Dyslexia and
 Physical Exercises

  Dyslexia Parents Resource

We asked parents who had taken their dyslexic child to a program of physical exercises to send us feedback. Had their dyslexic child's reading and writing improved?

Below you can see a selection from the many positive responses we received. There were also some negative replies (e.g. 'A waste of money.') as you will see, but the majority of parents were appreciative of the benefits for their children's reading and writing. The improvements reported may depend on whether the child has overlapping conditions such as slight Attention Deficit (ADD or ADHD) or slight dyspraxia.

Direct Learning is continuing to research these techniques.

He Has Improved Tremendously - My son suffered from very mild dyslexia. He has difficulty in reading and writting and mathematics, as well as short term memory and sport. He was under the DORE program and he gratuated recently. He had improved tremendously and we regret that the DORE centers have closed. We believe DORE could help others to overcome dyslexia like our son. (Lisa)
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The Best Thing We Ever Did! - I have a daughter and a son who were diagnosed with dyslexia four years ago, after much deliberation about the cost and geographical problems (we lived 2000km away from the nearest DORE (DDAT) centre, we decided we could not not let our children down. The best thing we ever did was put our children on this program. Yes it was difficult getting them to do their exercises most of the time, but we persevered and saw some changes within the first few weeks of the program, particularly with attention span initially.
My daughter went on after being on the program for approximately twelve months to go from a reading level two years below her age level to being at a level one year over her age level. My son also had major improvements with reading and spelling. I am very proud to say my daughter in her first year at high school has been selected to do the extension English class (I had to double check this with the school before wholly accepting it).
Both my children's confidence and interest in school work has improved threefold. Prior to this program they were both at risk of disengaging from school work due to struggling so much with dyslexia, needing so much support at school to finish any task and having modified school work to boot! Neither of them have modified work anymore, and are working at their age appropiate level or above.
The exercises consisted of balancing, eye tracking, and, further into the program, were coupled with mental tasks. I cannot recommend it highly enough, the only disapointment is that the DORE clinics ceased operations in Australia and my son did not get to finish his program. I also think many other Aussies with dyslexia and ADD, etc. are now disadvantaged because of the closure.
My advice to anyone with dyslexia or parents of dyslexia children is to not delay any further, just get out and do it! It works!. (S.M.)
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Improvements in Reading, Spelling and Math - My daughter Jasmine is nine now and has confirmed dyslexia, dyscalcula and Irlen Syndrome. She has not been on a specialist exercise program but I was advised by the psychologist to get her doing coordination things. She has been doing dancing classes, gymnastics classes, swimming and even football for about a year now. It has been the best thing we ever did, better than the hours spent doing reading and spelling tasks. The most marked improvment has been in her confidence because she can now do well in something.
She has also excelled in music, playing the tenor horn. She has picked this up much faster than the rest of her peers. She can now show them how to do somthing for a change...
Dyslexic children can excel in other areas and this is the best remedy to help them come on in their lessons too. The end of her year has shown an improvment from age five to age eleven in reading, age five to age nine in spelling, and age six to age nine in math. We have not bombarded her with boring lessons, but she has had a blast doing lots of activities and gaining confidence. (K.S.)
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The School Could Not Believe the Difference - My son started the Dore DDAT programme in March 2006. He was in Year
10 in school (about age about age 15). We were advised by the school that he would studying at foundation level in his core subjects.
Having started the program, and regularly doing his two exercises in the morning and evening every day without fail, he was progressing well. In fact after his summer exams, the school felt he should be moved to the intermediate level in his core subjects.
He continued with the the DDAT programme, and by mid-way through the autumn (fall) term it was decided that he should be entered for the higher GCSCE in his core subjects of English Literature and Language, Welsh Literature and Language and math. The school could not believe the difference in him, not only academically but also personally: he was far more confident and sure. His rugby skills improved and he believed in his own abilities.
He gained ten GCSEs, one A, five B's, four C's and a Welsh Baccalaureate.
He continues to follow the program online. We are
struggling as we have no personal feed back, but he knows himself how much he has achieved and how his effort and hard work in doing the exercises have helped him; he is very aware of his 'journey'. He has returned to school to do his A levels (about age 17 to 18), and is looking forward to university now.
I know this approach does not work for everyone, however, we also know in our family that when it works it really works! The exercises where all 'do-able' at home. They were tailored to meet
his needs, and varied from 'balance' exercises to 'eye tracking' and were rotated. (C.D.)
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She Learned Left and Right From Jumping on a Trampoline -  My daughter is dyslexic and has difficulty with spelling, some directional issues with right and left. She was involved in Vision Therapy in 4th and 5th grade. Part of the training involved jumping on a trampoline and having the instructor point to a poster showing a directional hand and then having my daughter say whether it was right or left and then having to turn in the correct direction.
This process taught my daughter right and left! She shared with me that she did not know right and left until she was ten. I really was amazed at the quick progress in grasping right and left with the physical and verbal activity.
She is very active in sports and sometimes can get confused still in directional plays; however, she has a grasp on right and left for everyday! (K.S.)
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No effect on his learning - a waste of money! - My son completed the DORE Programme in Auckland, NZ continuously from 13/9/05 (age 8) to Nov 2006. He is dyslexic with auditory and visual processing delays. We paid $NZ5,000 for him to complete the programme. He completed a series of DORE prescribed exercises twice a day for 10 minutes at a time. He never took a day off. DORE gave us an individual exercise plan which he had to perform twice a day for six weeks.  Every six weeks we had to attend the DORE centre to have his progress monitored and exercises altered. The charge for each visit was $NZ395.

Overall, the programme had absolutely no effect on his learning. He began developing night terrors at Sep 2006 and we were advised by a pediatrician to stop the DORE Programme immediately. We followed this advice and the night terrors stopped 3 months later.   We feel that DORE was an absolute waste of money and are still angry about being “ sucked in ”. He receives SPELD tuition weekly and is making steady progress. He is now aged 11 years. (P.T.)
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Not a 'Miraculous' Cure - We tried DORE, having seen a CD and heard some good experiences ... We managed to have the boys do the exercises pretty regularly ... Did it do anything? I have to admit it is very hard to say. Spelling for both has improved somewhat, but is still very chaotic and irregular. What I do not see at all however, is a 'miraculous' cure of either their dyslexia or ADHD, which is what is stated in the book and the slide shows at the DORE centres. I really do not see why they say this, since it is sets them up so clearly for disappointing people! (L.P.)
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I Could Not Recommend the Program to Anyone -  Further to your request on the latest e-mail, our son Nathan participated in the DDAT/DORE program for 15 months, starting December 2006. At each visit he was reaching his targets, i.e. on the balancing machine his results were always improving. The centre at Taunton could give no reason as to why his mental abilities were not also improving. We decided to stop as he was at the top level  (talking and doing exercises at the same time) and the strain on us as a family was too much to bear, when there was no outcome. I could not recommend the program to anyone. (C.D.)
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Much less dyspraxic than before - My dyspraxic son took part in the DDAT (now called Dore) programme, starting at the age of 8 1/2 and finishing 21 months later aged almost 10 1/2.  He was severely dyspraxic and as time progressed and I learned more, I realised  he certainly had many of the traits of dyslexia also.  Initally, he read well above the level expected of a child of his age but after the age of seven, was unable to progress. Words jumped about as the text became smaller in the progressively more difficult books, so he was unable to remember what he was reading. This, coupled with his inability to get his thoughts down on paper, his difficulties with understanding mathematical concepts and inability to learn times tables, left him frustrated, lacking in confidence and self esteem, and to quote his teacher, "an intelligent boy who spends all of his time looking out of the window".  His SATS levels were those of an under-achieving seven-year old at aged nine.

Six months after completing the Dore programme, aged just 11, he left his primary school this summer with three Level 4 SATS and one Level 5.  Additionally he was presented with a cup for Outstanding Contribution to School Life & Academic Improvement.  If he had not completed the Dore programme, I believe (and this has been confirmed by an educational psychologist) he would still be at Level 2 and would remain there.  My son's paediatrician is so impressed with his improvements that he has said he intends to tell all his other patients about him and his progress.

From  a parental point of view, the most pleasing improvement has been the increase in confidence and to have a happy child back again.  Homework is completed without tears, every school day is happy and there is no anger and frustration directed at those closest to him.  He has many friends and hobbies.  He has been picked to swim for his school - pre-Dore he could only manage 1/2 a pool length before becoming exhausted and his stroke-style suffering. Now he can swim 16 lengths without stopping.

It is simply not just a case of a bit of attention working wonders.  Twenty-one months is a long time and there was no slacking, but it worked. Bean-bag throwing, eye tracking, wobble-boarding, bouncing on an exercise ball all turned my son's life around.  Certainly it is not a magic wand. He was unable to fully participate in and take advantage of two years of schooling.  That will have to be caught up somehow and, yes, a professional will tell you that he is still dyspraxic, but he is much, much less dyspraxic than before. (A.B.)
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No difference was made in her learning - My daughter attended DDAT for approximately 18 months when she was ten,
having to do exercises including balancing on a wobble board, throwing, catching, eye exercises, exercises sitting on a large ball etc on a daily basis. We did these religiously and attended the DDAT centre every six weeks for updates in exercises and to check on her progress. However no difference was made in her learning. She is now 12 and attending a specialist school and making good progress. (A.F.)
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Balance Board - Within one month his reading had jumped to being on level! - My son has a language based learning disability. He used the Belgau balance board when he was in 4th grade (Age 9-10). He had been working with a tutor (reading specialist) who had told me he had stopped making progress with his reading and spelling. At this time he was a full year behind in reading. He had been with this same reading tutor for a full year and had worked with a vision therapist in 2nd grade. We used the balance board and the exercises (throwing bean bags and catching them) according to the tapes that came with the board. The games had sequences of throwing either left- or right-handed and catching right, left or both. We would do this two or three times daily to start. 

Within one month his reading had jumped to being on level.  He tutor was astounded. We only used the board about four to six months, and he loved the physical activity and "play time" without the reading. He is now 13 and is still reading at level. (He still does not really like reading and he's still a little slow and laborious when he reads, but he is reading at level) He still struggles with spelling but when he stops and thinks he can make it "look right" as well as sound right. At around age ten he also started skate-boarding which I believe may have helped continue his reading success through balance.

We have recently purchased the Wii Fit game which has lots of balance games.  It seems that his reading has been getting faster since using even this game. (R.B.)
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Gymnastics helped - I wanted to add my daughter's experience.  She is now eight and in the second grade.  I did not think she was ready for third so I retained her.  It is not a big deal for her because she is in a Montessori school. She was not in a specific dyslexia exercise program, but she was enrolled in gymnastics for nine months.  Around December, which was about four months into gymnastics, the teacher and I noticed an improvement in her reading.  Over the summer she continued improving. I'm not saying she's on grade level, but there was definite improvement. (L.E.)
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Positive Effect on his Learning - The program my son followed uses balancing as part of their program, with the help of Koosh Balls. They balance on one foot, and throw left to right to help dyslexic children find a way of focusing ... This program has been the only program that has helped my son. (K.P.)
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