brain injuries from stroke or accidents.
Through Barbara’s passion and achievements, she has taught the world that children with learning disabilities and people who have suffered brain injuries can change their brains, and dream of a brighter future!
Read on to find out how Barbara made her incredible discovery.
Includes a history of studies in brain plasticity, amazing brain facts, vital brain health recommendations, and a comprehensive glossary.
Howard Eaton, Ed.M., founded Eaton Arrowsmith School (EAS) in both Vancouver and White Rock, British Columbia. These schools have been working with children with learning difficulties for over twelve years starting in 2005.
He also founded Eaton Cognitive Improvement Centre that is designed to work with adults with learning difficulties. These educational institutions use the Arrowsmith Program developed by Barbara Arrowsmith Young.
In 2015, Eaton Arrowsmith Academy was started in Redmond, Washington also serving children with learning difficulties.
He has presented at various events and conferences in Canada, United States of America, Australia and New Zealand on topics related to the Arrowsmith Program, Learning Disabilities, and Attention Disorders.
He has worked as a Sessional Instructor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, teaching courses on Learning Disabilities. He has been a high school and elementary teacher in the United States and Canada, and has trained as an Orton-Gillingham Tutor working at the Kildonan School summer program (Camp Dunnabeck) in Amenia, NY.
Currently, he is also involved in bringing the Arrowsmith Program to the Brain Injury community through co-founding the Watson Centre for Brain Health in Vancouver, British Columbia.
He earned his B.A. in Psychology at the University of British Columbia, and his M.Ed. at Boston University in Special Education along with a Kindergarten to Grade 9 Teaching Certification.
Recommended for
children 12 and up.
The Trailblazers
Over 120 Australian families have trekked across the globe leaving their family, friends, jobs and everything familiar behind to change their children’s lives for the better. Are you hopeful and open minded too?
The Trailblazers celebrates the sheer desperation and courage of Australian parents and the invincible determination of their children who have struggled with learning difficulties all their lives.
This story recounts what it’s like to take a chance on an adventure of a lifetime and fully experience a richer life thanks to unlocking the abilities of a malleable brain.
This book has grown out of a community of passionate, hardworking individuals, and has been created for those among us that have been told all our lives that living with learning difficulties is a life sentence. This book IS for you.
Howard Eaton, Ed.M., founded Eaton Arrowsmith School (EAS) in both Vancouver and White Rock, British Columbia. These schools have been working with children with learning difficulties for over twelve years starting in 2005.
He also founded Eaton Cognitive Improvement Centre that is designed to work with adults with learning difficulties. These educational institutions use the Arrowsmith Program developed by Barbara Arrowsmith Young.
In 2015, Eaton Arrowsmith Academy was started in Redmond, Washington also serving children with learning difficulties.
He has presented at various events and conferences in Canada, United States of America, Australia and New Zealand on topics related to the Arrowsmith Program, Learning Disabilities, and Attention Disorders.
He has worked as a Sessional Instructor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, teaching courses on Learning Disabilities. He has been a high school and elementary teacher in the United States and Canada, and has trained as an Orton-Gillingham Tutor working at the Kildonan School summer program (Camp Dunnabeck) in Amenia, NY.
Currently, he is also involved in bringing the Arrowsmith Program to the Brain Injury community through co-founding the Watson Centre for Brain Health in Vancouver, British Columbia.
He earned his B.A. in Psychology at the University of British Columbia, and his M.Ed. at Boston University in Special Education along with a Kindergarten to Grade 9 Teaching Certification.
Antoinette Commins is an innately passionate and enthusiastic individual. In 2018 she will be commencing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology at Melbourne University, Australia. Antoinette has always believed that the best learning any individual can acquire is through the life changing experiences life spontaneously yet beautifully throws our way. At one point in her education, Antoinette’s parents were told she may not get through High School.
After completing her Arrowsmith Program at Eaton Arrowsmith School in Vancouver, Canada, Antoinette’s cognitive capacities, self-image, happiness and assurance in her independence sky-rocketed. Upon her return to Australia, Antoinette spoke to advocacy groups, teachers and principals from across Melbourne about her journey and encouraged the implementation of the Arrowsmith program in Australian schools to help change the education system for children like her.
Currently, Antoinette is taking a year off her studies and is working with Eaton Arrowsmith School in Canada. Antoinette enjoys sport and helping people. She boxes on a regular basis and is a ski instructor who spends her free time teaching Skiing and Snowboarding to children.
Brain School
Drawing from his own experiences directing Eaton Arrowsmith School in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Howard Eaton, Ed.M., author, speaker, principal, teacher, and educational assessor, shows how children with significant learning disabilities improve their cognitive capacities and find academic success.
In Brain School, Howard Eaton explores how, applying the principles of neuroplasticitiy, Barbara Arrowsmith Young developed cognitive remediation exercises, founded the Arrowsmith Program and opened the first Arrowsmith School in Toronto, Ontario over 30 years ago. Mr. Eaton then discusses how difficult it was for him to move from traditional remediation methods for learning disabilities to seeing the new possibilities that are due to the ability of the brain to change itself. The lives of nine children are discussed as they start the Arrowsmith Program and then move on to either private or public schools.
Howard Eaton, Ed.M., founded Eaton Arrowsmith School (EAS) in both Vancouver and White Rock, British Columbia. These schools have been working with children with learning difficulties for over twelve years starting in 2005.
He also founded Eaton Cognitive Improvement Centre that is designed to work with adults with learning difficulties. These educational institutions use the Arrowsmith Program developed by Barbara Arrowsmith Young.
In 2015, Eaton Arrowsmith Academy was started in Redmond, Washington also serving children with learning difficulties.
He has presented at various events and conferences in Canada, United States of America, Australia and New Zealand on topics related to the Arrowsmith Program, Learning Disabilities, and Attention Disorders.
He has worked as a Sessional Instructor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, teaching courses on Learning Disabilities. He has been a high school and elementary teacher in the United States and Canada, and has trained as an Orton-Gillingham Tutor working at the Kildonan School summer program (Camp Dunnabeck) in Amenia, NY.
Currently, he is also involved in bringing the Arrowsmith Program to the Brain Injury community through co-founding the Watson Centre for Brain Health in Vancouver, British Columbia.
He earned his B.A. in Psychology at the University of British Columbia, and his M.Ed. at Boston University in Special Education along with a Kindergarten to Grade 9 Teaching Certification.
“Reading this was very moving for me. These children are in my office often and I see their strengths and feel very sad that we do not give them specific help during their crucial developmental years. Medications may be necessary at times, but they are not addressing the underlying issues. I imagine a time where all of our education is better matched to children, and applies the exciting emerging information from neuroscience research on attachment, emotion regulation, motor development and cognition. Many thanks.”
E. Jane Garland MD, FRCPC
Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia & Clinical Head, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Clinic, British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital