Dyslexia

The Brain Training: Neurodevelopment Through Movement and Sensory Functional Reorganization

Neurodevelopment Through Movement is the basic program of activities used at our clinic and taught to parents to pursue at home. Additional protocols of activities are designed for each clients coming to our clinic.

Activities:

Re-organization of Sensory Input Functions (afferent pathways): Vision, Auditory, Tactile

Vision pathway: Although many children have 20-20 vision, they do not have strong, fluent movements of the eye muscles, limiting visual functions needed for efficient reading, writing, and balance. We do eye tracking games and activities that strengthen the muscles of the eyes needed for efficient reading and writing skills.

Auditory and vestibular pathways: We use poetry while doing the motor activities on the floor. The auditory channels are thus activated alternatively right-to-left as well as simultaneously, according to the different movements integrating the primary reflexes. Auditory Integration Training is also used to retrain a disorganized auditory system by strengthening the weak ear muscle called the stapedius, a branch of the facial nerve.

The sense of balance (the vestibular system), located in the inner ear, is the first sense to develop in the womb. It orients the perception of ourselves in a three dimensional world: up–down, left–right, front–back, in-out, which leads to our “spatial awareness.” All the other senses: vision, auditory, motor, and tactile, develop in relation to the sense of balance, providing a base for the other brain processes and perceptions.

Tactile pathway: Many children with tactile issues are hypo-sensitive to deeper touch but hyper-sensitive to surface touch: although they are easily tickled, they do not feel when they hurt themselves. Often primary reflexes like the Moro reflexes, the Bonding reflexes and the Fear Paralysis needs to be used to balance the brain’s perception of touch.

Re-organization of Motor Output Functions (efferent pathways): Manual, Language, Mobility

Manual pathway: many children have an active grasp reflex: this reflex is not integrated leading to immature use of their fingers. This reflex is re-activated through the movements on the floor and the finger flexibility is refined with activities like hanging from a bar, different ball and beanbag games, and tracing activities with the figure eight board.

Language pathway: a non-integrated swallowing reflex is often present with children having difficulty pronouncing certain sounds properly. Specific activities are use to increase the flexibility of the mouth muscles toward efficient breathing, swallowing, and chewing, the basic functions not only for eating but also for speaking.

Mobility pathway: In addition to the activities from the DVD, Neurodevelopment Through Movement, the balance board is used.
The balance board activity enhances the vestibular and the ocular systems while building a base for all movement and learning at the brainstem level. The goal is to strengthen all levels of learning, from the weak learner to the gifted.

“Subtle balance disturbances can impair those fundamental brain processing structures that are critically involved in attention, memory, vision and visual processes, auditory perception, reading, speech, coordinated efficient movement, spatial orientation, proper sequencing of information, and thought processes that are involved in understanding complex mathematical relationships.”

Resonance by Bill Hubert

Vision Strengthening:

Although many children have 20-20 vision, they do not have strong fluent movements of the eyes which allow them to excel at reading and writing. We do some eye tracking games, and activities, which strengthen the movements of the eyes, needed to read and write well.

Symptom Tracking Report

This graph shows

a total of 88% symptoms severity before starting Neurodevelopment Through Movement down to a total of 45% symptoms severity after 16 sessions at our clinic.

Training for Parents to Confidently use the Neurodevelopment Through Movement, at Home with their Child

A One-Day Practical Workshop

Neurofeedback Training

How is neurofeedback done?

Sensors, attached to the scalp with EEG paste, pick up the frequency and voltage of the brain waves. The process is painless and does not involve the application of any voltage or current to the brain: the sensors pick up the voltage of the brain to record it in the computer. Neurofeedback Training is entirely non-invasive.
A computer processes the brain waves and extracts certain information from them. We show the client the ebb and flow of his/her brain waves, and the specific information we obtain from them, in the form of a video game or movie. The specific brain wave frequencies we reward and the sensor locations on the scalp are unique to each individual.

Duration: 50 minutes per session
Frequency: minimum of 2 times per week

Intensive training is available: 2 to 3 sessions per day, minimum 2 times per week and up to 5 times per week

Reading Therapy for Dyslexics (reading difficulty)

What Researchers Say about Dyslexia

• 1 in 6 Canadians has dyslexia
• 90 to 95% of reading impaired children can overcome their difficulties if they receive appropriate treatment at an early age
• The most useful intervention must include phonemic awareness, sound-symbol relationships (phonics), sight vocabulary, and reading comprehension strategies

The Orton-Gillingham-based multisensory methods are the best. Dyslexic people
who use all their senses when they learn (visual, auditory,tactile, and kinesthetic)
can retrieve the information more efficiently.

The reading therapy is done by a certified reading therapist trained with different
Orton-Gilligham-based approaches. The Simultaneous Multisensory Teaching
from the Canadian Dyslexia Association and a Lindamood based approach
are used.

Tutoring Program:

Ideally, 5 days per week – 1 hour per day.
We can accommodate a minimum of 3 days per week, 1 hour per day.

Intensive Reading Therapy is Available

This program requires:
3-4 hours per day – 5 days per week – for one month

Comments from Satisfied Parents

• “I went from reading at grade 2 level to finishing my degree at college in Mechanics.” from a 25 year old client
• “My child is much more confident and calmer.”
• “He is more interested with school work.”
• “Your assessment was thorough.”
• “Your solutions are addressing the root of the problems.”
• “I helped my son through High School, but he had never read a book before he took the reading therapy with Mr. Day.”
• “I am very impressed with the Spelling Mastery.”
• “My 14-year-old son wrote a letter for the first time.”
• “Mr. Day develops the discipline not only for the child but for the parents.”

Simultaneous Multisensory Teaching (SMT)

One of the most user friendly program from the Canadian Dyslexia Association
(www.dyslexiacentre.ca)

Advantages of the SMT approach:

• Can be taught to students of all ages
• Although written for dyslexics, can be used to prevent reading failure
• The integration of the information is done through 20 steps included in each lesson
• Each lesson is detailed and meticulously prepared
• Teachers, tutors, & parents can be taught in 14 hours
• Teachers and tutors can be certified

Learning techniques and strategies included in the SMT teaching approach:

• Visual and auditory discrimination
• Bimanual reading in Braille dots to develop a “tactile vision”
• Direct teaching of non-image words
• An emphasis on diction
• The etymology of English words

Orton-Gilligham Training for Teachers and Parents (to teach dyslexics)

A program which is only focusing on phonics is helpful but not sufficient to teach dyslexic people.

Phonemic awareness is primordial: the discovery that words in spoken language can be broken into small units of sounds called phonemes.

The brain of a dyslexic person requires help in intensively activating each region of the brain involved in the reading process: the way each letter sounds (auditory cortex), looks (visual cortex), and feels (sensory motor cortex). The goal is to store efficiently and systematically this information in memory in order to process it simultaneously and retrieve it with faster processing.

The International Dyslexia Association, the British Dyslexia Association and the Canadian Dyslexia Association all recommend a multisensory approach inspired by the Orton-Gillingham method.

When:

One day: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Please phone for available dates

Where

Ontario (Barrie, 1 hour north of Toronto)

Description:

• Very Practical Training: 12 hours in a group
• Plus 2 hours of individual training (at a later date at the office or through a video)

Content:

• Workshop on the characteristics of Learning Disability and Dyslexia, what to teach, how to teach, and the importance of creating a positive learning environment
• Analysis of the different English sounds and techniques to work with children who are hard to teach in reading and spelling
• Demonstration of a real session with a student in therapy
• Explanation of the 20 steps involved in the program
• Practice-teaching in role-playing teacher/student with Mr. Day available to answer your questions

To download brochure click here

Procedure to make an appointment:

1. E-mail us or phone us to request an Informed Consent Form
2. Download and/or read the Informed Consent Form
3. Contact us if you still have questions
4. When you are ready to make an appointment, send us an e-mail to confirm that you have read the form, that you understand and accept the content
5. We will suggest some dates to you and we will set a time slot for the appointment
6. An History Form will be e-mailed to you: you fill it in and bring it signed to your appointment
7. A Google map of our clinic (Barrie, Ontario) will be e-mailed to you

Our Barrie Clinic is nestled on a quiet street bordered by trees. This relaxing location is a non-threatening environment, which helps children and adults feel comfortable when coming for their sessions.