Brain training for Dyslexic child

Take a look at www.pulselisteningcenter.com, they may be able to help as they offer a listening program for adults and children who have learning difficulties.

Whilst debate is on abt the validity of such courses for dyslexic and kids with ADHD ; which mainstream schools in Dubai do provide good parallel support for kids... I was just told by the principal of my DD's school that they don't have the funds..and the chances are she will not be offered a place in secondary school!!! Even though am working with her having assisted learning coach coming twice a week at home... now trying to get her to Brain and learning classes ...to hear this from the Principal....and to start looking for another school for year 4 is just so devastating...to make the wee one go through settling in process..as it is she is a shy one.... HELLPP!!!! Dear Bubble-trubble I really feel for you. I moved my son to his school2 years ago. In the last 2 years the school has changed management and it's going from bad to worse! So we are in the same position as you and are looking for a school for my son. And as you say many schools don't have the resources or the willingness to help. But if you are going to take the brain training route, then discuss it with her current school and see if you can put in place any thing else to avoid the move because it does take a long time to settle a child and get them comfortable, confident and secure in their learning environment. Am I right in understanding that she has a space in year 4 but the a place in secondary school is not guaranteed? If that's the case, just wait until that time arrives. A lot happens in that time! Good luck! I know the anxiety you must be feeling! I am just not sure which school would serve my son best either or even which one is willing to! Yes PB... she has is moving on to Year 4 as the class teacher (God bless her) has seen how hard the wee one has worked this last term and not yet giving up on her! But the Principal is soooo very **** and a pessimist...he spooked me and my DH saying its hard to fit in remedial set of kids with "normal" ones and its' not fair on both! He made us feel sooo sooo very left out! so it's in best interest for us to start looking out for other schools as our DD will not be offered place as she WILL not clear CATS for secondary as if he has already written her OFF! and this is a new Principal of the Primary school.... Am soo soo soo appalled with educators of this new age...who are severely retarded in their own thorught process how will they hold hands of our children to make them progress to the new challenges with open mind??!!!! :O(

Whilst debate is on abt the validity of such courses for dyslexic and kids with ADHD ; which mainstream schools in Dubai do provide good parallel support for kids... I was just told by the principal of my DD's school that they don't have the funds..and the chances are she will not be offered a place in secondary school!!! Even though am working with her having assisted learning coach coming twice a week at home... now trying to get her to Brain and learning classes ...to hear this from the Principal....and to start looking for another school for year 4 is just so devastating...to make the wee one go through settling in process..as it is she is a shy one.... HELLPP!!!! Dear Bubble-trubble I really feel for you. I moved my son to his school2 years ago. In the last 2 years the school has changed management and it's going from bad to worse! So we are in the same position as you and are looking for a school for my son. And as you say many schools don't have the resources or the willingness to help. But if you are going to take the brain training route, then discuss it with her current school and see if you can put in place any thing else to avoid the move because it does take a long time to settle a child and get them comfortable, confident and secure in their learning environment. Am I right in understanding that she has a space in year 4 but the a place in secondary school is not guaranteed? If that's the case, just wait until that time arrives. A lot happens in that time! Good luck! I know the anxiety you must be feeling! I am just not sure which school would serve my son best either or even which one is willing to!

Whilst debate is on abt the validity of such courses for dyslexic and kids with ADHD ; which mainstream schools in Dubai do provide good parallel support for kids... I was just told by the principal of my DD's school that they don't have the funds..and the chances are she will not be offered a place in secondary school!!! Even though am working with her having assisted learning coach coming twice a week at home... now trying to get her to Brain and learning classes ...to hear this from the Principal....and to start looking for another school for year 4 is just so devastating...to make the wee one go through settling in process..as it is she is a shy one.... HELLPP!!!!

Hi Pinkbuddah, Just reading the last issue of the International Dyslexia Association publication, http://www.interdys.org/prod.aspx?prodid=195&catid=14. The issue is about controversial therapies for dyslexia. Several articles discusses the process-based therapies such as brain training that is based on fixing the brain processes that cuases dyslexia. The introductory article by Bruce Penninngton, a cognitive neuroscience prof at the university of Denver, explains how these process-based therapies lack the evidence and have not proved any significant gains in treating dyslexia. If you want the full version of the article email me monalisaunderscorephiathotmaildotcom

I'm joining. I've also post a question regarding the efficiency of brain traing in fixing the brain processes that causes dyslexia. I'll share with you once I get a feedback. Have a great day :)

I completely agree, but Learning and The Brain Society is an international Society with members from all around the globe. It does not fund research. It organises conferences and summer institutes. Have a look at upcoming events: http://www.learningandthebrain.com/ You'd love them.

Thanks Pinkbuddah. I'd also encourage you to view article at the International Dyslexia Association, http://www.interdys.org/ResearchArticles.htm . The articles are from different researchers and organizations. It has more credibility when the research is not funded by the company selling the product. I'll keep you posted and please let us know more about your experience with brain training after finishing the 72 hours of training. All th best, Nonna

Hi Nonna I would love to. I am always willing to learn. I have met Marryanne at Tufts myself and she has developed an auditory processing training programme herself. That does fall under cognitive training (brain training). Also Professor Michael Merzenich and Professor Paula Tallal developed Fast ForWord which is a brain training programme addressing phonemic awareness in Language Learning Impaired children. So there is no doubt brain training works. Have a look at the Scientific Learning website for more info. That may be the way forward for your son. But one thing to have in mind is that there is a great deal of comorbidity with dyslexia. And that's why I chose The Brain & Learning programme as it looks at all cognitive skills and not just those specific to language, dealing with a whole child and not just their language development. Do keep me informed of any upcoming lectures, courses etc. as I am addicted to research. Also think about joining The Learning and the Brain Society. Here's the link to their site. You can become a member to access latetst research. http://www.learningandthebrain.com/ good luck

Hello Pinkbuddah, I've read few books for Marryane Wolf, moreover I met a university prof from the states who was a close student to prof wolf. This university prof is a dyslexia expert, international speaker and a memeber in the board of directors for the Inernational Dyslexia Association in the US, http://www.interdys.org/. As you may already know IDA is one of the most reputable dyslexia organizations across the world. When I discussed with this prof about brain training and its relation to dyslexia, her answer was also there is no evidence behind these claims! I think the prof is visiting Dubai again between May and Aug. If you'd like to meet her I'll be more than happy to help you in that. At the end of the day we are all mothers who wants the best for our kids. Drop me an email to monalisaunderscorephiathotmaildotcom.

Dear Nonna2010, It seems that you have not yet read the research that I directed you to or looked into the work of renowned scientists in the field. Please do take the time instead of resisting. There is no point making up your mind before you have all the facts. That can be counterproductive. I guess I felt angry because I felt you were shutting the door to your child and also forcing your beliefs based on a poor piece of journalism on other mothers. As for the Gibson Test, I had an Ed Psych report for my child with the dyslexia diagnosis, but I got more out of the report from the Gibson Test. I completed a parental questionnaire and in a 90 minute meeting Pooneh asked me many questions to clarify the assessment. She also emphasised that it was a screener and not a tool for diagnosis, but rather for planning the programme. She also told me that the most accurate picture of the learner is through the one to one work with the trainer in the first two weeks. So I guess I would say invest 200 dirhams and just see for yourself. I do wish you and your son all the best. I feel so blessed that I have found a wonderful way to move forward. I hope that you find it too. Good luck in your search, but do read the research as it's truly eye opening. Also recommend reading Norman Doidge's book The Brain That Changes Itself and also Professor Marryanne Wolfe's book Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain and finally the neuroscience based research by Stanislas Dahaene in his book Reading in the Brain: The Science and Evolution of a Human Invention. I do wish you and your son all the best. Do let me know how you get on. At the end of the day you got a find something that works for you and helps your child. Sending you lots of love from one mother to another

Hi PinkBuddah, Please dont be angry, I'm just sharing my thoughts as a frustrated mother who have tried many programs that claim wonders. Here is again the Independent article link http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/brain-training-games-fail-to-improve-iq-says-study-1949267.html This is a summery of a research by university professors in the UK. And they have proven through studies that brain training will not generalize or translate into different mental tasks. If the program fixes the processes that cause dyslexia, it means it cures dyslexia. The real cause of dyslexia is still under research, there are more than 7 major theories that investigates that. The cognitive assessment used is developed by the company founder, Dr Gibson is not standerdized or normed anywhere. You can check pearson site, that contains all the standerdized testing tools used by professionals across the world, http://www.pearsonassessments.com/pai/ , Dr Gibson test is not there. What exactly are the processes that are to be fixed? what is the evidence that these particular processes are fixed and how? does the program involve a brain scanning or MRI to identify these processes? The cause behind Dyslexia is still not yet agreed upon among scientist and researchers as there at least 7 major theories that discusses the root cause of dyslexia. Hence a program that claims fixing the cause would be questionable for me. I'm happy that you see results in your child. Some of the programs produce immediate results for a reason or another like motivation. Or if we invest 15000 dirham on the program we would be already convinced in the program even before starting. One last thing, please read this thread which have different review on LearningRx, the mother company of the Brain and Learning. It has both positive and negative comments, May be it'll support your belief in the program or it'll raise more questions http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/learning-rx-c238956.html?sort=datea&page=1

Many thanks for this thread. Much helpfull.

Dear nonna2010 I almost felt angry reading your response, especially since I pride myself in making my decisions based on research and also because my field of study is developmental psychology. I did extensive research before deciding to enrolling my son for brain training. So I went to share with you some of my research, and encourage you to go through a thorough evaluation before making blanket comments that may affect other children's chances. The link that you put does not work but I assume that it refers to the BBC study that was published in Nature. Since it's publication, it has been heavily criticised and many cognitive neuroscientists have even asked for its retraction. I put links to some of these reviews: http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2010/04/20/bbc-brain-training-experiment-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly/ http://www.positscience.com/blog/2010/04/19/nature-publishes-a-bbc-study-on-brain-training-that-announces-bbc-brain-training-did-not-work/ http://www.brainfitnessforlife.com/brain-games/challenging-the-nature-and-bbc-brain-games-study/ One way to decide whether brain training is right for your child or not, is to carefully evaluate your goals for them. I am interested to know if you have had your child assessed at The Brain & Learning because if you have then you would fully understand why it is that your child would still need help with reading after training. The report you receive highlights your child's strengths and pinpoints cognitive weaknesses that need to be fixed. In my son's case these were auditory processing, attention and working memory. His training is helping him overcome his auditory processing problems (but it's not teaching him reading) by fine tuning and overcoming the source of his reading problems. But this is NOT a reading programme. This is about fixing the processors in the brain that are not working efficiently. That would make learning easier and will have impact on reading of course, but this is NOT a reading programme. I recommend you use the article below to decide whether brain training is suitable for your dyslexic child, but don't let soundbites from poor scientific studies like the one by the BBC to guide your decision. If you would like to read research on the subject look for prominent scientists like Dr Susanne M. Jaeggi and her work on improving fluid intelligence, Professor Torkel Klingberg and his work on training Working Memory and the world's number one authority on Attention Professor Mike Posner. You can just search for them onlineand find their scientific studies in peer reviewed journals! http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2009/02/25/does-cognitive-training-work-for-whom-for-what/ I am sorry to go on a bit, but I like to get my facts straight and this a my field! So I just couldn't let it go. And one last thing, as a Mum I just can't argue with the results I am seeing every day either. The programme has done wonders for my son and his confidence. I can't ignore that.

It is exciting to think about brain training. I'm a parent of a child with dyslexia, I've tried many things. Before you spend money on programs that make great promises, ask what is the research behind them. Brain training has been proven to improve the skills practiced by itself without generalizing this skill into other areas of learning. By that I mean brain training will not teach your child reading skills. Read this article by the independent http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/brain-training-games-fail-to-improve-iq-says-study-1949267.html. I've spoken to Ms.Pooneh, the director, she is telling me that the program can cure the cause of dyslexia but in the same time she is saying I still have to teach my child reading, so what is the point of this huge money and time investment if my child still wont be able to read??? Across the world there is not a single research that proves brain training can improve memory processes in several learning areas. The skill cant be generalized. Go and ask Dyslexia university professors before you believe such claims. Another ineteresting thing that I noticed while takling to Ms.Pooneh, the screening assessment she is doing does not test the child IQ. She is designing the program regardless of the child IQ. Does it make sense that a bright child will undergo the same program with an average or below average child? How will the program identify the child's ability level if IQ is disregarded. May be some of you will say: but we notice improvement. Well 5 days per week over 3 months will certainly show something. The question is what is this improvement? how it targets the core problem (for example dyslexia)? what will happen upon finishing this 3 months program? will the child stop having learning difficulty or it is a placebo effect? Just give it a second thought before you spend money and time.