Allison went through training and was an instructor at The Lindamood Bell Learning Processes Center. She provided instruction with children using programs such as Visualizing and Verbalizing, Seeing Stars, Lindamood Bell Phoneme and Sequencing and On Cloud Nine. Therapy was based on developing the sensory-cognitive processes that underline reading, spelling, math, language comprehension, attention, memory and critical thinking.

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SEEING STARS PROGRAM FOR READING FLUENCY AND SPELLING 

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The Seeing Stars program develops symbol imagery. This is the ability to visualize sounds and letters in words. It is a basis for orthographic awareness, phonemic awareness, word attack, word recognition, spelling and contextual reading fluency. 

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Recent research validates that Seeing Stars instruction improves reading ability and is accompanied by changes in brain function. Seeing Stars outlines the reading program that has helped thousands of students learn to read fluently and spell accurately by developing an essential underlying skill: the ability to perceive and create imagery for the individual sounds and letters within words. 

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THE VISUALIZING AND VERBALIZING PROGRAM FOR COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT, COMPREHENSION AND THINKING 

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The Visualizing and Verbalizing® (V/V®) program develops concept imagery—the ability to create an imagined or imaged gestalt from language—as a basis for comprehension and higher order thinking. The development of concept imagery improves reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing.

 

Individuals of all ages may experience the symptoms of a weakness in concept imagery.

This causes weakness in:

• Reading comprehension

• Listening comprehension

• Critical thinking and problem solving

• Following directions

• Memory

• Oral language expression

• Written language expression

• Grasping humor

• Interpreting social situations

• Understanding cause and effect

 

A primary cause of language comprehension problems is difficulty creating an imagined gestalt. This is called weak concept imagery. This weakness causes individuals to get only “parts” of information they read or hear, but not the whole.

 

Allison provides examples for the student about the theory and specific steps to develop concept imagery, the ability to image a gestalt (whole) from language. Allison provides important questioning techniques that stimulate mental imagery, so the Allison can learn to help students visualize language and verbalize what they have imaged. This imagery-language connection is essential for oral and written language comprehension, as well as critical thinking.