CBS 60 Minutes II tonight 10/22/03 at 8pm ET/PT - Dyslexia

Thank you for letting us know about this show.

This sounds great.

Hmm, won’t get a chance to see this, but I saw the previews. Seems they were using balance boards and that sort of thing. Doesn’t sound like no cure to me.

—des

Here is a summary of the show http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/21/60II/main579220.shtml

The web site for what they were describing is http://www.dorecenters.com/

I was familiar with something similar previously called NeuroNet
http://www.neuronetonline.com

Certain exercises, balance and rhythm somehow help LD.

I watched the show this evening. Very shortly after the show ended, I received a very positive email from Thomas Viall, president of the International Dyslexia Association. I found the following position statement very interesting:

POSITION STATEMENT ON CEREBELLAR RESEARCH
& INTERVENTIONS FOR DYSLEXIA

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA, formerly the Orton Dyslexia
Society) is the nation’s oldest learning disabilities organization, founded
in 1949. A key component of IDA’s mission is the “dissemination of research
based information.” Over its long history, IDA has had a close relationship
with the research community and prides itself as being a bridge between that
community and the public-at-large. IDA is committed to the sponsorship and
encouragement of research into the biological bases of dyslexia as well as
effective intervention models.

Over recent years, most neurological research related to the study of
dyslexia has focused on differences in cerebral activity between the
dyslexic and non-dyslexic brain. Additionally, credible neurological
research has also investigated a possible role of the cerebellum in the
dyslexic brain. IDA welcomes such research and is eager to see continued
investigation, publication of findings, and replication of such studies.

However, it is critically important to note that, based upon the current
state of our understanding regarding the cerebellum and dyslexia, IDA does
not believe there is sufficient evidence to support the development of a
commercially available “intervention.”

IDA’s position has always been to caution consumers when products claim to
“cure” dyslexia or offer “instant” or “immediate” gains. No organization in
our field would be more pleased than IDA if there were a “quick fix” for
dyslexia. However, our current understanding of dyslexia suggests that a
very structured, sequential, phonetically based educational program (often
referred to as an Orton-Gillingham approach, of which there are many) is the
best intervention for dyslexia.

To learn more about dyslexia and related issues, please go to our website at
www.interdys.org.

CBS: “As many one in 10 of us has some form of dyslexia, a debilitating condition in which letters are scrambled, words are blurred, and reading is difficult, if not impossible.”

Sally Shaywitz: “One of the most enduring misconceptions is that dyslexic children see letters and words backwards…there is no evidence that they actually see letters backwards.”