A Few Simple Exercises Overcome ADHD Challenges for Massachusetts Student
Released on = November 29, 2005, 7:35 am
Press Release Author = Mr. Bill Lubing
Industry = Education
Press Release Summary = Massachusetts teen has made dramatic improvements in
overcoming ADHD by participating in the DORE Achievement Program.
Press Release Body = DORE Achievement Centers
For More Information
Contact David Pfeil
Telephone: 978-397-3661
Word Count: 1,060
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A Few Simple Exercises Overcome ADHD Challenges for Massachusetts Student
By William Lubing
(Needham, Massachusetts) "The teacher would put a piece of paper on the desk and
tell the kids, 'Alright, do these ten questions.' And he'd sit there after everyone
else was done, still looking at his page." Abington, Massachusetts, mother Lisa
Furness pauses a moment. "It's hard to watch your child struggle through school."
He exhibited some of the classic symptoms for his diagnosis: reading, writing, and
comprehension performance significantly lower than his peers, poor concentration and
short-term memory, sometimes low self-esteem, clumsiness, and hyperactivity. The
symptoms are typically associated with a diagnosis of ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and
aspergers syndrome.
Will is 15 now, a sophomore in high school. His symptoms were diagnosed when he was
in the second grade. Lisa says they went through "an evolution of different
strategies" to help her son overcome his learning difficulties before finding a
solution.
"We tried different rounds of medication that really didn't work. He'd get all of
the negative side effects without any of the good." After a year, Lisa took Will off
of all medication for his ADHD.
Lisa notes that poor teaching was not the reason for her son's problems in school. A
flexible and responsive grade school helped Will. "We had him on an 'Ed' plan,
called an IEP. They used different strategies and managed him well." Homework
presented a serious problem for Will. "I paid for tutoring for years," says Lisa,
"to get him through his homework."
Will's world fell apart in middle school. The tightly scheduled program, with sevendifferent classes and different teachers, presented an organizational nightmare for
him. "To have him come home and not understand his homework assignments created a
nightly issue."
Unlike grade school, the middle school system was very difficult for children with
learning issues such as Will's. "They called ADHD kids lazy," Lisa remembers, "and
they just didn't seem to know how to handle kids with ADHD."
Lisa was preparing to secure an advocate to help Will. "Then, I was driving in my
car and heard an interview with someone from DORE Achievement Centers. They were
talking about ADHD in children. Daily exercises were reversing the effects of ADHD."
Lisa wrote down the 800 number, attended an open house, followed up on references,
and read everything she could about the DORE Program.
Unlike medication, which treats the symptoms, the DORE Program addresses the
physiological source of the problem. Half of the cells in the brain are concentrated
in the cerebellum, with a vast number connected to the cerebrum, or "thinking
brain."
Most symptoms DORE attributes to Cerebellar Developmental Delay (CDD), a condition
where the connectors that link the thinking brain (cerebrum) and the cerebellum are
not fully developed. Consequently, the cerebellum, responsible for sensory
integration, can't process information quickly enough.
Exploiting a medical principle known as "neuroplasticity," the DORE exercise program
stimulates the cerebellum to create new neural pathways, which speeds up the
processing of information. Learning, language, emotion, and motor skills are all
improved. DORE research shows that once the higher skill levels are attained, they
are maintained.
Many of those with typical symptoms are never officially diagnosed with ADHD,
dyslexia, or other labels. And while they seek the DORE Program to alleviate
learning difficulties, many DORE clients possess above average intelligence.
Originating in the U.K., there are five DORE Achievement Centers in the United
States, the closest located at 145 Rosemary Street, in Needham, Massachusetts. The
process begins with an evaluation at the center by medical doctors and specially
trained program specialists. The program takes around 12 to 15 months to complete,
with exercises tailored to individual clients. Special balance, sensory,
visual/motor, and gross motor skill exercises are performed twice daily at home,
typically consuming no more than five minutes per session. Cerebellar function is
tested every six weeks at the local DORE Center, with appropriate exercises
prescribed.
In February 2004 Will began the DORE Program. He was in eighth grade."Every three
years in Massachusetts they do a reevaluation of the IEP," says Lisa. "Around April
or May of that year he was retested. And something happened. They called me and
said, 'Mrs. Furness, he does not need to be on an Ed plan. We are not finding him
with any special needs.'"
Lisa was amazed. "In the nonverbal testing, he typically fell in the lower than
average or 'needs improvement' area. This time he tested in the high proficient
rank, which was a huge increase, unheard of, really. And this was just three months
into the program!"
When Lisa took the test results to Will's psychologist, "he said that the results
definitely had to do with the exercises." The school psychologist also thought that
attributing Will's improvement to the exercises was possible.
Independent research confirms that results like Will's are not unusual. Using the
DORE method, reading progress typically improves at three times the normal rate,
with comprehension improving at five times the usual rate. Attention symptoms
improve dramatically. Significant improvements in coordination are often seen.
As the year went by, Lisa saw continual improvement. Will started high school.
"There was a big summer reading project," Lisa recalls. "And he procrastinated as
usual. But when he was put to the gun to read his book and to write his essay, he
did it with the smallest effort I've ever seen. This was a kid that couldn't write a
paragraph in the seventh grade. And he wrote that paper in less than an hour!"
While the word "exercise" may seem like drudgery, Lisa says it's no big deal. "It's
kind of fun in a way," she says. Around four minutes per session is usually all it
takes for Will to complete his exercises.
Lisa's six-year-old son is showing signs of ADHD and is currently being evaluated.
"Knowing what I know now, I will not put my six-year-old on Ritalin, ever."
Her son Will is all the proof in the DORE Program Lisa needs. "He's able to handle
school now, for the first time. And I think it's because of the DORE Program, I
really do."
For more information, contact DORE Achievement Centers toll free at 866-784-4377. An
extensive website, complete with research results and an in-depth program
description can be found at www.dorecenters.com. The email address is
info@dorecenters.com.
# # #
Web Site = http://www.dorecenters.com
Contact Details = Mr. David Pfeil
DORE Achievement Centers
145 Rosemary St. Entry K
Needham, MA 02494
2025
