Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Dyslexia - one name, many problems

Thursday’s Channel Four Dispatches documentary examined whether there was any such thing as dyslexia and a leading complementary health practitioner who has treated 100's of children labelled as dyslexic says this ‘umbrella’ term is meaningless.

Surrey-based Mark Mathews, an osteopath and Applied Kinesiology (AK) practitioner, was himself labelled as severely dyslexic and he has developed the Sunflower Therapy which he has used with great success, treating 100's of patients over a decade. He has also set up the Sunflower Trust, which helps make the therapy available to children whose parents may not be able to afford the treatment.

The Sunflower Therapy brings together a range of complementary therapies individually tailored to each patient’s needs. The treatment may include osteopathy, AK, nutritional evaluation, acupuncture, homeopathy and neurolinguistic programming.

Mark Mathews uses the term learning difficulties to cover the range of problems which the therapy can help to treat. These include problems with reading, writing and spelling, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, memory problems, speech delay, dyspraxia (clumsiness), co-ordination problems, behaviour problems, autistic spectrum disorders and health problems such as hypoglycaemia, food sensitivities, allergies, auto-immune problems and social, psychological and emotional stress.

He has trained health professionals including doctors, osteopaths, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors and AK practitioners to use the Sunflower Therapy in their own practices.

Mark says: “It was fascinating to watch the TV documentary, and I agree that giving children with reading problems a label like dyslexia is meaningless as it is not a guide to the underlying causes. As the documentary correctly pointed out, these can be a result of a number of factors, including genetic disposition, parenting, educational, environmental and other social factors and they reported some fascinating research findings. But they only opted to emphasise one kind of remedy – special educational methods of teaching.”

He said: “The Sunflower Trust agrees with much of what the programme was saying and has been saying as much for the last 10 years. Special teaching methods can be of great benefit to these children, but this is not the only way in which the functional neurology can be normalised.

“Sunflower Practitioners are often able to facilitate greater improvement in children’s learning with just a few hours of contact time. Using an approach which combines a number of safe, natural therapies matched individually to each child makes the teacher’s work very much easier.”

The particular mix of these problems which make up and contribute to “learning difficulties” will be unique to each child. Some children may mature slowly, some may be generally very bright but seriously underachieving in certain areas. There are many therapies which offer explanations of what the problems are and why they occur

Mark says: “If there's one factor that is common to children with learning difficulties, it is that each and every aspect of the conditions these children have to deal with is mediated via the neural system.
For many years we have been aware how faults in the basic reflex systems affect co-ordination, behaviour and learning skills
“People do not exist as separate parts. Children with learning difficulties are a variable mix of physical, physiological, mental and emotional problems stem from their being neurologically imbalanced. The treatment of different symptoms of their problems by specialists with little regard to the whole ecology is very inefficient and expensive.
“Trained professionals such as doctors, osteopaths, physiotherapists, chiropractors and occupational therapists who have gained post graduate training and experience in the Sunflower Therapy can do a great deal to normalise the functional neurology of such children. This can be done safely, efficiently and economically and improve their health, behaviour and well being. These children are in turn more receptive to additional help and take much more advantage of their educational opportunities.
ONE CASE HISTORY
The mother of one child treated with the Sunflower Therapy said: “Harriet was diagnosed dyslexic aged six. She experienced difficulty with writing and number work and suffered from poor concentration in the classroom and self esteem, lack of enthusiasm for school. She was negative and miserable. After her first Sunflower treatment, she succeeded in riding her bicycle without stabilisers on the very next day! After more sessions her sensory abilities and concentration improved and a positive effect on her behaviour at home was noticed.
After nutritional deficiencies were diagnosed and nutritional supplements taken and dietary changes made, her previously fluctuating energy levels quickly stabilised and her “negative moods” virtually disappeared. After a few months her form teacher commented on her calmer behaviour and improved concentration and that her “joined up” writing was now the best in the class. Harriet tackled new work with enthusiasm and developed greater self-confidence. Harriet was a happier child whose achievements at school now resulted in her first really good report.

A NEW TRAINING COURSE
The latest training course for health professionals interested in learning the Sunflower Therapy begins in October.
More details of the course and the work of the Sunflower Trust can be found on the website www.sunflowertrust.com


For more info on this press release, contact
Lesley Keen on 01483 764729
Email: lesleykeen@ndirect.co.uk