Dear Mills,
I live with someone who worked for Dore for a couple of years and we discussed many things about her work there. As a treatment, Dore does not work for many people because a lot of people cannot or do not stay on the program to complete it. Sounds easy - exercises twice a day for a year or so, but it's actually very hard for most families to stay with it. Motivation to stay on the program is a huge problem, she said.
I think there IS something legitimate to the many programs who claim that physiologic exercises can stimulate the brain (ie., Dore, Learning Breakthrough, BrainGym, Handle Institute, etc.), but there are many variations on the theme. Some of the research Dore is based on has been around for almost 50 years!
What troubles me is that Dore makes you sign the contract up front to pay, even though they know a lot of people drop off the program. That stinks. They didn't always do it that way.
In my opinion, based on what I've been told, Dore does not have the kind of research that will stand up to the scrutiny of American educators and doctors. To my knowledge, Dore has been unsuccessful in getting a real research program going here in the U.S. to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of its treatment. Dore basis its claims on research done by other people. Dore likes to brag about its Balsall Common study, but its flawed. Ask them for a copy and then take it to your school pyschologist or someone who knows research. Have them read it and then give you their assessment. Also, according to my roommate, some schools have done small, informal programs with Dore, but I dont' think they were scientifically designed, documented or monitored.
Dr. Hallowell has stepped out on a limb to endorse Dore and I think he is a pioneer in the field. I respect his work. In his latest book, he even says it did wonders for his son. But no medical treatment works for everyone, and many work only for a minority. Dore is not a cure-all. Dr. Hallowell also advocates regular physical exercise, evaluating, diet and foods, getting enough rest, educational accommodations, prescription medications when appropriate, counselling, Dore, etc., etc. He is not hanging his hat solely on Dore, and in his book he basically says that Dore (and other programs like it) deserve to be researched and proven beneficial or benign. My roommate said he's got some kind of contract with Dore.
Testimonials are great, but I think some people also cast out viable treatments that might be available to them only because someone says it didn't work for them. Dore seems to have a pretty low threshold on who it accepts into its treatment program. My wife treated people for months who didn't see any improvement. Dore actually will tell you that some people can go through an entire course of treatment for more than a year and still not see benefit. Dore claims that some people will realize benefit after the treatment is over. Who's gonna buy that?
With new treatments, the hardest part in evaluating them is not knowing what to ask. If you ask Dore the questions I've outlined above, and you feel comfortable with the answers you've been given, then go forward with confidence. If you are not satisfied with the answers, don't start. I just want to help people evaluate the program. It's easy to razzle and dazzle with fancy charts and reports and graphs that no one else can read or interpret unless you have a medical degree.
Another question to ask Dore is how many people nationwide have started the program and how many have FULLY completed the program with Dore's doctors signing off and saying "We're finished, the cerebellum is working normally now." My roomie says there aren't many. I'd be curious to know what they say.
Muchmochaman
Thanks again Muchomochaman. I have decided that I am going to wait. Wait for better research, something that will stand up. I think that the prospect of a "cure" has made me desperate. I have a great kid, I am just dreading what lies ahead for him. He's 11, and has largely been protected from the world. As he goes into his teens and out of the cocoon I anticipate things getting really hard. I just asked his doctor about the bio neuro feedback and there isn't any good evidence for it either. I guess there isn't a cure, just "management". Thanks for the time you took answering me.Hi Muchomuchoman, sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I respect everything you've said. You say you are very familiar with Dore. Please tell me how? I haven't taken my son there yet because frankly I just can't afford it right now. The thing is while I agree that there isn't enough proof I keep going back to Dr. Holloway's unequivocal endorsement of the program. This is a doctor renowned in the field of ADHD. I am a "think outside the box person". If humanity had waited for proof of everything we wouldn't be where we are today right? I keep hoping someone who has done the whole program will respond. Dore has their testimonials but I would like to hear from others. Is there something to this? Like I said, I would do anything for my kid, but getting his hopes up and having it fail, he'd think it was him and that is more expensive than the 00. Please, if anyone has done this program, successfully or not successfully, please share!
I have not heard much about this program, but I can give you some general advise regarding these programs.
Beware of anything that is promising symptoms to disappear. If it is such a miracle program, everyone with ADHD kids would be lining up to get in on it. It also has a hefty price tag. That should raise some red flags for you, and prompt you to really look into what they are offering. Research the program all you can. I think that muchomochman gave you some very good questions to ask them. They should be able to answer every single one if it is legit.
I hope this helps, and please let us know if you find out more info. Also, if you do decide to do it, let us know how it works. Good luck!
I am very familiar with Dore and I implore you to ask them about the following:
1) Do they have any real research projects here in the USA? They have some very small school studies, but they are not scientific. Their British "research" has been soundly rejected by American educators and doctors, and is highly criticized in Britain.
2) How do they know their testing equipment works? Dore has its own equipment manufactured for them. But no one could show me the normalization data for their equipment (both balance and eye tracking). Normalization is when you test "normal" people to see how the equipment works. Once you have baseline data for "normal" people, you then can confidently test people who are not "normal." No ethical person would offer a diagnostic test using equipment that hasn't been normalized, much less a treatment based on the test results. If Dore's equipment has been normalized, why can't they produce that information?
3) Dore makes you sign a contract up front that you will pay the full fee even if you don't complete treatment. I suspicion Dore has a high percentage of clients who don't finish the program and therefore they make you sign the contract to lock you in. When they first opened in the USA, it was a "pay as you go" arrangement. If you didn't finish, you didn't pay anything more. Not any more.
4) Wynford Dore is quoted in the British papers as saying he has a "cure" for dyslexia and ADHD. Based on what research? He's been slammed in Britain for his claim. I think exercise-based treatments have some validity, but this is far from a cure.
5) I also know for a fact that the company has gone through some management shake ups and has had an almost complete turnover of senior management in the last year. It has had 3 presidents in less than 3 years.
6) On their USA website, Dore has an online test to see if you are ADHD or dyslexic. They simply have posted the DSM-IV criteria for diagnosing these disorders and have you self-assess. DSM-IV stands for "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Psychological Disorders - Version 4". It's a book used by doctors and psychiatrists to diagnose ADD and ADHD and lots of other things. But there are more than 30 medical conditions that have ADD-like symptoms. Notice that you have to complete a bunch of contact information first BEFORE you take the online test? This is nothing more than a marketing tool to get your contact info so that they can pressure you into going on the program. Sylvan Learning uses the same tactic on its website.
Educate yourself before you spend any money!