Dyslexia and ADHD - The Miracle Cure. Wynford Dore
(scrawling, or neat but very slow)
LEARNING BEHAVIOUR SYMPTOM SUMMARY
As the table shows, there is so much overlap between the conditions that the practice of dividing them into separate categories is slightly misleading. The fact is people with learning difficulties often share very similar symptoms. All too often in the past people have simply been labelled according to which symptoms are more noticeable. If you had problems with reading, then you were dyslexic. Trouble sitting still? You were hyperactive. Couldn’t catch a ball? You were dyspraxic! However, it is not nearly that straightforward.
Our theory is that all learning difficulties are the result of the same neurological problem in the brain – caused by a delay in the development of the cerebellum. These problems are interrelated and affect some people more severely than others. They are all caused by the inability to learn, or automatise certain types of knowledge or skill. This particular neurological condition will be looked at in more detail in the next chapter. However, for now it is worth pointing out that this is an issue far more common than has ever been imagined. Many, many people suffer from this problem and most do not even realise it.
For instance, look through the list below. Do some of these symptoms sound familiar? Of course, no one suffers from all of these problems, but many of those who suffer from several of them are needlessly underachieving. Before looking at the list, remember that Cerebellar Developmental Delay (CDD) is not a disease. It is not of itself painful, nor is it life threatening. It is simply a delay in the required development of one area of the brain. If we were all tested for CDD, an amazingly high proportion of us would be found to be affected to some degree. Each of us knows that there is nearly always one area where we personally find the development of certain skills more difficult than average – for example, we may have some, but not all of the following features during development:
Slow to learn to ride a bike (see also clumsiness)
Difficulty in learning to tie shoelaces
Difficulty in learning to tell the time
Poor sleep patterns
Problems differentiating between left and right
Problems with sequencing, e.g. sorting coloured beads
Problems differentiating between ‘in’ and ‘out’, or ‘up’ and ‘down’
Tendency to jumble phrases and words
Stammering
Difficulty in learning rhymes
Difficulty clapping in simple rhythm
Late speech development
Walking quite early, but not necessarily crawling first
Difficulties getting dressed
Preferring ‘junk’ foods or covering all food with ketchup
In social situations, we may have some, but not all of the following:
Poor organisational skills including forgetting things, living in a mess
Difficulty establishing friendships
Insensitivity to other people’s feelings
Difficulty in showing affection
Difficulty maintaining eye contact
Tendency towards impulsive behaviour
Inability to be satisfied, and always looking for more stimulation
Tendency to talk incessantly and repeat things
Difficulty in following directions
Poor spatial awareness
Inability to process thoughts and feelings quickly
Difficulty in expressing yourself
Poor short-term memory – remembering phone numbers, names, lists, etc.
In school and college work, there will be some, but not all of the following:
Problems with, and lack of interest in reading – often jumping words
Poor spelling and putting letters and figures the wrong way round
Difficulty remembering tables, alphabet, formulae, etc.
Poor handwriting, including leaving out letters or putting them in the wrong order
Difficulty in writing on the lines
Problems with writing and getting work completed quickly
Mixing upper and lower case in words
Inability to sit still or concentrate on one task
Difficulty in concentrating
Problems processing language at speed
Confusion with places, times and dates
Difficulty with planning and writing essays
Difficulty processing complex language or long series