The same principles that have allowed us to achieve such measurable gains in social interaction are also applied effectively in teaching academics and daily living skills. The Son-Rise Program is based on creating a respectful, trusting and interactive bond with the child. We then use that relationship as a foundation for education, learning, and language development. We have found that children who are more engaged in an activity, learn more rapidly and interact and communicate more frequently. For many of our children, the roadblock to learning is not a matter of intellect or capacity, but rather a lack of motivation, interest, and ability to stay attentive long enough to learn certain things. We have seen over and over again that when a child can increase his capacity to stay connected with another person, then they can demonstrate great abilities to learn and retain what they learn. We have seen this affect all areas of a child's life such as: academics, daily living skills, reading, using speech to communicate, following instructions, using the toilet consistently, brushing teeth, and playing games by the rules, to name a few. Many children have “graduated” from their Son-Rise Programs to attend typical or mainstream schools where they demonstrated age-level or above academic skills.