Educational Media Reviews Online

The film presents the story of Barbara Arrowsmith who was born with a “broken brain.” She has a severe learning dysfunction. She has some cognitive spatial issues that include the inability to read a clock, differentiate her right from left, or have real time conversations. She contemplates committing suicide, but instead becomes determined to succeed and discover why she has these problems. She designs a self-improvement program aimed at strengthening affected regions of her brain. She puts herself through a "brain boot camp" for twelve hours a day over many months, using her self-created exercises to stimulate the damaged areas of her brain. The result of her approach is that she was able to tell time, understand logic and understand conversations in real time.

There are diverging opinions about Arrowsmith’s methods. Some show enthusiasm with what she has done, while others are skeptical about her approach. The film also provides a general profile of the school she founded, and highlights the progress of cognitively challenged students that are enrolled in the school.

The greatest strength of this video is that it provides insight into how Arrowsmith put herself through a brain boot camp for twelve hours a day over many months, using her self-created exercises to stimulate the weak areas of her brain. It emphasizes the concept of neural network reconnection following brain injuries .

The film re-emphasizes the issues of neuroplasticity in humans, and highlights the importance of environmental factors, enrichment, and exercise in neuroplasticity, despite Arrowsmith’s controversial methods.