Is Dyslexia Hereditary?

There is often discussion about whether or not dyslexia is hereditary. My observation is that high underlying levels of intelligence tend to be inherited and with that higher level of intelligence all too often come symptoms like dyslexia, ADHD or Asperger’s Syndrome. My theory is that the higher the underlying level of intelligence the more likely it is that there will be some degree of “eccentricity”, which often shows itself in a lack of ability to acquire some every day skill.

Clearly this is an area that deserves further research, but from everything I’ve seen parents can generally take comfort from the fact that they have passed on “positives” which have, in some cases, led to “challenges”.

'Government Grossly Underestimating Number Of People With Dyslexia'

The recent research which suggested that the government are letting children slip through the net revealed nothing new. The research was based on 1341 pupils and found that 55% of pupils who are failing SATs are at risk of dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Teachers have known this for a long time!

What an absurd statement from the Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesman, "Dyslexic children are not slipping through the net - we are committed to making sure that children with all kinds of learning difficulties get the support that they need". I don't think that the thousands of pupils that come out of school without the basic skills in reading, writing and spelling would agree.

Government policies make the absurd assumption that the only that the only way learning is impacted is by the teaching process.

Teaching is only part of the process. This should be obvious as all to often teachers can work really hard in the classroom but only 25 children of 30 take in what is being taught. The other 5 don't have the ability to take it in - this is of no fault of the teacher. The third element of learning is practise, without which no skill can become fully automatic.

All three of these elements are crucial to the process of learning. The absence of any one of them makes the world of difference to how challenging learning is for children.

Ten Answers To Ten Questions

In a recent blog Amosoyo’s Weblog I was asked ten questions Ask Wynford Dore: The 10 Questions Here are my answers…

1. What is the success rate of the treatment? I’ve heard you claim to cure over 90% of people. Does this figure include everyone who comes in for an assessment or only those who complete a year or more of the treatment?

We can only quote results when we have both “before” and “after” measures on people. So we cannot include those that start the programme for a few weeks or so, find they are unable to commit to it and therefore drop off the programme.

We can only measure those who stay on the programme long enough to compare appropriate statistics. Of course results will vary according to the compliance, and in the case of prison studies (where we obviously have complete knowledge as to whether or not they are doing the exercises) we get an extremely high success rate.

2. By claiming dyslexia is personal problem that can be cured are you not devaluing the impact dyslexia has on people’s lives? Doesn’t this just put the blame on the dyslexic for not getting cured?

If you read my book you will find that I argue that dyslexia is not a “disease” and, therefore, cannot be “cured”. However many of our clients who experience very significant changes chose to say they are “cured”. Trevor McDonald used it in his excellent documentary following dyslexic suffers that they identified and followed them going through the programme.

We feel very strongly about the fact that in today’s society we, quite rightly, expect the Government to provide everything that we need by way of education and health - dealing with dyslexic symptoms is no exception. With this in mind we are determined to keep on carrying out the research and feeding it through to Government bodies until such time as they realise that it is their responsibility to provide this as part of our education system.

3. Recently Kenny Logan and Toyah Wilcox have spoken out in support of your treatment programme? What is the financial relationship between them and Dore? Were they paid to go on the programme or did they pay as a normal customer? Are any other celebrities trying Dore?

Both Kenny Logan and Toyah Wilcox have very openly spoken with sincerity and frankness about the transformation the Dore Programme has given them. I heard someone ask the same question of Kenny recently and he spelt out publicly that he paid to go through the programme just as any other client would. It was only when he was half way through the programme that he noticed that his sport was also improving significantly. As a result he contacted and wanted to recommend it to others for both sport and personal reasons. There are other celebrities using Dore but we are not at liberty to talk about them.

4. For some people your system does not work. What have you done to assess and mitigate the psychological impact of a failed treatment on children to whom you have claimed to be able to treat? What advice on other treatments do you give to those for whom the treatment fails?

There are a very small number of people for whom the programme appears not to work. We take every one of these cases very seriously, do our best to learn from it and ensure that if we can identify any reason that we build that into our screening process as we refuse to take anybody onto the programme unless we are convinced there is a very strong chance that we can help them.

Your point about psychological impact of failed treatments is an important one - with this in mind we have been trying to encourage others in the industry, for the last few years, to push for an introduction of a benchmarking system. This will require all programmes such as, phonics, tinted lenses, fish oils and exercise programmes to go through a rigorous testing programme before they are marketed so that teachers and parents can be informed openly and fully about the likelihood that they will receive benefit from such intervention.

5. Many dyslexics demonstrate great ability at balance and hand / eye coordination through their achievements in sports and art. How can the cerebellum be the causes of dyslexia when their cerebellum is clearly working correctly?

Another good question. Different parts of the cerebellum are responsible for different types of skills. For instance many sportsmen who are good at some aspects of their sport have weaknesses in others - this is usually explained by the degree of development of the relevant parts of the cerebellum.

What our treatment does is “audit” the cerebellum and usually we find that many areas are fully developed (these we don’t need to treat) and the other areas where further development is possible are the areas we focus on. Interestingly quite a number of those who suffer from dyslexia are very good at skiing - a process that relies far more on somatosensory inputs rather than vestibular inputs. The kind of neurological tests we do makes this very clear. If you visit our Dore Sport website http://www.doresport.co.uk/ you will find large numbers of testimonies of very high profile sportsmen who are gaining noticeable improvements in areas of their sport as a result of going through the programme.

6. You claim the cerebellum is the root of all dyslexia problems. Are you saying that all the research ever done on dyslexia is rubbish and that all other treatments do not work?

We are certainly not rubbishing other treatments for dyslexia - in fact there are three distinct elements to the process of learning. One is teaching, the second is practice and the third is the fundamental ability of the brain to acquire the type of skill being taught.

Most dyslexia research revolves around different types of teaching methods - that is very different to the research on the cerebellum and the way in which it can be developed to increase the impact of learning.

7. You have made lots of claims as to the nature and success rate of the treatment. What research has been done by independent scientists and in what peer-reviewed journal has it been published?

We do believe that the cerebellum is the underlying cause of not just dyslexia symptoms but the other symptoms associated with attention such as, co-ordination and frustration. We base this not only on the peer reviewed research that has been carried out by scientists on Dore (two articles published in “Dyslexia” and other papers presented to BDA Conferences). Our policy regarding research is to be completely open and share it with all researchers. We believe the industry would be better served if all other organisations had our same approach. We are strongly in favour of teachers and parents being fully informed at all times about all aspects of research done on this important area.

Why, if it is as successful as you claim, it is not offered to all schools?

With regard to it being offered to all schools - we will not stop until we have persuaded governments to make cerebellar remediation available to all schools. Children at 7 years of age should be tested to identify areas of potential development and given treatment early so that they can enjoy and benefit from the whole of their school life.

9. The Cost…
a. The treatment is very expensive, more than $3000 (£2000). Why does it cost so much and what refunds do you offer if it doesn’t work?

The cost - if just the tests that we do were done at a private hospital it would cost several times our total charges. We have worked very hard to bring down the cost to make it affordable to as many as possible. As I am sure you realise, the cost of research, development of neurological testing equipment and paying salaries and so on has to be borne - although up until now the many tens of thousands who have gone through the programme have been subsidized. One day the Government will pay!

b. Given the success of legal action in forcing the NHS to prescribe expensive and non-approved drugs, do you think there is scope for legal action to force schools to pay for the treatment?

Yet another good point - There is scope for this and we are taking advice on it.

C. We cannot afford the Dore programme, Are there any charities that will assist us?

Yes there are other ways of having the programme funded however unfortunately we aren’t at liberty to disclose the charities names on a public site but if you would like to email Dore directly they may be able to offer some suggestions.

One way that is appropriate for many is the use of Disability Living Allowance - in a significant proportion of cases Government funds are available for those who have to support their children or families.

d. I’m writing on behalf of my partner who is desperate to find help and feels like his dyslexia is alsways holding him back. As you will appreciate it can be very depressing for us both. Unfortunately we cannot afford your treatment. From a personal point of view what else could we try?

See 9c - It always hurts to come across folk who cannot afford the treatment, this is what drives us to work very hard with all the research we can to persuade governments. An American charity is funding what we believe is the world’s largest ever research project with the specific view of coming up with the data that will change government policy. Sadly this will take another two years to be finished - but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel.

10. A great deal has been made about the treatment programme being created to help your daughter. When did she do the programme and what were the effects?

Susie was 27 when she started the programme and, of course, she was the first guinea pig. She very quickly got to the point where all of the reading skills that teachers had given her many years ago became accessible to her and she started to read, write, increase her social skills, etc. If you would let me have your address I will gladly send you a copy of my book which gives a fuller story of Susie.

Many thanks for some very appropriate questions.

Driving With Dyslexia Or Dyspraxia

There are many incredible drivers who suffer from dyslexic symptoms - Jackie Stewart is just one great example. However many affected by these symptoms find that the co-ordination required for good driving never becomes “automatic”. This means they are likely to go into “overload” in stressful situations when driving and are likely to hold their hand on the horn for a while or make other impulsive reactions.

If such a person gets stopped by the police their impulsive reactions can get dramatically worse! If they are asked to stand on one leg or walk along a straight line the lack of co-ordination from their vestibular/cerebellar often means that this is difficult or even impossible to do. There have been many cases of dyspraxic sufferers accused of being under the influence when it is nothing of the sort - through no fault of their own, they are like that all day every day.

Don’t Blame Teachers - It isn’t their fault!

Despite Governments' promises of, “Education, education, education” or, in the USA, “No child left behind”, far too many parents are faced with the problem of their child being let down badly. The temptation is to blame the teacher, they represent education policy to the parents. Of course it isn’t their fault, although it is often difficult to remember this when speaking to them.

In my experience teachers are desperate to help children all they can, they will spend as much time as they can possibly spare, and use all the initiative they can muster. They do feel guilty that they know it is woefully inadequate to get the child to where they need to be in the education process.

So if you are a frustrated parent, please try and remember this when you are talking to the teacher - the current Government policy isn't their fault! They know what is needed and would love to have the time and the resources to spend on your child.

A Positive Look Into 2008

Well, 2007 was really a mixed bag! On the positive side some very influential researchers made it clear that they were looking very hard at the possibilities of using Cerebellar Development to transform children’s lives. On the negative side those with vested interests seemed to dig their heels in even harder.

So, what does that mean for 2008? My hope and expectation is that the research results and thousands of wonderful case studies will spread the word to the millions who are currently unaware that you don’t have to live with problems such as; poor reading, poor concentration, poor physical co-ordination and low self-esteem – something can be done to help!

Let’s hope that the Government policy makers hear about it and act on it in 2008. It should be painfully obvious to them that their actions in recent years has had very little impact on the lives of children and families affected by learning issues, and that it is time to try something that really works.

The Government's Pledge To Do More For Dyslexics

Well, let’s celebrate the good news - the British Government are spending more to help dyslexia. But, now for the bad news - they are doing even more of what has already proven to be a huge disappointment.

Research has shown that extra phonics teaching is of negligible benefit - children are already given plenty of effective phonics teaching. The problem with reading is nothing to do with the amount of teaching that is given on phonics, it is very often down to the fact children don't have ability to use that skill. The process of reading involves working memory, visual processing and other functions, which are all linked to the cerebellum.

When the right parts of the cerebellum are developed we frequently discover that children already have all the phonics teaching they need to be able to read and comprehend far better than before.

We have recently been told that the Government have spent an extra half a billion on programmes to help children, yet they have been completely ineffective. So why, oh why are they now doing more of the same?

If dyslexia wasn’t so serious it would be laughable, but even the American Government makes exactly the same mistakes. The graph below shows how the American Government have dramatically increased spend on literacy programmes without having any effect on reading ability.

When will they realise that they are getting the wrong advice? When will they realise there is a highly effective solution to the root cause of not just reading but for so many of the other symptoms that are linked to learning difficulties?

ADHD - Panorama, 12 November 2007

Well, this programme has certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons, as if parents with children suffering with ADHD hadn’t got enough to worry about! Yet this is another extremely good reason (as if there weren’t enough already) for benchmarking all interventions for learning issues.

Every type of programme whether it is prescription drugs, reading programmes (phonics or otherwise), coloured lenses, fish oils or exercise programmes (like Dore) must be subjected to full scrutiny. Such benchmarking should include the symptoms that will benefit (or not), possible side effects, the degree of which the results are lasting, etc.

Our Government seems to manage to come up with benchmarking for so many things that are far less important than our children’s education yet somehow there is an industry out there that has succeeded in stopping it happening up to now.

At Dore we have been lobbying for this for some time and make a point of going public about all our research. It is seriously negligent of other organisations that are in this field to have a different attitude.

“Entrepreneurs are more likely to be Dyslexic”

This isn’t a surprise at all!

Very often the brighter people are the more likely it is a condition like Dyslexia or ADHD is going to hamper their ability to learn in the traditional way.

Whilst most regard Dyslexia as a problem we regard it as a mask to a great deal of hidden intellect. Many entrepreneurs failed rather poorly at school, which certainly wasn’t their teacher’s fault or their own - it was the fact that they can’t learn in the traditional way.

The wonderful thing is we are getting better these days at removing the “negative symptoms” and enabling that hidden talent and creativity to be harnessed to an even greater extent.

“The Solution to Dyslexia”

A few people have mentioned this headline to me and asked whether it is a cure…

Well, it will probably significantly help with reading - it has to with that level of one to one tuition. Will it help with other symptoms? Very unlikely, but of course it is better than doing nothing.

The scheme is called “Springboard for children” which has been used in a few State schools across the country. It requires, amongst other things, one to one teaching for two hours a day for, typically, two years. It focuses of course on the process of reading - which is only one of the many symptoms that someone with reading issues normally has. This scheme is a hugely expensive resource which very few education authorities will be able to afford.

The educational world still needs to learn that there are three key elements to the process of learning. One of these is teaching. Another is “practice”. The third is “the ability to acquire, retain and recall a skill”. If that third ability (the one that Dore transforms) is not fully developed then it makes both “teaching” and “practice” much, more difficult.

When individuals have benefited from the Dore Programme “teaching” becomes much easier, the amount of “practice” dramatically decreases and “learning” becomes an altogether easier process.

The “Springboard for children” project is dealing with the symptom end of the problem whereas Dore deals with the “root cause” of the problems. By tackling the root cause the programme significantly helps with the development of so many of the other skills which are a problem for children with learning issues.

I hope this helps people understand the scheme and that it will only really significantly help reading and not all the symptoms associated with Dyslexia.

57% Think ADHD is Just an Excuse ……

You can bet your bottom dollar that very few of that 57% will have children with very poor attention, poor behaviour, etc.

Anybody who has had a child that does struggles with concentration will understand that it isn't a choice they are making, just like they do not choose to be disorganised and they don't choose to have poor short term memory. The physiological differences between these children and children that do not suffer from such symptoms are easy to measure.

So, if you're one of the 57% who thinks ADHD is just an excuse please look at the research on the development of the cerebellum, you will become far more understanding and tolerant with those who have been labeled with ADHD.

Reading Season - Read for 10 Minutes A Day!

How stupid is this? It’s just as stupid as telling a blind man to see - it won’t work.

People don’t have a choice as to whether they find reading easy or hard. 80% of children develop reading and comprehension skills easily, but 20% find it difficult, no matter how hard they try! This is not teachers’ fault, nor is it parents’ fault. For the 20% of children who struggle with reading, extra practice will only make a significant difference in a small number of cases.

Research into the role of the skill learning centre of the brain (the cerebellum) will eventually reach education policy makers, when that happens they will realise that the big transformation in people’s ability to read will happen when they have completed a cerebellar developmental programme.

‘Strictly, …………..’ Kenny Logan

What a star - he puts absolutely everything into whatever he tries. It is wonderful to hear him kindly giving Dore credit for his ability to remember the complicated sequences. He has worked unbelievably hard in training - he does himself a disservice. .

So if you are not sure who to vote for - vote for Kenny, he deserves it!

What a result - congratulations to England for the Rugby World Cup Final

Every Britton was proud of them; they made such fantastic progress during the last few weeks and put their heart and soul into it!

There were, of course, several Dore graduates represented in International Rugby teams during the World Cup - they all did themselves proud too.

2011 will be a different story - we intend having a huge number of Dore graduates in many of the teams, I’ll keep you informed of this closer to the time.

Being Welsh myself, of course, I may have just a little bias towards my home country’s team!

Children Suffering From “Deep Anxiety” Over Modern Life

No surprise to parents and teachers here!
Many children that experience this are likely to be struggling with every day skills like reading, concentration and co-ordination. Usually they are very bright but are underperforming in their school work. Their self-esteem becomes damaged because often they are told that they are thick or lazy, when in fact the opposite is true.

I can’t wait for the day when the labels such as, dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD spell out that a child almost certainly has wonderful hidden talents. This would be in stark contrast to the negativity that surrounds these labels today.

We have a long way to go, but now we are gaining a much better understanding about what causes these symptoms and how these symptoms exist in those that are very intelligent “underneath” - a solution is insight. We ought to be providing all the training possible to teachers and parents so that they understand what is going on in the minds of children.

I’m a big fan of teachers worldwide - they do an amazing job. It’s not their fault that, in virtually every country, training for mainstream education only includes the smallest amount of time on learning difficulties. This is despite the fact that often teachers have to cope with learning issues in 20% of their class.

Perhaps someone will give these ideas a try and see if it takes away some of that “deep anxiety”.

Is Obesity More Common If You Have Learning Issues?

We have been asked this question a number of times - it would be a very exciting research project if somebody wants to do it! “Comfort eating” is something we tend to do when we are in overload, which itself is often caused by lack of automaticity, in some physiological process.

It would be logical to argue that someone who has a tendency to be impulsive is likely to give little thought to the consequences of the food they are eating.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a research project done in a school where truancy, obesity, bullying etc. are all measured to see if there is any link with the development of the cerebellum? It could be a great project for Jamie Oliver!

Brown's 'World Class' Pledge

Let's hope Gordon Brown’s pledge to make British schools 'World Class' can be achieved. There is a long way to go before our schools can reach this standard.

Here are a few suggestions for you Gordon.

1 Stop blaming teachers for poor literacy - it isn’t their fault.

2 Make sure that teachers have more than a total of half a day’s training on learning difficulties. 20% of the children they are going to teach struggle with different learning styles, up to 80% of their time can be spent dealing with them and yet we spend less than 1% of their training time on it - crazy!

3 Do some research on how exercise programmes, like the Dore Programme, can work together with good teaching and get results that you have never dreamed of (they would really be world class!)

4 Develop a totally different vision for SENCOs - instead of SENCOs only being given enough time and resource to get struggling children “on to the bottom rung of the ladder” develop a much more appropriate measure. We could develop programmes that get children “to where they could have been had they never had a problem”. To achieve this you will need to recognize that many children with learning difficulties have enormous talents and often their symptoms are simply a thinly veiled mask to a creative genius.

It is quite possible, of course, that Gordon intends to do all this - let’s hope.

Dyslexia Awareness Month

When will we get our priorities right? Dyslexia is an enormous issue, those who experience the problem do need all the “awareness” they can get. So few people know what causes it and hardly anyone knows what can be done about it.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Boston, USA during the “ADHD Awareness Day”, but sadly it didn’t get a single mention in the press, yet O J Simpson managed to take up at least 75% of news time over the whole day!

Here’s to October multiplying the number of people who start to understand this big concern.

The theory behind sport development

We are always being asked how the Dore Programme helps sporting skills - here’s the shorter answer. The cerebellum is the skill centre of the brain, it co-ordinates the brain’s ability to link mental and physical tasks together. With reading this involves the process of eye tracking and phonological understanding. With sport it is the ability of the brain to link eye movement with foot movement (to kick a ball for instance).

The cerebellum is the clever part that “hard wires” these skills. What Dore does is improve the areas of the cerebellum that are not fully developed. So whether it is improved reading skills or improved sporting skills, this exercise programme is targeting the precise area that can make all the difference.

Because of the amazing success we have seen in elite and amateur athletes (Paul Nixon who had a wonderful debut playing cricket for England at the age of 36, Kenny Logan who asserts that he had the best years of his professional career after the Dore Programme, Tom Rees who made an incredible rise into the English Rugby Team after doing the Dore Sport Programme, the list goes on). So, after some thrilling trials we are going to make it official - the Dore Programme can improve learning and sporting performance. For amateur and elite athletes we will be announcing a specialised Dore Sport Programme. Let’s hope a few Olympic athletes do it before next year!

Undiagnosed Dyslexia in the UK

Two million people in the UK are “undiagnosed dyslexics”. Some argue this might be a gross understatement, they may be right. I actually see it in reverse - “Two million people in the UK with undiscovered potential”! I can’t wait for the day when everyone realises that poor reading is usually a mask for significant intellectual capacity, something we can now release.

So, let’s stop spreading negativity and let’s point out the hidden potential.