Our Story
Rita’s Story
Written by Hugo Moore
It begins with a search
The long road ahead
A book that changed our lives
The Arrowsmith Program™
Becoming an Arrowsmith Program
Representative
When my son, Kareem, was four-years-old, he struggled to cope with the mainstream academic program. His first symptoms were difficulty following through on instructions and motor coordination (not able to follow gym class or stay in the queue with other children on outings). Kareem would always be out of place, or off task. The school he was attending in London at that time told us they were unable to accommodate him because the number of students in a class (24) would not allow the teacher to have the extra time required to meet his learning needs. They advised us to look for a school for ‘special kids’. Here started our long road in search of a solution as we investigated a range of schools.
Kareem changed schools in total 5 times, from London to Switzerland to Abu Dhabi, until we had to have him homeschooled in order to recuperate from what the ‘special schools’ were not able to teach him. A one-on-one teaching situation worked better (because of fewer distractions) but the problems were still unresolved. My son still struggled to retain information, to keep his attention focused when performing a task and math symbols were not absorbed, therefore mathematical information could not be processed automatically. He was under a lot of stress. When a student has to struggle with learning, one becomes frustrated and tends to lose motivation and this certainly doesn’t promote self-confidence. For our son to become a self-directed student seemed to be just a dream for my husband and I at that point; despite all our efforts, and all the possible solutions we had explored in every city where we lived in (London, Geneva, Lausanne, Abu Dhabi).
My experience with my son led me to conclude that in the area of addressing learning difficulties there is a general belief that the brain is fixed and not changeable, therefore the student has to learn to bear his or her problems of dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, etc. and the best to be expected is to use strengths to support the areas of difficulty and to find ways to compensate for the problems. My son often felt singled out as even with accommodations he was unable to keep up with the curriculum.
One day, I happened to read a book that would change our lives, The Woman Who Changed Her Brain, by Barbara Arrowsmith-Young. I found the story of this woman fascinating and inspiring and I had a strong feeling that the program she invented could open a door to effective resolution for my son.
I barely knew about neuroscience. I finally felt there was a potential solution for his problems rather than the compensations and accommodations that had been offered with limited benefit such as more time allowed to write a test, using voice recognition software to write essays, more repetition of material or to record lessons instead of taking notes. I was determined to learn more about her methodology based on neuroscience and neuroplasticity.
I booked my flight to Toronto because I wanted to have a meeting with this woman of vision. Her program offers an assessment to identify 19 of the cognitive areas involved in learning and after having identified the weak areas, the student follows a tailored individualized program designed to strengthen these areas in order to improve the underlying learning capacity. Her school in Toronto was fully booked so I enrolled my son in Vancouver where another school had adopted her program successfully for 15 years. As a result of this program, my son is now attending an international school. He is finally a self-directed student and is finally able to keep up with the mainstream program.
During my two years in Vancouver, I met with parents from different countries, all sharing their stories (similar to mine) of hunting for a solution and then finally happy to see changes in their children, to see them be self-confident and become positive because of their cognitive improvements. Students who have struggled with learning were now engaged in and enjoying school.
As a result of my experience and deep commitment to making a difference in the lives of children struggling with learning problems, I am now working as the European representative of the Arrowsmith Program.
I am working to create awareness of this program and to introduce it to schools in Europe, to make it accessible so that students have the opportunity to learn effectively and with ease. Research has demonstrated that the brain is not fixed, it can change, and this has application to addressing learning problems – so that they do not have to be a lifelong challenge.
This article was originally published on www.knowitall.ch
A Mother's Love
An animated film inspired
by Rita’s Story
Our Team

Rita Margarita
Founder and Executive Director

Hugo Moore
Administrator / Teacher

Leslie Herreno
Arrowsmith Teacher

Rita Margarita
Founder and Executive Director

Hugo Moore
Administrator / Teacher

Leslie Herreno
Arrowsmith Teacher
About Hugo Moore
Hugo graduated as a teacher from Cambridge University UK in 1996 with the Post Graduate Certificate in Education. Since then he has spent the majority of his career following his passion for Special Education including roles as Deputy Special Education Coordinator at Camborne Science and International Academy UK where he worked closely with the Cornwall and British Dyslexia Associations and as Special Education Coordinator at Bangkok Patana School one of the largest and most well respected International Schools in Asia.
Hugo spent the last seven years in Phuket, Thailand where he became the first Arrowsmith teacher in the Kingdom at United World College. He recruited additional teachers and grew the program from one student to capacity during his role as Arrowsmith Program Director. The testimonies of parents, students and educators from his time at UWC indicate that Arrowsmith is thriving there.
Following the success of Arrowsmith at UWC Thailand Hugo was invited to project manage the build and opening of Banyapura School Providing Arrowsmith Program (for adults) adjacent to UWC and also assumed the role of Managing Director for Confident Brains Ltd who license Arrowsmith Program to schools in Asia. Hugo received specialist additional training from Arrowsmith in Toronto to qualify him as the first Arrowsmith “Site Consultant” to prepare him sufficiently for these roles.
During more than two decades Hugo has been a teacher and school administrator in Sri Lanka, UK, Thailand and Australia. He now joins us in Switzerland with a love for education, a commitment to the wellbeing of his students and a passion for providing the transformational potential of Arrowsmith Program to all who may benefit.
About Rita Margarita
A mother’s search for a solution for her son with learning difficulties, who was being failed by the conventional school system, led her to try many alternatives and eventually found the Arrowsmith Program. Through the program’s assessment and tailored cognitive training, her son has transformed into a confident and independent individual, and has now returned to a mainstream school, where he is thriving.
This mother is Rita Margarita, and this transformational moment inspired her to bring the Arrowsmith Program to Switzerland by founding the Cognitive Enhancement Centre. She hopes to help others struggling with a range of learning difficulties, by offering this revolutionary program.
About Leslie Herreno
Leslie originates from Colombia and moved to England in 1999 to further her education and career as a nanny. Moved by a love of children and a wish to support their upbringing, she gained qualifications in: Montessori Infant/Toddler (0–3); Level 3 Child Psychology; Professional Nanny Training endorsed by CACHE; and Pediatric First Aid.
During employment by one of the UK’s leading nanny agencies, Leslie received valuable experience supporting children from a wide variety of ages, nationalities and backgrounds. She also became increasingly aware of the noticeable impact that learning difficulties had on many of these children and their families. Leslie observed that some children were unable to follow basic instructions and struggled to understand simple concepts.
When a family for whom Leslie was working relocated to Canada so that their son could access Arrowsmith, Leslie gladly accepted their request to accompany them. During their time in Canada, Leslie witnessed the positive impact the Program was having for the student and consequently the whole family. An impact so significant that on finishing their time with Arrowsmith the family was able to move back to Europe and the young man was able to enroll successfully in a mainstream international school for the first time.
The mother of that young man is Rita Margarita and on founding CEC in Geneva, Rita provided the opportunity for Leslie to participate in Arrowsmith teacher training and support students changing their lives. CEC is now delivering Arrowsmith to the families of Geneva and Europe for the first time and Leslie is delighted to be one of the team.
About Hugo Moore
Hugo graduated as a teacher from Cambridge University UK in 1996 with the Post Graduate Certificate in Education. Since then he has spent the majority of his career following his passion for Special Education including roles as Deputy Special Education Coordinator at Camborne Science and International Academy UK where he worked closely with the Cornwall and British Dyslexia Associations and as Special Education Coordinator at Bangkok Patana School one of the largest and most well respected International Schools in Asia.
Hugo spent the last seven years in Phuket, Thailand where he became the first Arrowsmith teacher in the Kingdom at United World College. He recruited additional teachers and grew the program from one student to capacity during his role as Arrowsmith Program Director. The testimonies of parents, students and educators from his time at UWC indicate that Arrowsmith is thriving there.
Following the success of Arrowsmith at UWC Thailand Hugo was invited to project manage the build and opening of Banyapura School Providing Arrowsmith Program (for adults) adjacent to UWC and also assumed the role of Managing Director for Confident Brains Ltd who license Arrowsmith Program to schools in Asia. Hugo received specialist additional training from Arrowsmith in Toronto to qualify him as the first Arrowsmith “Site Consultant” to prepare him sufficiently for these roles.
During more than two decades Hugo has been a teacher and school administrator in Sri Lanka, UK, Thailand and Australia. He now joins us in Switzerland with a love for education, a commitment to the wellbeing of his students and a passion for providing the transformational potential of Arrowsmith Program to all who may benefit.
About Rita Margarita
A mother’s search for a solution for her son with learning difficulties, who was being failed by the conventional school system, led her to try many alternatives and eventually found the Arrowsmith Program. Through the program’s assessment and tailored cognitive training, her son has transformed into a confident and independent individual, and has now returned to a mainstream school, where he is thriving.
This mother is Rita Margarita, and this transformational moment inspired her to bring the Arrowsmith Program to Switzerland by founding the Cognitive Enhancement Centre. She hopes to help others struggling with a range of learning difficulties, by offering this revolutionary program.
About Leslie Herreno
Leslie originates from Colombia and moved to England in 1999 to further her education and career as a nanny. Moved by a love of children and a wish to support their upbringing, she gained qualifications in: Montessori Infant/Toddler (0–3); Level 3 Child Psychology; Professional Nanny Training endorsed by CACHE; and Pediatric First Aid.
During employment by one of the UK’s leading nanny agencies, Leslie received valuable experience supporting children from a wide variety of ages, nationalities and backgrounds. She also became increasingly aware of the noticeable impact that learning difficulties had on many of these children and their families. Leslie observed that some children were unable to follow basic instructions and struggled to understand simple concepts.
When a family for whom Leslie was working relocated to Canada so that their son could access Arrowsmith, Leslie gladly accepted their request to accompany them. During their time in Canada, Leslie witnessed the positive impact the Program was having for the student and consequently the whole family. An impact so significant that on finishing their time with Arrowsmith the family was able to move back to Europe and the young man was able to enroll successfully in a mainstream international school for the first time.
The mother of that young man is Rita Margarita and on founding CEC in Geneva, Rita provided the opportunity for Leslie to participate in Arrowsmith teacher training and support students changing their lives. CEC is now delivering Arrowsmith to the families of Geneva and Europe for the first time and Leslie is delighted to be one of the team.
About Arrowsmith
The Arrowsmith Program utilizes the principles of neuroplasticity to strengthen weaker cognitive areas that contribute to learning difficulties. Learn more:

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Is the Arrowsmith Program right for you or your family member?
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