Australian Parents Find Dyslexia Solution In NZ

News Release
For immediate release
August 18, 2010

Australian Parents Find Dyslexia and Behavioural Problems Solution in New Zealand

For Adelaide mother of three Alison Willis, making the trip from South Australia to Auckland for treatment for her son Jamie’s dyslexia is worth the expense and effort because she has seen the results of the Dore programme before.

Two years ago she and her elder son Edward made the same journey looking for treatment for his behavioural problems that made it difficult to make friends and form relationships. He was often angry and unhappy and as a parent it was hard work dealing with him says Alison.

However, within six weeks of starting the Dore programme she noticed that his drink, that was always tipped over at every meal, was not getting tipped over – a small victory, but as any parent with a child with behavioural problems will tell you, a major milestone.

Within six months Edward was making friends and now two years later at 11 he is happier and easier for his parents and teachers to manage.

“He works well with other people now and is picked to do responsible jobs at school which he likes and appreciates.”
Alison has just been back with eight-year-old Jamie and is confident big changes will result.

“At the time I was considering starting Edward in Dore I found a friend in England had put her son through the Dore programme and her comment to me was ‘do whatever you have to do but do the programme’.

“My advice would be the same to a parent with a child like Edward. The opportunities he now has are wide open.”

Jamie has a different condition but Alison has seen him go from being an outgoing, confident child before he started school to an aggressive and angry boy once he became aware he couldn’t do things the way other children did. Even though he had been identified as being gifted his learning difficulties meant he just couldn’t express what was in his head because he didn™t have the reading and writing skills.

Jamie was in Auckland last week with his mother to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother. He carried out three and a half hours of assessment to determine precisely what his condition was so a specific programme could be developed for him.

“I would say to any parent absolutely do this,” says Alison.

“I was a school teacher before I had my children. With what I have learned about the workings of the brain and the connection between the cerebellum and the cerebrum, which is at the heart of the Dore programme, I can look back to my teaching days and think of children who would have benefited from this understanding. They weren™ just naughty children or withdrawn after all. They just had two parts of the brain that were not talking to each other so of course they couldn™t learn. I am sure I will bring a new understanding to teaching when I return.

Dore General Manager in New Zealand Peter Sargent says the centre has other Australian clients who also make the trip across the Tasman so their children can benefit from the programme.

The Dore programme is available in New Zealand, China, Taiwan, the US and the UK.

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