Scientists quit in dyslexia 'cure' row

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...1967_1,00.html

Scientists quit in dyslexia 'cure' row
Steven Swinford

Treatment 'based on flawed research'


A HIGH-PROFILE but controversial treatment for dyslexia has been
severely criticised by experts who believe it is based on flawed research
and undermined by potential conflicts of interest.
The Dore programme claims to be able to transform the reading
and writing skills of children with dyslexia with simple physical exercises
such as threading beads, standing on "wobble boards" and catching bean bags.



It is also said to help attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) and dyspraxia - the symptoms of which include poor co-ordination and
a tendency to trip easily.

The row over the technique has been brought to a head by the
resignation of five board members of a scientific journal that published a
highly favourable study of the programme. They include some of Britain's
most eminent scientists in learning difficulties.

They were concerned over the rigour of the study and the close
links of those behind it with Wynford Dore, a businessman who made a fortune
from fire- resistant paint before moving into dyslexia treatment.

The author of the study in the journal Dyslexia was paid £30,000
for carrying out the research by Dore, who has also sponsored PhD students
taught by the co-author.

Uta Frith, professor of cognitive development at University
College London and one of those who resigned, said: "People stand to make a
lot of money on the basis of research that appears in journals so it is
important the studies are scientific in their approach. I don't feel this
was the case."

The treatment has been used by nearly 20,000 children at a cost
of up to £1,700 each and has been featured on television shows such as
Tonight with Trevor McDonald and Richard and Judy.

Both programmes were reprimanded by the Independent Television
Commission, which found the claims outlined were "not sustainable".

Dore's is one of a number of unusual approaches to dyslexia -
which may affect about 6m people in Britain - ranging from eating fish oil
to flashing lights.

The condition has been particularly prone to unusual ideas for
therapy because of the uncertainty surrounding its causes and the best way
to treat it. Of those affected, about 2.4m suffer a severe form of the
condition.

Dore devoted himself to finding a cure for the condition and set
up a charitable foundation to promote the treatment after his daughter
Susie, now 34, attempted suicide three times because she was so depressed at
being dyslexic.

There are now 11 Dore treatment centres in Britain, with others
in Australia and America.

Dore's technique was inspired by the work of Harold Levinson, an
American psychiatrist. It is based on the theory that the cause of dyslexia
is a fault in the cerebellum, an area of the brain controlling balance and
muscle movement.

It suggests new neural connections are formed by stimulating the
cerebellum with repeated exercises such as the bean bag and wobble board
routines. These connections can help to alleviate dyslexia and other
conditions.




http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...1967_2,00.html

The Sunday Times - Britain

In its promotional material, the Dore Foundation cites the study published
online last month by the journal Dyslexia.
It follows the progress of 29 of the weakest readers at a Warwickshire
school who were given the exercise-based treatment over two years.



The study found "significant and lasting" gains in cognitive and literacy
skills and was hailed by David Reynolds, professor of education at Plymouth
University and the paper's author, as "the closest thing to a cure that I
have ever seen".

The Dore Foundation's website describes the technique as a drug-free
solution for the symptoms of dyslexia and ADHD. But it has provoked fierce
criticism in academic circles.

In addition to the five who have resigned, one of the journal's executive
editors is also on the verge of leaving.

Several academics raised concerns over apparent conflicts of interest.
Reynolds was paid £30,000 in expenses by Dore to carry out the study, and
was formerly a paid director in a company run by the businessman. Three
quarters of the screening tests on the children were carried out by
researchers from DDAT, a Dore firm.

Professor Rod Nicolson, a psychologist at Sheffield University and the study's
co-author, supervises the postgraduate study of Dore's business partner, Dr
Roy Rutherford.

Dore has also sponsored three PhD students in Nicolson's department.
Questions have also been raised over Nicolson's working relationship with
Angela Fawcett, editor of Dyslexia. They have written 30 articles and three
books together.

Dr Michael Thomson, executive editor of Dyslexia, who is considering
tendering his notice, said: "I think the editor is too closely associated
with Nicolson. It is depressing this (research) is associated with a journal
purporting to be objective."

The study also faced criticism as most of the children assessed were not
dyslexic. Some were 22 months ahead of their reading age before the
treatment while the writing and semantic fluency of most was above average.

John Stein, professor of physiology at Cambridge University, was also
concerned by the lack of a control group and the small scale of the study.

He said: "I have serious concerns about the study. Without a control group,
you don't know how the children would have done, or how they would have
progressed without the exercises."

Reynolds denied any conflict of interest. He admitted there were "minor"
design problems, but maintained the study showed Dore's technique brought a
"quantum improvement".

He said: "Before the treatment began, independent school reading tests
showed that children with reading difficulties were making only seven months
progress in 12 months. In the 12 months of treatment the children made 20
months' improvement."

Dore said of his critics: "This is a flat earth society response. We have
done (the study) honestly, we have done it scientifically, we have done
every piece of research that everyone has suggested."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...1967_3,00.html

Trevor Davies, head teacher at Balsall Common primary in
Kenilworth where the study was carried out, backed Dore, saying: "It has
been a very successful programme for our pupils."
Caroline Barlow, 40, whose daughter Laura, 12, took part in the
trial, said she had performed well in her exams after the treatment, but
previously had had trouble keeping up.



"It's treating the cause, not just the symptoms," said Barlow.

Reynolds insisted there was no conflict of interest. "I have
done absolutely nothing except tell the truth," he said. Nicolson admitted
his links to Dore could be seen as a "potential conflict of interest", but
said his work was independent. Fawcett said she had "stood well back" from
the decision to publish the paper.

a.. Scientists at Edinburgh and Brisbane universities have
identified the genetic sequence linked to dyslexia. It opens the way to
unborn babies being diagnosed with the condition and may mean they can be
treated as early as three years old.