Recently, at H.O.P.E. Resource Centre, we’ve had the pleasure of working with a remarkable teenager named Charles. This young man is challenged by a mental delay condition, and fortunate to be supported by his two wonderful parents. He’s also blessed to have two caring siblings that live with him in the same household.

When Charles’ parents first came to us, their main concern was their son’s reading abilities. The need was to have their child learn how to read so he could gain independence in his adolescence, and eventually, adulthood. The parents believed that the key to acquiring more autonomy was to begin by reading a sign, a note, a bus route, or map. The objective for them was to have peace of mind, knowing that Charles would eventually be able to get around alone. This, of course, would also facilitate parental responsibility, knowing that they had helped him as much as they could.

After their free initial consultation at our centre, Charles along with his parents, got on the road and experienced the progression towards his autonomy. He was able to create his own roadmap for success and H.O.P.E. was there to provide the signposts.

We began with Charles’ evaluation. We discovered that he was unable to read more than 10 words. He didn't have any comprehension skills and, thus, lacked self-confidence. He was incapable of sitting still for a long period of time and would show signs of impatience by stating, “This is too long” and “How much time do we have left?”

As we coached Charles through the Cellfield Program, we started to see him gain self-confidence. By the end of the program, he’d made significant progress; He could read at 60 words per minute! Charles was no longer concerned about time.

He was able to sit still and focus on his learning for a whole hour. We were glad to share in Charles’ parents’ joy at seeing their son’s transformation.

Charles has shown us unbelievable gratitude along the way. He gave us tight hugs after each of his sessions, and on his final day with us, he blurted out; “I want to pack you in my luggage and take you with me on my summer vacation.”

Gaining pride through his reading comprehension accomplishments also came humour! During one of his sessions; He read aloud from a book,—“The pig fell into the mud after trying to kick his friend the dog. Splash”—Charles stopped reading and laughingly said to us, “The pig was all dirty!” It is important to remember that progress should be fun.

“H.O.P.E. Resource Centre understands that success is different for everyone. Through our evaluations and more importantly our experience, we set demanding but achievable goals and enjoy the path to reaching them—as learners, as parents, and as program directors.”

There is clear statistical evidence by Max Colhart that the Cellfield treatment improves the ability to read and that the reading is significantly better after the treatment than it would have been if they had not received any treatment.

“We now offer private Facebook groups for parents enrolled in our programs to discuss progress rates and share experiences!”