Griffin Tuition (BCICT) was incorporated on the 6th of December 2005 and operated in Oranmore until relocating to NUIG in 2010. Griffin Tuition was set up by James and Maeve Lee both from Galway. Initially Griffin Tuition provided grinds and study for Leaving Certificate students, albeit, after a year James concluded that sometimes children needed more than just school, grinds or study to be able to learn and read. It became apparent that if there was an underlying cognitive problem, school or grinds were not the solution. The solution lay in how to strengthen existing neural pathways in the person’s brain and create new one so as the brain could deal with incoming data, irrespective of its nature or complexity. For a child or teenager to learn, their cognitive functions needed to be fully integrated and functional, otherwise grinds may not be as effective as they should be.

James set about looking for a software programme that could interactive and adaptive to a pupil’s cognitive function and abandoned a ‘grind’ approach to education for the compromised student. In considering a software programme certain cognitive functions featured high on our list. The first cognitive function to be considered was Memory. Memory is essential for word recognition, for the comprehension of complex sentences and to remember instructions, albeit, memory is not enough; the rate at which the student could process information was also highly important in the learning process. That is the rate that a person or child can accurately deal with incoming information correctly, while sequencing is the ability to correctly order incoming information. These 3 cognitive functions were found to impact immensely on all forms of reading, learning and succeeding academically. Without these in full working order, grinds and other classes could not be as effective. In the context of reading and learning memory, processing and sequencing are an integrated circuit board which needs to operate intact to function properly. A faulty circuit board compromises function. As time went on, James began to research more and more into the learning process and ways to speed that process up for weaker students. During his investigations, which had been spurred on after someone close to me developed cognitive problems; James discovered a computer programme called Fast ForWord (Click on the Fast ForWord Tab on the right hand side of this page) that is in use in more than 48 countries and has helped over 1 million children and adults worldwide with learning problems, reading or writing problems. That was in July 2006 and since then James has been delivering the cognitive programmes to hundreds of children and adults from the West of Ireland. The ‘Fast ForWord’ computer programmes, explains James, is based on 30 years of foundation research into how the brain learns and can actually re-wire the brain. “It has established the fact that boosting the brain’s processing sequencing attention and memory efficiency accelerates quality learning. This phenomenon is called ‘brain plasticity’, which is the ability of the brain to change and learn from the age of six years to over one hundred years.” The Fast ForWord programme, works via a corrective adaptive and interactive computer programme; “It applies neuro-scientific principles to build reading and learning capacity,” says James, who has been helping people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, Asperser’s, memory loss and autism for the last 4 years. Help is also at hand for children or teenagers with reading difficulties. After eight to 12 weeks on the Fast ForWord programme, the student can be brought ahead by two years plus in their reading ability. Over the 10 years Fast ForWord has been delivered across the world, founder Dr Bill Jenkins and his team have helped over a million children catch up with their peers, improve their reading ability and concentrate for longer.

James continues to see the results here in Galway. “I’ve had parents say to me ‘Thanks for giving me back my son’. I had a child that came in with memory, processing, sequencing and phonic problems. He had been put in a corner in school regularly and was given video games to keep him entertained. After doing Fast ForWord, he was a changed child.” The successful results have been seen not just in children who can start on the programme from the age of six but in teenagers and adults. James regularly screens and helps adults with learning difficulties, and is keen to point out that these brain re-wiring programmes require dedication. “For Fast ForWord you need a period usually of about 16 weeks doing this course for 48 minutes a day, five days a week. Those who are not motivated will not stick the programme.

James has helped adults with memory problems that could not hold down a job because of an inability to remember to carry out tasks and duties in the workplace. “The boss would ask them to do something and the person would constantly forget to do the job! James also has had people who could never read and say to me after doing the programme that they can read the newspaper now.” Fast ForWord teaches children and adults through the use of sound; the programme produces various sounds and helps them to hear and distinguish the sounds and strengthens reasons skills and memory using word structures in a fun and engaging way. Learning data called Progress tracker is then produced so that James can assess the student’s progress and most importantly if needs be intervene; Fast ForWord is more than just a computer programme. Once a student comes in for an initial screening, he or she is screened for cognitive difficulties. James then explains which cognitive functions are affected and a Fast ForWord programme for cognitive repair is initiated. “It is obvious within seconds if there is something not quite right, and the results can be very emotional, but the results after 16 weeks are phenomenal.” Such are the results that James gets regular referrals from clinical psychologists and therapists to treat both children and adults.

Also available at Griffin Tuition is a computer programme for young and old that have difficulty with Reading. The child or adult may have no problem with listening or speech, albeit, enter into serious problems when trying to read (Click on Reading Programmes Tab on the right hand side of this page). Being a poor reader today invariably can lead to school or career stagnation and can have an immense social impact. James explains that as we become older, the pathways in our brains need to be regenerated as they go into decline. The old saying that you can’t teach old dog new tricks is a common saying, and until recently was upheld worldwide until research proved that with new technology available mature people can rejuvenate their cognitive abilities.” America is now exhibiting a new trend whereby middle aged people having enhanced their cognitive functions are competing successfully with their younger counterparts and getting jobs due to their newfound cognitive abilities. This, explains James, can have massive benefits for companies, saying that “these people’s invaluable experience is saving companies millions, owning to the fact that their job experience is facilitating better decision making”. Throughout our lives according to Neuroscientists, new brain cells are being created through a cerebral process called ‘Neurogenesis’. Literally speaking our brains are ‘Plastic’ meaning that our brain can creates new brain cells throughout life; therefore we can learn new skills and train for new careers at any age.

Griffin Tuition, on the back of scientific research, neurogenesis and brain plasticity sought out new technologies that were able to rewire and rejuvenate the brains of older people, and entered into negotiations with an American company that provided software programmes to address cognitive impairments in older people. Initially our target areas are those adults suffering from Alzheimer’s, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia decline along with a programme for seniors who just want to maintain active cognitive function and brain ability.

Griffin Tuition concentrates on delivering the Fast ForWord programme in tandem with the launch of our ‘Aging Well' (Click on the Aging Well Tab on the right hand side of this page) series of programmes; the new generation of software programmes that target people with Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Decline. These programmes have just being launched in the USA and are exclusive to Griffin Tuition who has liaised with the United States for the last 15 months. Initially there are 2 programmes available, namely the Memory Treatment and Aging Well series of programmes. The Memory Treatment Programme impacts on Alzheimer’s disease whereas the Aging Well programme target seniors who wish to maintain their brain function and ability.