"We are using areas of the brain which were previously inactive. After several lessons with translations of letters to different expressions we can observe the increase in memory, concentration and the ability to process information."
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Litvin’s Code: A Fun and Productive
Way to Stimulate the Brain by Dr. Niki Martirosyan, Ph.D. Trafford Publishing
book review by Sheila M. Trask
Most people learn how to count and how to spell words using visual memory. Children learn to read and write the symbols that stand for letters, numbers, words, and equations. Litvin’s Code, however, takes a different approach to learning these basics, and thereby attempts to open up new learning pathways in the brain.
Using binary mathematics, Dr. Litvin guides the reader through the alphabet letter by letter, employing spatial memory. Each character occupies a certain space, and students can learn audio and kinesthetic methods for expressing the letters. Each letter, number, and word in the book is meticulously illustrated, with accompanying step-by-step instructions for such feats as turning the letter "A" into a series of knocking sounds and/or hand positions.
Dr. Litvin puts forth this procedure as a method for "waking up the sleeping brain" that will increase efficiency and performance of the brain long after the exercises are complete. The examples given are comprehensive and thorough. They come without much elaboration about the reasons behind the approach, though, which could be confusing for a novice. The technical instructions seem appropriate for a practitioner who is training a student or client in the method, but perhaps not for the layperson. Illustrations display quizzes and exercises that imply an accompanying computer program, though none is mentioned explicitly. As a standalone guide, the value of a book composed largely of examples might seem of limited use, but employed as part of brain injury treatment with a skilled professional, this manual reveals an alternative approach.