Dore Talk

We are seriously considering enrolling our son on the DORE programme.  We are very keen to explore alternatives to drugs.  Our son has been diagnosed (though that may be too strong a word for the little assessment time that was spent by the paediatrician) with mild forms of dyspraxia, ADHD and aspergers.  Our own view, and that of his teachers, is that aspergers appears to be the most likely (again mild form).  The paediatrician then rather unhelpfully wrote to us to say that because he was keeping up with his schoolwork they wouldn't be able to help - whatever happened to prevention being better than cure?!

Anyhow, obviously we are cautious given that it will cost £2k+.  We are convinced by the mountain of evidence that the programme works with kids who have dyslexia and we would have no hesitation in enrolling him if that was his condition.  However, the evidence appears to be less conclusive with the other conditions, though we do appreciate that they are all linked.  We certainly don't see enrolling on the programme doing him any harm, but would like more evidence that it will make a real difference, rather than him just getting better through maturity. 

Please could any parents whose kids are suffering with conditions other than dyslexia, and who have enrolled on the programme, let me know your experiences.

 I would be most grateful.

hi, my son was diagnosed with dyspraxia in 2005 and we attended the programme with some  Fascinating and very rewarding results. if you go to the www.dore.co.uk site and read the sucess stories, Jordan is on there (cheeky kid with a green day t shirt on)..alo if you read through some of the posts on here they will give you more evidence of how the programme has helped people (including Jordan) especially the bragging rights thread....

If your son has dyspraxia etc they dont just get better through maturity (unfortunatly) its a lifelong condition unless you get help, I cn now confidently say that jordan HAD dyspraxia as virtually every symptom has gone since the Dore programme, the last six months being the most fantastic!!! 

Our pead. sent me a letter that said Jordan had Dyslexia, dyspraxia AND ADHD and would recommend Ritalin or other stimulant medication for him....quite bizarre considering that he spent 5 mins with him and never took any test or assessment..thats why we turned to Dore...

My youngest son is 5, and was dxd with Aspergers at 3...as soon as he is seven he will be asessed by Dore....although he doesnt show any signs of dyspraxia or dyslexia they all seem to be under the same umbrella and its a chance Im willing to take! (its an area under research at the minute)xx

Thank you

hi, my 10 year old son has never officially been diagnosed with anything specific, but shows lots of signs of being either dyspraxic, ADD or aspergers. His teachers have hinted at aspergers and we as his parents think he is too, but because some of the symptoms can seem similar to dyspraxia and ADD and depending on whether or not he is having a good or bad day we are still not sure. We didnt know if Dore would be the right thing for him but because he is not able to get any extra help at school because he is a bright boy who only struggles with the writing side of literacy (2-3 years behind) as he reads well above the rest of his class and has no problems with spellings or maths, we decided we would give it a try as the thought of senior school keeps me awake at night!! He simply wouldnt have the organisation,memory or social skills needed. I have an older child and a younger child as well who have non of these problems in fact any notes that i send in to school go in with my 5 year old as she can be trusted to remember to hand them in!! We had looked into the Dore program about a year earlier but decided to wait and see how he got on at school and see if things improved, but things started to get worse last spring when he couldnt cope anymore and started snapping at his teacher and walking away from her when she tried to tell him off. His school seemed quite shocked at this as he has always been a happy quiet little boy who has never answred back. We decided then to start dore in the summer as  we felt we had nothing to loose (except the money) and no one else was giving us any help. Although i dont think there has been a lot of improvement in his school work, we are definately seeing a lot less frustration and emotional outbursts- he is even copeing with his annoying little sister a lot better!! He started on mental tasks a couple of weeks ago so we are hoping this is only the start of things changing for him.   

Hi Jaymum my daughter Leila was never diagnosed with a specific LD even though they agreed she had global learning problems. Because of her low IQ she was considered as learning within her capabilities!!!! I would constantly look on the internet for an answer to her difficulties she had traites of autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia etc etc but none were clear cut.

It took me 6 months to find Dore and that was the turning point for us i had spent all that time looking for a individual diagnosis for my daughter and in the end I found it the cerebellum development delay. She is now over 2 years post Dore and a changed child from the one who started. I have always said if they could help Leila then they could help anyone.

Your son has started the mental tasks this was when I saw the most gains and she began to retain the information she was taught at school. So look out for the changes, all he has gained so far will be brought together finally. His memory and social skills will begin to improve and with the lifting of the fog he will begin to be more organised in his every day life as well as his brain.

Do not forget he will continue to improve even after Dore, Good luck with the mental tasks and let us know how he gets on. Ellie XXX

Thank you jaymum - sounds like our sons are in similar situations - ours has an elder brother and a little sister to deal with.  We are also very nervous as to how he will cope with secondary school.  We are fortunate that the teachers generally find him loveable and are patient - they get frustrated that they can't get any support themselves. 

The main difference is that none of my kids can be trusted to hand anything in at school or bring anything back!  However, I suspect in the case of my eldest it is pure laziness - he conveniently remembered to bring home a letter today stating that there was a teacher training day and he wouldn't have to go into school!

I would be grateful if you could keep me posted on your son's progress whilst I weigh up whether or not to proceed with the programme.  I truly hope he continues to benefit.

Hi, I have a son who is now 11 and was diagnosed with Aspergers/ ADHD at the age of 6.  We have had him on/off medication (dexamphetamine and ritalin). Adam could not socialise with anyone let alone children as he was so preoccupied with his interest of "machines". It dictated our lives - that was all he ever spoke about. He could not play sport, read, write or even attempt to or it would cause World War 3! It was Adam's way or no way and I must admit that having a younger son also, it certainly made life difficult for all. At one point we were trying to look at our options of respite care as there was a fair amount of aggression and frustration involved.

In May 2006 I was desperate after trying auditory processing programm involved with "classical music" in the past, being under an Occ Therapist, Child Pysch and Paedatrician (who I would like to add has been extremely supportive).

I heard an ad on the radio for Dore and thought "what have I got to lose" - my husband was very sceptical and as a mum you  will try anything for your child that may help them - even if just a bit.

When we told the school - they said "hope you are not spending alot of money". We replied "yes - we sold a car" 

Adam started the program in Aug 2006 and we are almost near completion.

I won't say it has been easy by any means, in the beginning lost of fighting and frustration with compliance, but every day got better and now Adam picks up his book and tells me which exercises he is doing - he has come such a long way in confidence in himself and having a go.

It is has not cured his aspergers condition, but I can tell you, Adam is now a fluent reader - beautiful writer - still struggles with maths, but now knows his timetables.  For the first time ever Adam went outside with a basketball and shot 6 goals one after the other. (pls remember he would not even go near sport before).

Adam will now go out and play with the other children in our street and at family functions whereas before he would be stuck in a corner with his cars.

Life is becoming so much easier everyday with Adam having less tantrums and frustrations.

I wish you all the best - it's not easy, but from a Mum who has been there - it is worth it to see those small milestones becoming more frequent.

Kiwianne, that is great news..a hope and inspiration to us all xxx

KiwiAnne - thank you for posting your story. That truly is fantastic news. Dore has not only helped your son, but your family too! Have the school commented further on the changes?

Your question is one I have also been asking myself for over a year now.  My son (aged 10) sounds similar to yours, diagnosed with mild foms of dyspraxia, ADHD, Aspergers. On the whole he is doing fine at the moment in year 5 at school. He is a happy and kind boy and we have had little "trouble" with him at school except for his handwriting problems. Max is lucky to be taught and cared for by a team of very understanding and protective teachers in his Primary school.  My concern is that as he is getting older his "differences" are becoming more noticeable and his lack of social and life skills becoming more problamatic for him. I am increasingly worried that the transition into Senior school will prove to be abe a different story.  I often hear of children who were fine until they were faced with the stresses and pressures of coping with the day to day life at Senior School. If there is anything available that can assist my son in his unique journey through life, then I want to know about it. I

 So I found myself contacting Dore and me and my husband had a very interesting "at home" interview last year. We were easily convinced that the programme worked for children with dyslexia but were left struggling to find any evidence that it helps with Aspergers etc. I asked the Dore representative if she could put me in touch with someone who could report "Dore" success with a child similar to mine but she was unable to do so.... like you I am still looking for something that could persuade me that it is worth a try.  Usually when people invest their money and time in a programme such as this they are eager to shout about their successes so I am wary that we cannot find anyone to persuade us to invest our money and time for our children.

Perhaps someone from Dore can give us current update on any Aspergers children who they have treated.

Sorry if my reply isn't more positive..... I am though still open to persuasion.....

Hiya sadie mum....

As we said before it is an area of reasearch Dore are looking into at the moment...although I have no doubt Dore's critics will say that it isnt valid..however they do it.  My youngest son has Aspergers and he will definately be assessed by Dore as soon as he is old enough!! I have had one son go thruogh the programme who has dypraxia and it has changed his life so much.  I have no hesitation in  putting my youngest on the program to see if it can help with his aspergers and sensory issues etc....

I will email wynford to see if he can explain anybetter what research/ testimonials there are re :aspergers

xxx

Hi, I totally know what you are going through, we kept looking at dore for over a year before we finally took the plunge. Your son sounds so much like my 10 year old, he is also at a lovely school with good teachers and nice kids in his class who just accept him for who he is. I always say that if he could stay there until he left education i wouldnt worry so much. To be honest when we started i think like a lot of people we weren't totally convinced that it would work, but decided that if there was a chance then it was a chance we would take. Also i didnt want to leave it until he was any older in case he became more resistant to doing the excercises twice a day( typical teenager). He is quite happy doing them now and mostly enjoys them. We didnt have the home visit because i didnt want to feel i was being persuaded to sign up, i had made my decision and whether it was right or wrong  i booked him in for the assessment.I guess what im trying to say is that there is a million arguments for and against dore and i think you just have to go with your instincts in the end.We started in August last year and moved onto mentals end of December and although no great miracle has occured we are seeing enough changes to say that i would do it all over again if either of my other children had these problems. Sorry i cant be more help, but really related to how you are feeling.xx 

Hi bugalug, thank you for your kind words. The school report Adam received at end of year showed Adam going from D's to C's and a B.

The school were/are sceptical but I think actions speak louder than words and in saying that - they were very supportive when Adam went on school camp and he performed his exercises every morning and night.  In fact the Phys Ed teacher asked me about the program and even set aside a quiet place for Adam to do his exercises.  I should also say that by the end of the camp, the other children were supporting Adam with his exercises and in fact 1 other child from his Grade has now joined the Dore program.

The school principal commented on how beautiful Adam's writing had become (it is illegible prior to Dore) and also his eye contact had improved dramatically.  I must still say they don't contribute it to Dore - we as parents know better!

It is good once it starts to show in the schoowork. Here's a link to a post from July when I had a Parents Meeting:

http://doretalk.com/forums/p/46/109.aspx#109

Great Adam was happy to do his exercises when he was away. That shows good attitude on his part. We are still working on the handwriting and the school Senco sends work home each week.

Thank you for your experiences.  It's very thought provoking.

Thank you Sadie, much appreciated.  It sounds like we are in very similar situations.  I am leaning towards giving it a try on the basis that it can't do any harm and what's the worse that can happen (other than lose over £2k).  However, I just feel that I need a little more evidence before taking the leap of faith.

I wonder if Dore would be interested in doing a case study with our son and our school and share the costs?

JohnnyBGoode - I was in your position a year ago and thought as you do. If it didn't work, at least we would have done everything we could - and have no regrets.  Pleased to say I don't have ANY REGRETS AT ALL. 

Hi

John has ADHD and suspected dyslexia/dyspraxia. I was very sceptical at first about Dore being able to help, but as he is in the three tiered system and finished the nurturing benefits of primary school aged 9, I became increasingly worried, he was slipping further and further behind, losing interest and giving up. I felt I had no choice but to try. After 2 months He's stopped taken his frustrations out on his bfothers (no more thumping), he's doing homework without tears, writting instructions for homework into his homework diary, his once illegible handwritting is definately improving. This weekend for the first time he's been able to amuse himself instead of constantly annoying his brothers as he couldn't focus on anything before and his drawing and colouring has transformed from impatient scribbling, to carefully completed pictures. I didn't expect to see this much improvement so soon. I think whatever the learning difficulty, they're all linked to the cerrebelum, which is what Dore works on. I didn't really know if it would help ADHD, I had no evidence to prove that it would help at all, but I couldn't leave my bright 10 year old to continuously struggle with bullying, trying to please his not so understanding teachers, lack of friends and low self esteem in a school of 700 children. I'm so glad I found the program for him. He is relieved to see that there is help for him at last.

All the best

Sylvia

Wow Sylvia great news about all the improvements so early.