Comments of Audiblox Tutors in Practice

Thank you very much for all you taught me; I really enjoy using it and find it very helpful.

Firstly, I took a little Grade 2 girl whom I’d been helping with reading for a year. I decided to do just the Audiblox program with her for three afternoons a week during the long 4th term 2002. I saw this girl change as she found enjoyment and satisfaction as she did the sessions. She gained so much confidence which is a big boost for her. She actually has made progress in all areas and this has been very exciting to witness not just for me but for her and her parents.

Secondly, I have been using Audiblox program with my pre-school class and find it very helpful. It is amazing to find so many children who are confused with left and right and with poor concentration and memory. The children enjoy the exercises and are all making good progress.

Thank you for this wonderful course. — Muriel Coldham, March 2003.

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Well I am finally settled with my family in our new home and am excited and enthusiastic to start Audiblox here in Durban.

Leaving Zimbabwe, having lived there all my life, was a very sad and traumatic time but I come away with the knowledge that the last four years or so of teaching Audiblox has helped hundreds of children now scattered across the world to be better equipped to cope with school and life. I feel privileged to have had that opportunity. Here is my story.

After training with you in 1998, Audiblox in Zimbabwe grew from strength to strength. Word spread like wildfire and with eight teachers' help, children benefited from the program either at school, afternoon group lessons or on an individual basis.

One school in particular requested that I teach Audiblox to all the Grade 1 and 2 children. After four years, it was noted that the only children who were experiencing learning difficulties were those in the higher grades because these children had not been exposed to Audiblox at a young age. The Grade 1 and 2 teachers spoke highly of Audiblox, finding the children's concentration, work tempo and general classroom management greatly improved. I am convinced that all children in their early school days should experience Audiblox.

Interestingly, in 2001 the same school asked if Audiblox would assist their academic Grade 7 students with study skills prior to their public and entrance exams to senior school. These students worked through levels one, two and three within the year and although they were reluctant to begin with, soon found their long term memories, concentration etc. had drastically improved and were enthusiastic with the challenges awaiting them at their next lesson. I thoroughly enjoyed these lessons and was proud of the children's achievements.

The most rewarding for me was the individual tuition. I do believe, without a doubt that these children, who had severe learning difficulties, lives were totally changed, some more than others. I can think of many, but Kyle is a little boy of ten years old that I hold close to my heart. His background was complicated and emotionally he was introverted and lived in his own world. He attended a government school being labelled the “class dunce.” At ten, Kyle could not read a word! He was teased and laughed at, but amazingly was well behaved and had a heart of gold. To begin with his shoulders sagged as he trudged to our classroom but within two weeks he would run to meet me with a huge smile on his face, both he and I as excited as each other! His achievements during the year were truly phenomenal. After six months he would remember forty blocks in sequence from the previous day and be anxious to add more! His reading by the ninth month was at a grade five level and he was continually praised at school for his outstanding achievements. He won awards at school, did well on the sports field and at long last had friends! With very hard work and determination, Kyle passed his exams and was accepted by a private school this year. On our last day together, he looked at me, eyes filled with tears and said “Don't worry about me Mrs A, I am fine now, I am not stupid anymore and one day I will be a pilot!” “Yes Kyle,” I replied, “you can, you can be anything you want to be.”

I am so grateful to you all for giving me the gift of Audiblox, so that I may be able to continue to make a change in someone else's life. Thank you. — Marj Arslanian, Durban, South Africa, August 2002, blox@worldonline.co.za

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My first encounter with the Audiblox program was through one of the pupils in my After Care Centre. She was a Grade 2 pupil who had from Grade 1 shown serious problems in especially reading, spelling, and the recognition of both letters and figures. With great patience I devoted much attention to these problems — without, however, achieving any measure of long-term success. It was only when her mother put her on the Audiblox program that we started seeing a noticeable difference in her comprehension and perception as well as basic skills.

At school I was also not a top achiever, to the amazement and frustration of the teachers and my parents. As I had an above-average IQ everybody regarded me as lazy. The fact is that since I became more and more interested in the learning problems and especially reading problems of children, and after reading many books, articles and after much research, I realized that I was one of millions who suffered from dyslexia. Being otherwise completely normal, I taught myself to cope with my problem.

I don't think people realise what a big problem this can be for an individual. You have to work much harder to score well in especially the learning subjects; because we have difficulties with reading, our concentration and comprehension are weak, which means that we cannot remember what we have read. We realise these things only too well, but do not know what to do about them, therefore eventually we just accept them. You cannot remember what was written on the board during a Math exam, which means that it takes you so much longer to do the sum — IF you wrote it down correctly in the first place. One has great difficulties filling out forms, not to mention when writing letters. Even the simplest letter to a bank or medical fund seems like a mountain, because it takes you so much longer, because you have to look up so many words in the dictionary, to make sure that you spell them correctly. Most heartbreaking of all is the fact that so much research has already been done about the problem. And yes, they hit the nail on the head with some of their findings: people with learning problems have this or that deficit and they have difficulties with this or with that. Well and good that people try one solution or theory after the other to see whether it works. At the end of the day we remain no more than statistics on paper and the people out there have no idea of how frustrated you are or how hard you try just to cope. There is very little understanding; you are labelled as ADD, or as lazy, or as slow in the uptake, or simply as stupid. And we certainly are none of these. I don't want to tread on any toes but psychologists, remedial teachers, speech therapists and other educationists are casting about, from one theory to the other and one program to the other and they all lose sight of the cause of the problem.

At the end of last year we moved to Cape Town. There I phoned all over in an effort to find out more about this Audiblox. In December 2001 I did a teacher training course. I had a little over two months before the schools re-opened and in this time I read up a lot more on learning problems. The more I read about the program, the more I realised that my own philosophy on learning problems was actually shared by another educator.

Only for a short while now have I been conducting classes and I can really say that IT WORKS. The program is fantastic. I knew beforehand that it was supposed to help children because the theories are absolutely sensible. However, not in my wildest dreams could I have known that the results could have such an effect on the lives of the learners. They have self-confidence and even when they still battle a little or have not reached their full potential yet they know that they will, and there is somebody who cares. It makes a world of a difference.

An unexpected bonus is that my own 'INABILITY,' which in reality never was a 'DISABILITY,' is also improving slowly but surely. For that reason I wish to say thank you for this phenomenal program which has given me the opportunity to fulfil my passion, my ambitions and philosophies and to share them with others. — Luani Oosthuizen, Tygervallei, South Africa, July 2002.

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It is now four years since I received Audiblox training. What a wonderful privilege it is to have been able to work with children during all this time. Parents and teachers cannot stop talking about the results that we are achieving at our centre, which my husband and I started here in Ermelo.

The name of our centre is Arauna Motivational and Enrichment Centre. We present Audiblox classes here and also have an after care centre. We research everything on children, and especially anything that may impede their development. We are able to say, with deep gratitude, that Audiblox really makes a big difference in the lives of children.

Within two weeks, the teachers say that in class there is a difference in the attitude of the children. They are more eager to work and more purposeful in the execution of instructions. After as little as two months, an improvement starts to show in the school marks. The marks improve from 40% to 60%, from 50% to 75% and even from 80% to 90%. Therefore, it is our experience that we often have top ten pupils in our classes too. It is Audiblox that makes the difference, throughout the whole spectrum of the normal school class. Many learners (also top achievers) do not discontinue the classes, because there is always a challenge in the next class and also because the classes remain interesting.

For children with Math problems, who lack concentration, who experience difficulties with reading and spelling, or for those who just want to achieve better at school, for all these Audiblox is really the answer. — Maryna Smith, Ermelo, South Africa, May 2001.

With this letter, I want to sing the praises of Audiblox. Not only my own life has changed since I became acquainted with Audiblox, but also the lives of many children in my vicinity.

In April 2001 I received training to present Audiblox classes. It is fantastic how my classes have grown in only four months. When I returned from Pretoria, I started with two pupils — my own children. I did an Audiblox presentation at a school and since then my classes have not stopped growing. I already have 72 pupils and I am very excited about the progress that I see in each and every one of them. In one school in Parow I have three Grade 3 pupils and I am very impressed with the progress they have shown after only three weeks. All three of them had great difficulties with reading and their visual perception was extremely weak. I started doing Pattern exercise 1a with them with only three blocks — and they were unable to do it. Within three weeks their perception has improved so much that they can already do Pattern exercise 1a correctly with five blocks. It is wonderful to see how the self-image of these children has improved, because suddenly they no longer find it so hard to read.

Audiblox is really wonderful! I can recommend it, not only for children with learning problems, but for every child and every parent who wants to make a difference in the life of his or her child. — Anriëtte le Roux, Bellville, South Africa, August 2001.

I am a newcomer to Audiblox classes. I find it the easiest thing to market that I have ever come across. I have complete confidence in the success of Audiblox. Because it can be presented in groups, it can be offered at an affordable price.

Parents who are familiar with Audiblox regard its availability as a boon for their children.

The support provided by Dr. Jan and his staff and the fact that they are always willing to give advice and help gives the much-needed security in the new project upon which I have embarked.

Although during the training course much emphasis was placed on specific points related to the presentation of Audiblox classes, one nevertheless enters the field without any prescriptive straightjacket. Dr. Jan makes it very clear that each person starts his or her own business. This trust that he has in one has given me the confidence to do everything to the full as I see fit.

I must admit that the fact that Audiblox has crossed my path is an answer to a prayer. — Ina Potgieter, Registered occupational therapist & Audiblox Tutor, Upington, South Africa, August 2001.

In July 2000 I received Audiblox training from Dr. Jan Strydom. I am a single parent and my Audiblox classes are my only source of income.

The Audiblox system makes it possible for pupils to believe in themselves again and to bring better reports back home. This is not only of great advantage to the pupils but also to the presenter of the classes — the work satisfaction one derives from these lessons is unbelievable.

I also attended a follow-up course called Studiblox, which enables me to work not only with children, but also with adults.

I highly recommend both the above-mentioned courses. Many thanks to Dr. Jan Strydom and his team, who have made such a great contribution towards improving the quality of life of children. — Marinda Smith, Rustenburg, South Africa, August 2001.