Our 11 year old daughter was having issues at school primarily with numeracy, 
time-telling and sequencing and we'd tried a number of techniques and 
exercises for Charlotte to overcome and manage more effectively. 
Charlotte would struggle with numeracy tests, which in turn, affected her 
confidence in all areas of the school curriculum. It was generally thought, 
though not clinically proven, that she may have dyscalculia. 
<br/><br/>
We heard about the Raviv method through friends and magazines and decided 
to research it further via an official web-site and made contact with a 
number of practitioners. We chose Usha Patel as we felt that she 
understood our concerns and took time to discuss the Raviv method and 
explained to us the potential benefits but was also realistic about any 
future outcome and wouldn't guarantee a magic cure. However, what did come 
out of the whole exercise was a series of strategies which were both 
attainable and effective. 
<br/><br/>
Charlotte started the first of thirty sessions in May 2008 and finished in 
March 2009. She completed her ' homework' on a daily basis, which consisted 
of 20 minutes of the 8-walk as well as number and spelling exercises. The 
numeracy involved counting forwards and backwards in hundreds, tens and other 
numbers associated with times-tables. Literacy involved remembering spoken 
sentences and writing them coherently with the expected grammar. Both these 
methods worked for Charlotte as she became more and more confident with this 
approach. 
<br/><br/>
The daily exercises were generally achieved, but there was the odd occasion 
when Charlotte found it all too much and the best approach here was not to 
push but to continue the next day. However, the reinforcement Charlotte 
received during the weekly Raviv session with Usha gave her the impetus to 
push herself the following week. 
<br/><br/>
Another area which Usha focused upon was time telling. Charlotte has always 
struggled with the time, and she refused to wear a watch for fear of 
somebody asking her the time. Usha persuaded Charlotte to wear a watch during 
her lesson and practised some innovative methods with her and set home 
exercises. Towards the end of the Raviv sessions Charlotte gained enough 
confidence to wear her watch and now insists on wearing it to school on a 
daily basis. 
<br/><br/>
I believe that Charlotte's numeracy has improved and the evidence of this 
improvement has been apparent in recent school exams, achieving level 3a 
compared to 1a in her year 6 SATs, which is for her an amazing improvement. 
We are looking for this to be sustained and for continued improvement. 
<br/><br/>
We felt that the whole process was very worthwhile and found that Usha's 
approach was just right for Charlotte, who has gained in confidence since 
last May. She even repeats Usha's mantra of ' numbers are my friends' which 
gives her an inner confidence. Charlotte enjoyed her Saturday session as Usha 
made it interesting, fun and provided new methods of learning. 
<br/><br/>
We all thank Usha for being understanding, innovative and patient and providing
a method which has worked for Charlotte and given her a solid foundation for 
her to move forward from. 
<br/><br/>
Thanks again.
<br/><br/>
<b><i>Berkhampstead parent</i></b>