Dyslexia

The term ‘dyslexia’ is a catch-all phrase for reading and/or language problems. Although reading, writing, spelling and other language activities are often associated with ‘dyslexia’, trying to help by improving reading, writing and spelling with a tutor will not result in much success. It is vitally important to identify the underlying causes of these problems so that they may be addressed.

Many people (including deQuiros and Schrager, Levinson (www.levinsonmedical.com), Blythe and McGlown, Belgau (www.learningbreakthrough.com), Goddard (www.inpp.org.uk) and Bluestone (www.handle.org) have theorized that symptoms of dyslexia (and ADD) are related to disturbances in the functioning of the inner-ear (the cerebellar-vestibular system). Many of them, followed by many more around the world, have been working with various types of developmental movement programmes to improve the functioning of the vestibular-cerebellar circuit, coordination and postural control. More recently, the aggressive marketing of the Dore Achievement Centres (www.dorecentres.com) has brought to the public’s notice the benefits of movement for rectifying immaturities in cerebellar development.

However, it would be unwise to blindly believe that movement programmes are the cure-all for ‘dyslexia.’ According to Sally Goddard of the INPP, there are at least 4 different categories of dyslexia, 3 of which require additional or alternative intervention:

Problems with accurate decoding and processing of visual information
Phonological processing problems
Families in which there is a strong genetic tendency
Motor-perceptual and vestibular related functions.

It is children (and adults) in category 4 who are most responsive to an exercise-based programme. Certain individuals in category 1 also frequently benefit from an exercise programme if their visual processing problems are connected to dysfunction in the vestibular-cerebellar loop. In other words, the key to success is determining the underlying cause of the difficulty rather than believing implicitly in a single “one-size-fits-all” method.

Having said that, there is no doubt that many problems associated with ‘dyslexia’ can be traced to the underfunctioning of the cerebellar-vestibular system and irregularities in reflex integration. So a two-pronged approach is necessary. Firstly, it is important to rehabilitate the inner-ear if symptoms point to this and help the person integrate any aberrant reflexes. Then it is important to concentrate on remediating those cognitive areas that have been affected. This would include auditory and visual processing difficulties.

The reflexes

There are over 70 known primary or primitive reflexes. The first movements made by a foetus are the result of the primitive reflex system. They are essential help the foetus/infant survive while she is not able to control body functions and to allow the development of proper motor control.

The reflex system originates in the cerebellum, hence abnormalities in the reflex system could be symptoms of cerebellar problems. The system can be observed as early as six weeks after conception (the withdrawal effect) and follows a predictable pattern. Each reflex has a particular job to do and a typical length of time in which to do it. As the reflexes work through the body’s immature system, the baby develops skills such as strong eye movements, convergence, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, running, balance, good muscle tone, and many, many more.

However, if these reflexes are retained past their time (and the medical world tells us that no primitive reflexes should be present after 12 months of age at the latest), they can cause problems that can be linked to literacy difficulties, such as poor eye functioning, weak gross or fine motor skills, or even emotional immaturity. Such children may also appear clumsy, have balance and coordination difficulties, dislike sport and so on.

In normal neurological development, just by doing the reflex movement, the infant wears it out and it becomes integrated into the body. We don’t know why some children fail to do this, but the fact that it happens led to researchers wondering whether the child could be helped by giving her body a second chance by repeating movements that imitated the reflex. There is plenty of research that shows that this indeed can be done, with resulting improvement in the skills that did not develop as was expected.

Thus treatment of reading and language problems caused by vestibular-cerebellar and/or reflex system irregularities would consist of a daily movement programme.

Developmental precursors of dyslexia

At the pre-school stage many children are already showing early signs of ‘dyslexia’. The key is usually a family history of speech or literacy difficulties, or with birth difficulties. Characteristics include one or more of the following:

delays in the development of speech and language
difficulties in learning simple patterns of sequential activity and/or remembering the order of simple instructions or reproducing a pattern of colour
difficulties with fine or gross motor coordination
high distractibility and poor concentration

A more comprehensive list of the most common symptoms of problems recognized as ‘dyslexia’ are included below.

Screening/assessment for Dyslexia

ILT screens and assesses children between the ages of 4 – 15 years for early signs of dyslexia.

Vestibular/cerebellar dysfunctioning or immaturity
Reflex immaturity
Other irregularities in the sensory-motor system

Tests used provide direct assessment of:

Visual sequential memory in a temporal and spatial context
Visual sequential memory in a temporal and colour context
Visual associative memory in a shape and colour context
Visual sequential memory in a sequence of symbols
Associative memory in a visual and auditory context
Auditory sequential memory
Phonological awareness of rhymed words in pictures
Auditory discrimination skills
Colour discrimination skills

The report and graphs generated indicate whether a child has specific learning difficulties. Appropriate action and games for improving weaknesses will be suggested. The course of therapy begins by addressing any irregularities of functioning in the vestibular-cerebellar or other sensory-motor systems since these are needed to support higher levels of functioning.

Most common functional symptoms of ‘dyslexia’

No single individual will show all or even most of the following symptoms. However, if a few are noticed, it may be possible that they are the signs of some underlying cause of language problems.

Difficulty copying from the board or a book
General disorganization of written work
Difficulty remembering content, even if it involves a favourite video or story
Problems with spatial relationships – in and outside the classroom
Appearance of being uncoordinated and having difficulties with sports or games
Difficulty with left and right, up and down, etc.
Delayed hand, eye, ear and foot dominance
Difficulties moving to the rhythm of music
Problems in areas of memory dealing with language, sequences, facts and information that has not been personally or physically experienced
Retrieval of phonological information from long-term memory refers to how the child remembers pronunciations of letters, word segments, or entire words. Children with language problems may have difficulty in this area, which leads to slow and inaccurate recall of phonological codes from memory
Letter and number reversals are fairly common up to the age of seven or eight and usually diminish by that time. If they do not, it may be appropriate to test for ‘dyslexia’ or other learning problems
Visual distortions are common, for example, words that move or ‘swim’ on the page or even disappear altogether from the page
Difficulty with sounds of letters or groups of letters. The sounds are perceived as jumbled or not heard correctly
Dysgraphia often accompanies reading problems. This refers to the child’s difficulty holding and controlling a pencil so that the correct markings can be made on paper to represent words.

Nutritional and environmental influences

Many environmental factors can impact on a child’s ability to learn. These include allergies, toxins, parasites, illnesses, experiences prior to birth and even a difficult birth history. Nutrition is vital to healthy brain and body development. Even before you book an assessment, consider the impact of certain foods on your child’s behaviour and school performance and try to ensure a balanced diet with a minimum of processed, refined and ‘junk’ foods.

Also ensure that the child receives supplementation of Essential Fatty Acids – particularly high levels of EPA in Omega-3 have been found to help ‘dyslexic’ children. Research conducted in the UK with the product Eye-Q can be read at the website: www.equazen.com.

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