BrainWare Safari is a great tool to use in conjunction with other tools and interventions and can be easily incorporated into a variety of clinic- or center-based programs. Clients/patients can experience faster growth and stronger results from other programs when they use BrainWare Safari along with them. How you decide to use BrainWare Safari will depend on the nature of your practice and can be different for different clients/patients.
BrainWare Safari is flexible and can be implemented in many different ways -- in office only, only at home, or a combination of the two. It's up to you.
Typical use of the program in this type of settng:
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Before Other Treatment: Using BrainWare Safari to build a students' cognitive strengths before starting a reading remediation program can give clients/patients the foundational mental processing speed, accuracy and strength they need to acquire reading-specific (or math-specific) processes skills. Deficits in visual span, visualization, working memory, sequential processing can be developed in advance, paving the way for accelerated progress.
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At the Same Time as Other Treatment: BrainWare Safari can be used along side other therapies and interventions, by providing reinforcement and practice of skills worked on in your office or center, and providing a tool for regular rehearsal in between sessions or office visits.
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As a Follow-on Program. If your clients/patients have physical or visual limitations (convergence or eye tracking, for example) that initially prevent or make it difficult to use BrainWare Safari, then BrainWare Safari may be added later in the process. It is particularly helpful in filling in cognitive gaps that likely have developed due to the physical impairments and ensure that newly acquired skills are well integrated with attention, memory and other processing skills.
Getting results like those in our studies requires regular use of BrainWare Safari over a period of weeks. In general, we recommend that you use the program:
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3 to 5 times per week
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30-60 minutes
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For approximately 12 weeks
Most users will not complete all 168 levels in that amount of time. However, it is the frequency and intensity of use that strengthens our mental processes. Some users may want to take a break after 10-12 weeks of intense use. Many may want to continue (“I want to beat this game!”) but at a less intense pace.
Some tips for optimizing your clients'/patients' experience with BrainWare Safari:
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Endcourage them not to spend more than 1 hour per day using the program.
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Encourage them to "cross-train" through the exercises. Setting a timer to remind them to change switch to a new exercise at 10-minute intervals can be very effective.
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Focus on the time spent and successes, rather than levels completed. It’s the time spent working in the program that has the value.
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When the program gets hard for your client/patient, that’s when it’s really helping to develop skills. Be encouraging and supportive. If they are discouraged or frustrated, remind them they only need to work on that exercise for 10 minutes, then they can move to another one. (The program develops skills in multiple ways in different exercises, so moving around can help develop the areas that are hard so when you come back it will probably seem easier.)
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Our staff are available during our normal business hours to talk with you about any issues you experience with your clients/patients in using the program, including helping them over specific stumbling blocks and the role of different exercises in developing cognitive skills that may be particular weaknesses.
