International Dyslexia Association's Position on Dore (DDAT) Dyslexia "Treatment"

Update June 1 2008: Dore seems to be out of business, world-wide.  See this summary post.  My sympathies to those families who prepaid and have no economic recourse.

International Dyslexia Association(IDA) (formerly The Orton Dyslexia Society) is an international, 501(c)(3)  non-profit, scientific and educational organization dedicated to the study and treatment of dyslexia.

In other words, they derive no financial benefit from endorsing or repudiating any given form of treatment. 

Position Paper on Dore

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 23, 2003

CONTROVERSIAL THERAPY LACKS RESEARCH BASIS      

For Further Information, Contact:
J. Thomas Viall, Executive Director 
International Dyslexia Association
410.296.0232  Ext. 115  410.292.6925 (cell) 
jtviall@interdys.org

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA), the nation’s oldest learning disabilities organization,  has profound concerns regarding the recent segment of “60 Minutes II” on dyslexia (Wednesday,  October 22, 2003).   

The method of treatment or intervention promoted by Mr. Dore (repetitive physical activity,  balancing exercises, etc.) is predicated on research that has been questioned by many  neuroscientists (Zeffiro, Eden, Ivry, Justus, Snowling, Hulme, Singleton, and Stuart -- see  attachments).  Unfortunately, that reality was not shared with the viewing audience.  Several  studies from well-respected research institutions (Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, etc.) indicate that  the dyslexic brain functions differently than the non-dyslexic brain.  While there is growing  acceptance that the cerebellum may play a greater role than previously thought in higher-level  cognitive processes, there is surely no consensus in the scientific community that an intervention  for dyslexia may yet be credibly based on cerebellar theories.  It is IDA’s position that  interventions such as Mr. Dore’s are simply not supported by current knowledge.   

While we are pleased to learn that the reading skills of the two empathetic people we met in the  segment apparently improved over a nine-month period, it may be an extreme leap of logic to  assume the Dore treatment was solely responsible.  Good research is designed to control  variables so the impact of each factor can be determined.  The segment did not tell the viewer  about educational interventions either person may have received while undergoing the Dore  treatment.  It is IDA’s position that the best intervention for people with dyslexia is reading  instruction that is systematic, sequential, and phonetically based.  We know that no single  teaching approach will work for all individuals, yet we do have ample evidence from the National  Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Reading Panel, and the National  Research Council that tells us the components of effective reading instruction.   

Finally, IDA is deeply troubled by the cost factors involved.  And by cost, we are not focusing on  the expense of treatment.  While we feel the cost of the Dore treatment is exceptional,  considering its questionable validity, we are far more concerned about the human cost.  Current  research tells us that early and appropriate intervention is our best weapon to ameliorate  dyslexia’s impact on a person’s life.  Too often parents will grasp at anything in a desperate effort  to help their children.  It is IDA’s position that any delay in the delivery of effective educational  intervention diminishes the potential for successful outcomes.  There are too many talented and  hard working people with dyslexia in this and other countries to write them off with  unsubstantiated programs or teaching methods. 

IDA Position Paper here.

Comments

[Ernest G. Wilson]

The Dore approach to Dyslexia goes against current scientific knowledge. SO What !!!
What are the Dore exercises? Do they harm the client? That the cerebellum has a role in linking the mind to activity seems to be accepted by the scientific community. This is a multidisciplinary problem and scientists notoriously are not good at collaborating outside their own discipline. Get together a multidisciplinary team to investigate the problems involved and spend less time on rubbishing what I see as a genuine attempt to solve a problem. The cost of Dore was certainly prohibitive. I speak from experience as an applied scientist where problem solving had to be multidisciplinary to be successful. This is an applied science problem. Let us have fewer words and more collaboration across the various disciplines involved in this most disturbing aspects of the learning process.

Ernest G. Wilson