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.
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
Posted by: Ernest G. Wilson | Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 05:34 AM