Barbara Arrowsmith-Young

Barbara Arrowsmith-Young

Barbara Arrowsmith-Young was born with severe learning disabilities that caused teachers to label her slow, stubborn--or worse. As a child, she read and wrote everything backward, struggled to process concepts in language, continually got lost, and was physically uncoordinated. She could make no sense of an analogue clock. But by relying on her formidable memory and iron will, she made her way to graduate school, where she chanced upon research that inspired her to invent cognitive exercises to "fix" her own brain. She graduated with a BA Sc. in child studies from the University of Guelph and a master s degree in school psychology from the University of Toronto (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education).

Barbara Arrowsmith-Young is now the director of the Arrowsmith School and Arrowsmith Program which use her methods to teach children with learning disabilities. She speaks widely about her personal story and the Arrowsmith Program and is currently involved in a trial of the program in Sydney Catholic schools.