I’ve never been really sure of where my journey as the mother of a child with learning challenges truly begins. For me, it has always been a rollercoaster of a process, with all the highs and lows that metaphor allows. Perhaps it’s the idea of hanging on for dear life that I identify with, because whether we were going up, going down, or being knocked around from side to side, it was happening so fast and I couldn’t predict what was around the corner. I felt I was hurtling through space with absolutely no control.
Many learning challenges are not obvious until children start school, when learning to read, write, work with numbers, develop socially, and manage executive functioning skills such as organising belongings becomes expected.
These aspects of formal learning can be incredibly difficult for some children, as they were for my son. He started kindergarten on par with his cohort, but by Year 2 it became apparent that he wasn’t keeping up. He forgot what he learned the day before, repeated the same spelling mistakes, and began avoiding schoolwork both at home and at school.
He was reading, so I ruled out dyslexia, but he laboured over every letter and his comprehension was very low.
His teachers reassured me that he would be okay and that I needn’t worry. They explained that as a boy, he might simply be developing more slowly. That made sense at the time, so I stopped comparing his progress to my own.
The teacher in me went to work. I created repetitive worksheets for spelling and maths, remembering how repetition helped learning “stick” when I was at school in the 1970s. I instinctively felt there wasn’t enough repetition for him.
Although rote learning had fallen out of favour in the 1980s and 1990s, I later learned through neuroscience that repetition is essential for building neural pathways. I realised I had been on the right track.
Despite some progress, the extra workload became overwhelming. Years 3 to 6 blur into memories of assessments, speech therapy, behavioural optometry, naturopathy, dietary changes, homework battles, constant school meetings, and ongoing bullying.
An assessment revealed markers for autism and ADHD, but not enough for diagnosis. Without a diagnosis, he didn’t qualify for learning support. This gap left him struggling without adequate help, which never made sense to me.
I channelled my frustration into research. Then in Year 6, I discovered The Brain That Changes Itself by Dr Norman Doidge. I learned about auditory processing disorder (APD) and its links to autism, ADHD, and dyslexia.
APD is not a hearing issue—it’s the brain’s difficulty processing language sounds quickly enough. This explained why he passed hearing tests yet struggled with spelling, comprehension, instructions, and phoneme confusion.
Reading about APD felt surreal—it described my son perfectly. I learned APD exists on a spectrum and often underlies learning difficulties even without formal diagnoses.
Without recognition, children are labelled “lazy” or “disruptive” instead of supported. This lack of understanding often leads to mental health challenges and disengagement from learning.
Children with APD may struggle with working memory, instructions, and noisy environments. Their common refrain is “huh?” or “what?”.
The most hopeful discovery was that APD could be improved. Not cured, but strengthened. That hope changed everything.
My son completed an online neuroscience program focused on repetition and auditory processing. After three months of consistent work, his speech, spelling, and comprehension improved significantly.
Although learning improved, bullying continued. By the end of Year 10, chronic stress and health issues meant school had taken its toll.
During this time, I began supporting families using the same program. Between 2015 and 2018, I helped more than 80 families and deepened my understanding of neuroscience, learning challenges, and resilience.
In 2018, this became my mission—to empower learners using neuroscience technology, particularly in Western Sydney.
I now run Brain Wise Learning. My flagship program, Learnerobics™, combines neuroscience-based auditory processing training with growth mindset coaching.
My son has since enrolled in a business course and is excited about his future. I couldn’t be prouder.
Learning is communication, and communication improves when the brain’s auditory pathways are strong. Every family I help reinforces why this work matters.
The rollercoaster continues, but today I feel grounded, purposeful, and hopeful. This journey may not have a clear beginning or end—it is part of my son’s story, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
— Monique Peters
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