Dyslexia - What's Really Going On?

Dyslexia – What’s behind the label

To read and write with ease we need to have the following:

1. Efficient brain hemisphere interactions - both sides of the brain need to work efficiently together to transfer word information from the right to the left hemisphere of the brain during reading. These interactions need to be effortless for us to not only be able to read but also be able to remember what we have read.

2. Good functional vision – To read with ease we need to be able to smoothly track text with our eyes.

3. Good auditory processing – important for learning phonics, following verbal instructions, controlling the volume of our voice and filtering out background noises.

4. Good visualisation skills – important for whole word recognition, focus and memory.

We also need to consider

1. Breathing pattern – A 2015 study looking at reading, arithmetic, and working memory found impairments in all three categories in children who mouth-breathed. *1

2. Nutrition – including levels of Omega 3’s, Zinc and B Vitamins

Weaknesses in the above areas are commonly found to be the result of retained primitive reflexes.

Research has found strong correlations between having a retained Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) and poor academic performance *2. The Integration of the ATNR is very important because it helps develop the corpus callosum enhancing communication between the two sides of the brain. A retained ATNR makes crossing the midline of the body difficult resulting in vision and coordination problems. ATNR also helps to develop auditory processing as well as early hand-eye coordination.

The standard teaching method is to accept these difficulties and try and teach the child in a different way so that they make some progress. I turn this on it’s head and exploit the wonders of neuroplasticity to strengthen the areas above so that reading writing and spelling are easy.

1. Deficits in working memory, reading comprehension and arithmetic skills in children with mouth breathing syndrome: analytical cross-sectional study - 2015 Kuroishi, Rita Cristina Sadako, Ricardo Basso Garcia, Fabiana Cardoso Pereira Valera, Wilma Terezinha Anselmo-Lima, and Marisa Tomoe Hebihara Fukuda

2. The correlation between retained primitive reflexes and scholastic performance among early elementary students - 2021 Feldhacker DR et al