Lindamood Bell Review: Is It Effective & Worth the Cost?
Q: I’ve heard Lindamood Bell is good, but it is so expensive. Is it worth the money? Can you provide a Lindamood Bell Program review ?
In this review, my answers are partially a review and partially our personal experience. It’s also partly an answer to the question about the cost of the Lindamood Bell (LMB) programs.
First, the LMB platform is a set of programs that has a lot of respect in the marketplace. Their programs have proven research behind them to document their effectiveness. The Lindamood Bell programs are proven to help kids with learning disabilities. The programs help with reading, comprehension, and math, depending on which programs your child needs.
Review : Our Evaluation Experience:
We had our child evaluated by the Lindamood Bell Center near us. We looked at the possibility of enrolling our child in the program. The environment was very friendly and the center director was knowledgeable. I actually LOVED the center and would have placed my child there without hesitation.
We paid a fee to have our child evaluated by the center. The results were clearly explained. Specific programs were recommended based on the Lindamood Bell testing. I have no complaints about the evaluation and results explanation. Everything is very professional.
Lindamood Bell Cost
Unfortunately, the cost of the program was well over $10,000 dollars for a six week summer program. The selling was a bit of a “hard sell,” since they wanted to convince me the program was worth their cost.
It’s not that my child’s learning needs aren’t WORTH the money. My child’s learning needs are priceless. Rather the price is so far out of our reach. It was suggested we could take out a second mortgage on our home. Um. No. They do offer a financing program, which is good, because a lot of families have to finance their programs.
There are also no guarantees that the Lindamood Bell programs will work for our child in the average time frame. If it takes longer, then that costs more. SIGH.
Any individual child’s timeframe can be shorter than average, or it can be longer and cost more. There is no real way to tell exactly how long it will take your child to finish the program. Again, the programs do have solid research behind them. SO, the programs can be worth the money if you have enough to pay for them.
My Review Surprise:
CLICK to see larger image.
During the timeframe we were considering Lindamood Bell, I was going to college and getting my Master’s Degree in Instructional Design. I saw a job posting on the college’s job board for an opening at a nearby LMB Center. I checked it out.
The job was temporary summer employment. The training was for 7-10 days. Then the new hires begin working with kids in the center. One week of training and you’re ready to teach kids.
Somehow, I thought the people working with my child would have more experience than that. I didn’t expect a college student to train for a week or two, then be the person providing a $10,000+ program for my child.
The Lindamood Bell centers do have people who work there year-round. They are no doubt highly knowledgeable and excellent at implementing the programs. If they place your child with someone with a lot of experience, that person can probably provide excellent results in less time. Maybe the new hires could too, but I personally had a hard time with thinking that.
My Decision based on the job posting
After reading the notification and researching the job, I lost all interest in paying $10K+ for my child to receive teaching in the LMB center. It seems unreasonable for Lindamood-Bell to pay $13-$15 hourly to a new trainee, then charge parents $10K+ for six weeks of working with a child.
I decided I am at least smart enough that I can get the instructor’s manuals and figure out the programs myself. And you know what? I discovered Lindamood Bell offers training workshops, many of which are online.
You can train as a Lindamood-Bell tutor. Then you can work with your own child. It costs far less than it does for you to put your child through a program at one of their centers. Plus, if you train with them, you can make money working with other people’s children! 😀
Also, for this Lindamood Bell review, I took a screenshot of one of their job announcements. They have openings all over the country. You can read the announcement and decide for yourself whether you would meet the job criteria. In other words, could you learn how to use the program and implement it?
Lindamood Bell review – My Personal Revelation:
If you wonder whether you can handle implementing the Lindamood Bell programs yourself: then I’d say, “If you can read and follow directions, you can probably provide the program(s) to your own child.” 😉
We decided to take a Do-It-Ourself approach with the programs my child needed. They have teacher’s guides.. So I bought a couple of them!!
I ordered Lindamood Bell Teacher’s Guides and Program Materials at Gander Publishing and implemented some of the programs at home. We also used materials from the Seeing Stars, LiPS, and Visualizing & Verbalizing programs.
LiPS and Visualizing & Verbalizing were the Lindamood Bell programs we used most heavily. We had good success with them. Some moms have had difficulty with the LiPS program. That generally seems to happen when the parent and child have difficulty working with each other. In such a case, paying a private tutor or the Lindamood Bell center can be a more effective solution.
Orton-Gillingham training helps!
I will also be totally transparent and let you know, I already had Orton-Gillingham training. That training goes hand-in hand with understanding how and why the Lindamood Bell programs work well. It’s not essential, but it helps a person understand the LMB programs.
If you need training, then Lindamood Bell does offer training. Taking their training is a lot cheaper than the full-fledged program, but they do focus more on teacher training. Personally, I took an Orton-Gillingham training course and I watched carefully as my child’s Speech-Language therapist initially started using the LiPS program. It’s NOT rocket science, but it requires clear speaking & enunciation of sounds to properly teach the phonemes.
If you want training, then go to the Lindamood website and get on their mailing list. They will send you brochures about upcoming training events as well as a catalog of their products. As I mentioned, you can order Lindamood Bell Teacher’s Guides and Program Materials online.
Trust me, using the Lindamood Bell programs and materials based on the Teacher’s Manuals works well enough. It’s better than nothing, if you can’t afford their first-hand services. The programs are not rocket science. If you can read and follow directions, you can probably provide the program for your child.
I’m sure the quality of our drill and practice isn’t as intense as it is at a Lindamood Bell center. However, it is a WHOLE LOT cheaper for me to work with my own children. We had great success using their programs at home.
Lindamood Bell Review Summary
In summary, I WOULD recommend any of the Lindamood Bell programs to anyone whose child needs the programs. The LiPS program is fabulous for any child who struggles with phonemic awareness. I also highly recommend LiPS and other Lindamood Bell programs to other moms for helping their children at home. And based on our experiences, I can give a positive Lindamood Bell review for any of their programs.
So, that’s my Lindamood Bell review based upon our experiences. I believe the Lindamood Bell programs are well worth the training cost for providing the program at home. If you have the time and ability to work with your own child, then I’d say, “GO FOR IT!”
In terms of your child’s lifetime, even the center’s cost could be worth it. However, If you can’t afford the LMB center, You CAN still provide Lindamood Bell programs at home for your child!
Ready to Build Your Child’s Reading Remediation Program at Home?
If this review has you thinking “I could do this” — you’re right. You can. And I’ve put everything you need to get started into one comprehensive guide.
The Parent’s DIY Reading Remediation Roadmap walks you through deciding exactly which programs your child needs, where to get the materials (including Lindamood-Bell’s own manuals at a fraction of center pricing), and how to sequence everything into a real, effective plan at you can implement at home.
It’s the roadmap I wish someone had handed me when I walked out of our evaluation with sticker shock!
Best Wishes,
Sandy
