According to Arrowsmith Young, Luria's 1971 book The Man with the Shattered World which documented the recovery under his treatment of the brain-injured soldier Lev Zasetsky was profoundly influential on her, as was the work of Mark Rosenzweig on neuroplasticity.
[5] Using the ideas of Luria and Rosenzweig, she began developing a series of exercises in 1978 which she states finally helped to overcome her learning disabilities.
She named the school after her paternal grandmother (born Louie May Arrowsmith in 1883), who as a young girl had been one of the pioneer settlers of Creston, British Columbia.
[8] Psychiatrist Norman Doidge devoted one of the chapters in his book, The Brain That Changes Itself, to Arrowsmith Young and described her approach as "an important discovery".
[2] However, the Arrowsmith Program has been criticized by several neuroscientists, psychologists and cognitive scientists, including Anne Castles, Max Coltheart, Pamela Snow, Emma Burrows and Linda Siegel, for basing its claims on anecdotal evidence.
[9][10][11][12] Additionally, other experts, including clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist Tim Hannan,[13] speech pathologist Alison Clarke, and at least one human rights tribunal have made similar concerns, citing lack of evidence and improper tests on the program.
[16] Robert Shepard, a clinical psychologist with twenty-five years of private practice, forensic and family health team experience, as well as a critic of Norman Doidge and his work,[17] makes a ten-point argument against the Arrowsmith Program.