Living with Down Syndrome meant that Izy was already struggling with mathematics. Her Leukemia diagnosis put her even farther behind as her frequent absences for treatment and recovery made the usual support and help at school unavailable. Izy was growing more frustrated, and her mom was worried that she would give up. Then they discovered Elephant Learning.
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, everything else can suddenly seem unimportant. However, treatment often means days and weeks away from school, and even once children are healthy enough to return, they often struggle to catch up to their peers, especially in subjects like math. The resulting anxiety that these children experience can be devastating.
These are exactly the struggles that ten-year-old Izy experienced following her leukemia diagnosis. Izy’s diagnosis, however, was further compounded by her Down Syndrome and the fact that she already struggled with math and required extra help. That help was virtually non-existent for the two years she was being treated for leukemia as she attended school so infrequently.
Izy’s mom was growing increasingly concerned that her daughter would continue to fall further behind and possibly never graduate. “Math is getting so much harder for her,” says mom, “but she doesn’t participate in class because it is way over her head, and no one can explain it to her.” Mom, too, struggled to understand the core math Izzy was doing in school and was unable to provide the help her daughter needed at home.
In her search for extra math help for her daughter, Izy’s mom discovered the Elephant Learning app. “Izy loves school,” she says, “but she was getting frustrated, and I didn’t want her to give up.” Izy’s mom hoped that Elephant Learning would provide the needed boost to Izy’s math understanding, alleviate her growing math anxiety, and help preserve her daughter’s love for learning.
Related: Children Are Empowered Through Understanding
When Izy started with Elephant Learning, she was more than five years behind other students her age in terms of understanding mathematics. But in just six short months, she had caught up by an additional 2.4 years!
Izy wasn’t just gaining ground in understanding math. Elephant Learning was also restoring her love of school. Her anxiety and frustration over math were disappearing, and she was once again back on track for graduation.
Related: Learning Challenges Could Not Stop William and Courtney From Excelling in Math
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