The document discusses alternative interventions for dyslexia including the Dore method of motor exercises and fish oil supplementation. It evaluates the scientific plausibility and evidence for the theories underlying these approaches and identifies important questions about whether gains are truly due to the interventions rather than other factors like maturation or placebo effects based on studies of the Dore method that included a control group.
Design leadership in design-lead companiesNath Yamauti
Como você lida com o desafio da liderança? Sabe contratar, desenvolver talentos, pessoas, harmonizar perfis diferentes no seu time de design? E promover confiança, transparência e comprometimento? Podemos aplicar na gestão dos nossos times as abordagens de design que usamos para criar relações através de experiências mais profundas e engajadoras.
16 Simple Ways to Help First-Time Managers SucceedJhana
Great managers aren't born; they're taught. Ineffective managers lead to all kinds of expensive problems, including high turnover, low morale, poor company performance.
The good news is that the solution to this problem is simple. Designed for HR leaders in tech, this free reference guide contains 16 simple ways to help first-time managers learn how to be effective managers. You'll learn:
- Why good managers are critical to your company's success.
- 16 actionable ideas you can use to help your first-time managers today.
- Real-world examples and tips to implement manager development.
Building Resilience in the Workplace and the Personal SphereLITTLE FISH
Equation of resilience - Resilience matrix - Building personal resilience - Fostering professional resilience - Creating a resilience-friendly workplace.
Design leadership in design-lead companiesNath Yamauti
Como você lida com o desafio da liderança? Sabe contratar, desenvolver talentos, pessoas, harmonizar perfis diferentes no seu time de design? E promover confiança, transparência e comprometimento? Podemos aplicar na gestão dos nossos times as abordagens de design que usamos para criar relações através de experiências mais profundas e engajadoras.
16 Simple Ways to Help First-Time Managers SucceedJhana
Great managers aren't born; they're taught. Ineffective managers lead to all kinds of expensive problems, including high turnover, low morale, poor company performance.
The good news is that the solution to this problem is simple. Designed for HR leaders in tech, this free reference guide contains 16 simple ways to help first-time managers learn how to be effective managers. You'll learn:
- Why good managers are critical to your company's success.
- 16 actionable ideas you can use to help your first-time managers today.
- Real-world examples and tips to implement manager development.
Building Resilience in the Workplace and the Personal SphereLITTLE FISH
Equation of resilience - Resilience matrix - Building personal resilience - Fostering professional resilience - Creating a resilience-friendly workplace.
Building high performance teams through psychological safetyPeter Cauwelier
Trying to improve team performance ? Discover the concept of Team Psychological Safety and how this allows a team to learn and progress. Action Learning sets have a positive impact, not just on the learning-performance cycle, but also on the level of psychological safety in the team.
In our jobs, we are constantly challenged with leading people that do not report to us. Therefore, we must rely on other forms of influence to drive results in our project teams. Getting results through others is most effective when you have built a strong relationship. In this talk, Justin will draw from his experience at c3/consulting (and the knowledge of others at c3) to share thoughts about:
- Starting the conversation with someone new that you want to know
- Determining what you have to offer
- Forming habits that will lead to stronger relationships in the long run
Leading high performance teams training enable you to create fundamental aptitudes including enhancing self-comprehension, investigating the adequacy of others, group building, authority, consolation, and compromise. You will pick up a viable training of how to break down and keep up successful group performance over the task life cycle alongside how to perceive and illuminate key issues. Venture achievement not just relies upon the viability of the task group and how well they work together, yet additionally on the undertaking director's ability to control and deal with the group and focus on individuals issues.
Objectives :
Determine the characters of high-performing project teams
Successfully initiate a new project team
Inspire peak performance in project teams
Use leadership skills to create team members’ capability and commitment
Lead and manage distant project teams
Determine tactics to manage the various performance roles people take inside a team and the ways to enhance team dynamics
Set up personal strategies and activities that will construct and secure a high performing team
Share their team vision in an attractive way to motivate team member “buy in”
Describe the value of successfully managing ‘soft-side’ concerns that cause issues and postpones during product development programs
Use effective practices of employing and initiating teams
Execute methods to effectively lead and smooth effective teams
Efficiently troubleshoot problems on a team and use methods to remain efficient
Execute proven guidelines for performing effective team meetings
Course outline:
Overview of Leading High Performance Teams
Initiating a Project Team
Constructing a High-Performing Team
Accomplishing High Performing Team Dynamics
High-Performance Team Leadership
Creating a High Team Performance Management Culture and Vision
Leading Project Teams from Long distance
Making Effective Decisions
Sound Facilitation
TONEX Case Study Sample: Unit-Based High Performance Team
Leading high performance teams training
https://www.tonex.com/training-courses/leading-high-performance-teams-training/
Lecture focusses on social change through storytelling and behavioural nudges; Moral values are essential for the development of a good society; Education is vital for the same.
Class rooms becoming Smart.. kids already smarter than the class rooms.. Unless parents are not smart handling them and mentoring them is a big challenge.. Instead of fighting with them now we can decode their talents and nurture them effectively.
The OPRA Group have been working with GENOS on Emotional Intelligence (EI) since the early 2000s. This gives us a unique perspective on how EI theory has developed and been applied to maximise organisational success.
The following presentation discusses the basics, and basis, of the GENOS model of EI. This is now the foundation of the award winning leadership programmes offered by OPRA.
A PowerPoint on the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Includes links to videos on famous people who failed in the beginning, and how neurons work and how to make your brain smarter. Target audience is 4th-high school age students.
Detailed Presentation on the topic Leadership.
Leadership - Introduction: Meaning and Characteristics.
Leadership Vs Managership
Functions, Role, And Importance Of Leadership
Types Of Leaders
Traits Of Good Leader
Managerial Grid
Theories Of Leadership
Power, Influence, Followership, And Leadership
Leadership Styles
Leadership Continuum
Trait, Behavioural And Situational Approach
Leadership Effectiveness
www.infinitegrowth.com.au | Want to become a more effective leader in your workplace? Follow these 5 tips!
Visit us at www.infinitegrowth.com.au for more business leadership tips.
Building high performance teams through psychological safetyPeter Cauwelier
Trying to improve team performance ? Discover the concept of Team Psychological Safety and how this allows a team to learn and progress. Action Learning sets have a positive impact, not just on the learning-performance cycle, but also on the level of psychological safety in the team.
In our jobs, we are constantly challenged with leading people that do not report to us. Therefore, we must rely on other forms of influence to drive results in our project teams. Getting results through others is most effective when you have built a strong relationship. In this talk, Justin will draw from his experience at c3/consulting (and the knowledge of others at c3) to share thoughts about:
- Starting the conversation with someone new that you want to know
- Determining what you have to offer
- Forming habits that will lead to stronger relationships in the long run
Leading high performance teams training enable you to create fundamental aptitudes including enhancing self-comprehension, investigating the adequacy of others, group building, authority, consolation, and compromise. You will pick up a viable training of how to break down and keep up successful group performance over the task life cycle alongside how to perceive and illuminate key issues. Venture achievement not just relies upon the viability of the task group and how well they work together, yet additionally on the undertaking director's ability to control and deal with the group and focus on individuals issues.
Objectives :
Determine the characters of high-performing project teams
Successfully initiate a new project team
Inspire peak performance in project teams
Use leadership skills to create team members’ capability and commitment
Lead and manage distant project teams
Determine tactics to manage the various performance roles people take inside a team and the ways to enhance team dynamics
Set up personal strategies and activities that will construct and secure a high performing team
Share their team vision in an attractive way to motivate team member “buy in”
Describe the value of successfully managing ‘soft-side’ concerns that cause issues and postpones during product development programs
Use effective practices of employing and initiating teams
Execute methods to effectively lead and smooth effective teams
Efficiently troubleshoot problems on a team and use methods to remain efficient
Execute proven guidelines for performing effective team meetings
Course outline:
Overview of Leading High Performance Teams
Initiating a Project Team
Constructing a High-Performing Team
Accomplishing High Performing Team Dynamics
High-Performance Team Leadership
Creating a High Team Performance Management Culture and Vision
Leading Project Teams from Long distance
Making Effective Decisions
Sound Facilitation
TONEX Case Study Sample: Unit-Based High Performance Team
Leading high performance teams training
https://www.tonex.com/training-courses/leading-high-performance-teams-training/
Lecture focusses on social change through storytelling and behavioural nudges; Moral values are essential for the development of a good society; Education is vital for the same.
Class rooms becoming Smart.. kids already smarter than the class rooms.. Unless parents are not smart handling them and mentoring them is a big challenge.. Instead of fighting with them now we can decode their talents and nurture them effectively.
The OPRA Group have been working with GENOS on Emotional Intelligence (EI) since the early 2000s. This gives us a unique perspective on how EI theory has developed and been applied to maximise organisational success.
The following presentation discusses the basics, and basis, of the GENOS model of EI. This is now the foundation of the award winning leadership programmes offered by OPRA.
A PowerPoint on the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Includes links to videos on famous people who failed in the beginning, and how neurons work and how to make your brain smarter. Target audience is 4th-high school age students.
Detailed Presentation on the topic Leadership.
Leadership - Introduction: Meaning and Characteristics.
Leadership Vs Managership
Functions, Role, And Importance Of Leadership
Types Of Leaders
Traits Of Good Leader
Managerial Grid
Theories Of Leadership
Power, Influence, Followership, And Leadership
Leadership Styles
Leadership Continuum
Trait, Behavioural And Situational Approach
Leadership Effectiveness
www.infinitegrowth.com.au | Want to become a more effective leader in your workplace? Follow these 5 tips!
Visit us at www.infinitegrowth.com.au for more business leadership tips.
Disclosure of a diagnosis to a child with Trisomy X or 47,XYY Dorothy Bishop
With funding from the Nuffield Foundation, we have developed materials to help parents decide whether, when and how to tell their children about a sex chromosome trisomy (XXX or XYY). These slides describe the background and the development of a booklet for parents and a picture-book for children.
What is the reproducibility crisis in science and what can we do about it?Dorothy Bishop
Talk given to the Rhodes Biomedical Association, 4th May 2016.
For references see: http://www.slideshare.net/deevybishop/references-on-reproducibility-crisis-in-science-by-dvm-bishop
Lecture by Prof Dorothy Bishop, 1st Feb 2017, University of Southampton:
What’s wrong with our Universities, and will the Teaching Excellence Framework put it right?
An evaluation of the Dore programme. Remarkable success is claimed for this exercise-based treatment that is designed to accelerate cerebellar development. Unfortunately, the published studies are seriously flawed. On measures where control data are available, there is no credible evidence of significant gains in literacy associated with this intervention. There are no published studies on efficacy with the clinical groups for whom the programme is advocated. It is important that family practitioners and paediatricians are aware that the claims made for this expensive treatment are misleading.
Late talkers and specific language impairmentDorothy Bishop
When should we be concerned about late-talking toddlers? A slideshow by Professor Dorothy Bishop of Oxford University for the RALLI campaign.
see http://www.youtube.com/rallicampaign
Autism and specific language impairment both involve problems with language and communcation, so how are they distinguished? This slide show accompanies a youtube video for the RALLI campaign.
http://www.youtube.com/rallicampaign
Neurodevelopmental disorders: are our current diagnostic labels fit for purpose?Dorothy Bishop
Slides from a talk given at University of Western Australia on Tuesday 2nd October 2012, This lecture was co-hosted by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and
its Disorders and the Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Western Australia
Dynia, J.M. (2018, July). The association between emergent-literacy skills and child-specific teacher self-efficacy for children with autism spectrum disorders. In E. Solari (Chair). Language, reading, and writing development in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Symposium conducted at the Twenty-fifth Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, Brighton, UK.
ADHD is becoming much prevalent in childhood and adolescent , comorbidities like learning disability, anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder and tourette syndrome . Regarding the treatment we have to put in mind the comorbid disorder . Amphetamine Methylphenidate, Atomoxetine and behavioral treatment are considered of value in treating ADHD and comorbidities , ,
PSY 1010, General Psychology 1 Course Learning Out.docxgertrudebellgrove
PSY 1010, General Psychology 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
5. Explain basic cognitive functions.
5.1 Identify some methods that people use to solve problems and make decisions.
5.2 Summarize a theory of intelligence.
5.3 Explain how early childhood language develops.
Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes
Learning Activity
5.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 7
Experiment: Mental Rotation
Unit V Assessment
5.2
Unit Lesson
Chapter 7
Video: In the Real World: Intelligence Tests and Stereotypes
Video: Thinking Like a Psychologist: Intelligence Tests and Success
Unit V Assessment
5.3
Unit Lesson
Chapter 7
Unit V Assessment
Reading Assignment
Chapter 7: Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence, and Language
A link to Chapter 7 of the eTextbook is provided in the Required Reading area of Unit V in Blackboard.
View the following eight videos in MyPsychLab. You can access the videos by clicking the links provided in
the Unit V Required Reading area of Blackboard. (You must be logged into Blackboard in order to access any
MyPsychLab features.)
Simulate the Experiment: Mental Rotation
In the Real World: Intelligence Tests and Stereotypes
Thinking Like a Psychologist: Intelligence Tests and Success
Cognition
The Basics: Theories of Intelligence
Language Development
What’s In It For Me?: How Resilient Are You?
What’s In It For Me?: Making Choices
UNIT V STUDY GUIDE
Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence,
and Language
PSY 1010, General Psychology 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Unit Lesson
Quite frequently, thoughts that we proactively seek to avoid wind up plaguing our conscious thoughts beyond
relief. Did you realize those unwanted thoughts can make peace and mental tranquility a seemingly elusive
goal? As a matter of fact, Wegner (1988) explained that the dilemma we face is not actually rooted in our
consciousness. No, trouble surfaces when we seek to suppress those thoughts. When you attempt to repress
a particular thought, you actually begin to focus on it even more. For example, if I told you stop thinking about
an orange basketball, could you do it? Try it. Do not think about a round, orange basketball. Now quickly,
what are you thinking about? Is it the orange basketball? As you explore this unit, you will gain more insight
into mental manipulation. Start to think about how you categorize various objects around you. Do you believe
all of your thoughts are conscious ones? Could you be thinking about something without really being aware
of such?
Are you a rational thinker? How often are you influenced by your gut instincts as you attempt to make a huge
decision in your life? Within this unit’s chapter readings, Ciccarelli and White (2017) discuss our ability to
make rational decisions. In fact, we are always thinking or processing mental information; however, we have
two major types of think.
"Can Treating Visual Problems Improve Attention?" by Dr. Eric Borsting crealcsuf
Presentation for C-REAL's Round Table Hot Topic Series March 2015 Event " Can Treating Visual Problems Improve Attention?" presented by Dr. Eric Borsting.
From the event "From Troubled Teens to Tsarnaev: Promises and Perils of Adolescent Neuroscience and Law."
Part of the Project on Law and Applied Neuroscience, cosponsored by the Center for Law, Brain and Behavior at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School.
For more information, visit our website at http://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/events/details/from-troubled-teens-to-tsarnaev.
Similar to Dore programme and fish oil interventions: evaluation (20)
Open Research Practices in the Age of a Papermill PandemicDorothy Bishop
Talk given to Open Research Group, Maynooth University, October 2022.
Describes the phenomenon of large-scale fraudulent science publishing (papermills), and discusses how open science practices can help tackle this.
Language-impaired preschoolers: A follow-up into adolescence.Dorothy Bishop
Stothard, S. E., Snowling, M. J., Bishop, D. V., Chipchase, B. B., & Kaplan, C. A. (1998). Language-impaired preschoolers: A follow-up into adolescence. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research: JSLHR, 41(2), 407–418. https://doi.org/10.1044/jslhr.4102.407
ABSTRACT: This paper reports a longitudinal follow-up of 71 adolescents with a preschool history of speech-language impairment, originally studied by Bishop and Edmundson (1987). These children had been subdivided at 4 years into those with nonverbal IQ 2 SD below the mean (General Delay group), and those with normal nonverbal intelligence (SLI group). At age 5;6 the SLI group was subdivided into those whose language problems had resolved, and those with persistent SLI. The General Delay group was also followed up. At age 15-16 years, these children were compared with age-matched normal-language controls on a battery of tests of spoken language and literacy skills. Children whose language problems had resolved did not differ from controls on tests of vocabulary and language comprehension skills. However, they performed significantly less well on tests of phonological processing and literacy skill. Children who still had significant language difficulties at 5;6 had significant impairments in all aspects of spoken and written language functioning, as did children classified as having a general delay. These children fell further and further behind their peer group in vocabulary growth over time.
Otitis media with effusion: an illustration of ascertainment biasDorothy Bishop
Otitis media with effusion (OME) provides an example of how ascertainment bias can induce spurious correlations. Early work suggested it impacted children's language, but when unbiased samples are studied, the effect is absent or very small
Simulating data to gain insights intopower and p-hackingDorothy Bishop
Very basic introduction to simulating data to illustrate issues affecting reproducibility. Uses Excel and R, but assumes no prior knowledge of R. Please let me know of errors or things that need better explanation.
4 major threats to reproducibility are publication bias, low power, p-hacking and HARKing. In this talk I explain these terms and show how study pre-registration can fix them
2. Conventional approaches to
dyslexia
• Most children have problems with
“phonological awareness”
• Interventions focus on training children to
identify sounds in words and relate these
to letters
2
3. Problems with conventional
approach
– Intensive and prolonged phonological
intervention can be effective in improving
reading accuracy
– Reading fluency remains a problem
– Methods that are effective for most children,
don‟t work for all: A hard core of children
remain very hard to treat
3
4. Neuroscience studies of
developmental disorders
The Holy Grail
Develop a theory of the disorder that
not only explains why it occurs, but also
motivates effective intervention
4
5. Goals of this talk
• Identify some questions for parents
considering a new treatments
• Illustrate with Dore method and fish oil
5
7. How to measure reading etc.
70
60
50
words read
40
30
20
10
0
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
age (yr)
A 9-year-old reads 20 words
Reading Age is 8 years: Sounds bad: 12 months behind age level
7
8. Reading age misleading: does not take into
account spread of scores at a given age;
non-linear relation with chronological age
80
70
60
words read
50
40
30
20
10
0
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
age (yr)
A 9-year-old reads 20 words. Error bars show middle 50% of children
Within normal range for children of this age
8
9. Better to measure reading in terms of
statistical abnormality at that age
80
70
60
words read
50
40
30
20
10
0
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
age (yr)
Percentile: % of children of this age obtaining this score or lower;
Also z-score or standard score: different way of expressing same idea 9
10. Some questions to ask of a new
treatment
1. Is the theory scientifically plausible?
2. Does evidence for efficacy goes beyond
testimonials? – have studies been done with
groups for whom treatment is recommended?
3. Is there evidence that gains are due to
treatment rather than
maturation, practice, placebo, etc.?
4. Are costs reasonable relative to benefits?
10
11. Dore method: what is it?
• Method for curing
cerebellar problems
developed by Wynford
Dore to help his
dyslexic daughter
• Individualised program
of exercises, done for
around 10 mins, 2 x
per day, assessed
every 6 weeks 11
12. Dore method: the exercises
• Hundreds of exercises, e.g.:
– standing on a cushion on one leg and
throwing a beanbag from one hand to
another for one minute
– hopping on one leg in large circle,
clockwise then anticlockwise
– sitting upright in a chair, turning head from
side to side, pausing to focus on chosen
point
– balancing on a wobble board
(Examples only: full details confidential because
commercially sensitive)
12
13. Dore method: the theory
•Dyslexia and other
learning difficulties arise
when the cerebellum
fails to develop normally
•Cerebellar impairments
differ from person to
person but can be
diagnosed by specific
tests of mental and
physical co-ordination
13
14. Cerebellar theory of dyslexia
• Not proven, but some evidence for it
• Brain imaging and neuroanatomical
studies offer some support
• Theory that dyslexia involves failure to
automatise skills is plausible
• Associated deficits in motor co-ordination
in a subset of people with dyslexia
14
15. Previous research on
effectiveness of motor training
• Training can improve
performance on motor
tasks, e.g. juggling
• In rats, exercise can
reverse cerebellar deficits
caused by prenatal alcohol
or zero gravity
• But no evidence that motor
training enhances
development of non-motor
skills 15
16. The Theory: evaluation
• Notion that training motor skills will have
effect on other skills:
• “This hypothesis required something of a leap of
faith, in that it is generally believed that the
cerebellum comprises a very large number of
independent „cerebro-cortical microzones‟, and
so it is not clear why training on one sort of task
should generalize to unrelated tasks”
(Reynolds et al, 2003, p 53)
16
17. The Theory: evaluation
• If training focusing on one region of cerebellum
had general effects on all cerebellar
functions, then
– activities like juggling and skateboarding should
protect against dyslexia
– sportsmen and women should have low risk of
dyslexia
Duncan Goodhew 17
Kenny Logan Greg Louganis Paul Nixon
18. Questions
1. Is the theory scientifically plausible?
• Notion that cerebellum may be implicated
in dyslexia is plausible though not proven
• Notion that motor exercises will have
beneficial effect on regions of cerebellum
concerned with learning is considerably
less plausible
18
19. Does evidence for efficacy goes
beyond testimonials?
One published study on Dore intervention
• Two papers in Dyslexia reporting different
phases
19
20. Have studies been done with
groups for whom treatment is
recommended?
• 2003 study: 296 children from 3 school yrs
• Selected 35 “at risk” on basis of Dyslexia
Screening Test : strong risk in 34%, mild in
21%, remainder fall below „at risk‟ level
• Divided randomly into untreated and treated
groups
• Previous diagnoses:
– treated: 4 dyslexic, 1 dyspraxic
– control: 2 dyslexic, 1 dyspraxic, 1 ADHD 20
21. Results as reported by Dore
organisation
• Dore (2006): results were “stunning” and:
– reading age, increased 3 x
– comprehension age: increased almost 5 x
– writing, increased by “an extraordinary” 17 x
21
22. Data from school-administered
tests, treated group only
% improvement
calculated by dividing
orange line by pink
NFER group reading test line, i.e. change from time
2 to 3, divided by change
144
from time 1 to 2
132
120 reading age Conclude “reading age
108 actual age increased 3 times”
96
84 But misleading: depends
-15 -3 9 21 on low score at time 2
time relative to intervention start (mo)
Why use „reading age‟
when test has scaled
22
scores?
23. Data from SATS (treated children only)
“Designed for assessment of attainment rather than
psychometric rigour” (Reynolds & Nicolson, 2007)
• Level 2: average for typical 7 yr old
• Level 3: average for typical 9 yr old
• Level 4: average for typical 11 yr old
“One should not over-interpret these data”(Reynolds &
Nicolson, 2007) 23
24. Q3. Is there evidence that gains
are due to treatment?
24
25. Uninteresting reasons why
scores may improve - 1
• Maturation
–Children change with age
–Shoe size may go up after treatment, but
does not mean that treatment made feet
bigger
• Not an issue if age-adjusted scores
used but problematic if reliant on
„reading age‟ or tests with no age
norms (e.g. balance tests) 25
26. Uninteresting reasons why
scores may improve - 2
• Placebo effect / effect of other
intervention
–Child may be having other help or may
respond to increased attention
26
27. Uninteresting reasons why
scores may improve - 3
• Practice effects
• Child does test better 2nd time around
because they have done it before
• Numerous examples in research literature: e.g.
Dyslexia Screening Test manual recommends
that „semantic fluency‟ subtest is not valid if
given twice because children tend to practice
once they have done the test
27
28. Uninteresting reasons why
scores may improve - 4
• Regression to the mean
– Statistical artefact whereby someone
selected for extreme score at time 1 will
on average have less extreme score at
time 2
“Regression to the mean is as inevitable
as death and taxes”
Campbell & Kenny (1999) A primer on
regression artefacts 28
29. Regression to the mean
3
8
2
6
1
average score
4
score
2 0
0 -1
-2
-2
-4
-3
-6
-4
1 2
1 2
test occasion
test occasion
Correlation between time 1 and time 2 = .06
29
30. Regression to the mean
3
2
1.5 2
1
average score
1
0.5
score
0
0
-1
-0.5
-1 -2
-1.5 -3
-2
-4
1 2 1 2
test occasion test occasion
Correlation between time 1 and time 2 = .99
30
31. Regression to the mean
4 3
3 2
2
average score
1
score
1 0
0 -1
-1
-2
-2
-3
-3
-4
1 2 1 2
test occasion test occasion
Correlation between time 1 and time 2 = .76
“Social scientists incorrectly estimate the effects of ameliorative
interventions.....and snake-oil peddlers earn a healthy living all
because our intuition fails when trying to comprehend regression
toward the mean” (Campbell & Kenny, 1999)
31
32. These unwanted sources of
change can be identified if we
have a CONTROL GROUP
• Untreated matched group given same pre-
and post-test will control for:
– Maturation
– Effects of other intervention
– Practice effects
– Regression to the mean
32
33. Alternative treatment control
group
• Crucial to see if improvement due to:
• Placebo/expectation effects
–Child, parent, teachers all expect and
want to see gains
–Child gets more attention, boosted
confidence, etc.
33
35. Results: total on dyslexia
screening
• High score indicates more risk
• NB score include bead-threading/posture
• Treated: mean fell from 0.74 to 0.34
– “strong risk” fell from 33% to 11%
• Control: mean fell from 0.72 to 0.44
– “strong risk” fell from 35% to 24%
Everyone improves, even if not treated
35
36. Significant group differences in gain on bead
threading, semantic fluency and reading
Control group Treated Group
time 2 time 1 time 2 time 1
Post Stability Post Stability
Bead thread Bead thread
Semantic Fl Semantic Fl
Verbal Fl. Verbal Fl.
Backward digits Backward digits
Phon segment Phon segment
RAN RAN
One min writing One min writing
Nons pass reading Nons pass reading
Spell Spell
Read Read
0 2 4 6 8 10 0 2 4 6 8 10
mean decile mean decile
36
37. Control group subsequently
given the treatment
• Results published in Dyslexia journal in
2007
• Control group now known as group D
(delayed intervention), and compared with
original intervention group (I)
37
38. Results on dyslexia screening test, time 1 and time 4
N.B. No control data – both groups now treated
GroupD Group I
Post Stability Post Stability
Bead thread Bead thread
Semantic Fl Semantic Fl
Verbal Fl. Verbal Fl.
Backward digits Backward digits
time 1 time 1
Phon segment Phon segment
time 4 time 4
RAN RAN
One min writing One min writing
Nons pass reading Nons pass reading
Spell Spell
Read Read
0 2 4 6 8 10 0 2 4 6 8 10
mean decile mean decile
Note:
lack of “stunning” progress on literacy tests
38
39. Is there evidence of gains due
to treatment?
• Improvement looks best for measures
where there is no control data
• On reading measures where control group
available, initial gain in the treated group
on reading was small and not sustained
39
40. Costs in relation to benefits
Cost of treatment is around £1700-£2000:
“ Surely it is a price worth paying in the attempt to
transform the life of your child so that they are
able to enjoy school, to develop social skills, to
develop good sporting skills, to have good
prospects in life?”
Dore (2006) p. 171
“Money-back guarantee”
But only if “no physiological change” – i.e. child
who improves on balance/eye tracking won‟t get
refund, even if dyslexia/ADHD etc unchanged
40
42. The theory
• Certain highly unsaturated fatty acids
(HUFAs) important in brain development
and neuronal signal transduction
• Brain function may be affected by:
– Dietary insufficiency
– Genetic abnormality in phospholipid
metabolism
• Administration of HUFAs may improve
synaptic transmission
42
43. Evidence of abnormal fatty acid
levels in dyslexia
• Clinical signs of fatty acid deficiency* found in
adults with dyslexia (Taylor et al, 2000)
• Clinical signs of FAD correlate with severity of
dyslexia in males only (Richardson et al, 2000)
* 7 items including dry skin/hair/nails, excess thirst,
frequent urination
43
44. Evidence from treatment trials
• Significant reduction in ADHD symptoms
in children with comorbid dyslexia/ADHD
cf. placebo (Richardson & Puri, 2002)
– reading not assessed (!!??)
• Cf. no improvement of ADHD symptoms
vs. placebo in 2 studies of ADHD, though
studies vary in fatty acid, sample, etc
– Hirayama et al. 2004
– Voigt et al. ,2001
44
45. Evidence from treatment trials
• Oxford-Durham study on children with
developmental coordination disorder;
Treated show significantly more
improvement in literacy (reading age!) and
ADHD symptoms: (Richardson &
Montgomery, 2005)
• Requests to see raw data to identify
children with dyslexia from this sample get
no response
45
46. Controlled trial of fish oil in
dyslexic adults
• Cyhlarova et al, 2007 report baseline
results - no differences in membrane fatty
acid levels between dyslexic and control
adults, though ratio of types of fatty acid
differs
• Requests for information on progress of
this treatment trial get no response
46
47. Q1. Is the theory scientifically
plausible?
• Membrane phospholipid deficiency:
speculative theory developed to account
for schizophrenia, extended to
neurodevelopmental disorders
• Most plausible when applied to children
who show physical symptoms suggestive
of essential fatty acid deficiency
47
48. Q2. Does evidence for efficacy
goes beyond testimonials? –
have studies been done with
groups for whom treatment is
recommended?
• Several clinical trials but only one
specifically on children with dyslexia (and
ADHD) - did not look at reading outcomes
• Study of developmental coordination
disorder included measures of reading as
part of outcome assessment 48
49. Q3. Is there evidence that gains
are due to treatment?
• Inclusion of control group makes it
possible to take into account
practice, maturation, etc.
49
50. Q4. Are costs reasonable?
• around £19.50 for 60 capsules (1 per day)
• Treatment may need to be „long term‟
• £118 per year
50
51. Barriers to objective evaluation
• Failure to recognise important effects of :
– expectations
– maturation
– practice
– statistical artefact
51
52. Human tendency to be
impressed by testimonials
N.B. Testimonials problematic because
• selective
• often at odds with objective evaluation
52
53. Human tendency to think
something that has taken
time/effort/money was
worthwhile
53
54. Trial of Sunflower therapy
• Includes applied kinesiology, physical
manipulation, massage, homeopathy, herbal
remedies and neuro-linguistic programming
• Similar gains in test scores for clinical and
control children
• Higher academic self-esteem in those
undergoing treatment
• 57% of parents thought Sunflower therapy was
effective in treating learning difficulties
Bull, L. (2007). Sunflower therapy for children with specific learning
difficulties (dyslexia): A randomised, controlled trial. Complement Ther
Clin Pract, 13, 15-24. 54
56. “The seductive allure of
neuroscience explanations”
Weisberg et al. 2008. J. Cognitive Neuroscience 20: 470-7
without neuroscience with neuroscience
1.5
People given explanations 1
of psychological phenomenon
satisfaction
0.5
that were accepted or vacuous
0
and judged if satisfactory.
“With neuroscience” just added
-0.5
phrases such as “brain scans -1
indicated” and “because of -1.5
the frontal lobe circuitry involved” good explanation bad explanation
56
57. Conclusions
• Finding the neuroscientific basis of dyslexia is an
important goal
• However, we are a long way from having reached that
goal
• Even when we reach it, it may not be obvious how to
translate knowledge into intervention
• We need to adopt as critical an approach
neuroscientific explanations as we do to other aspects
of dyslexia research; claims that neuroscientific
treatments are superior to conventional treatments are
not, in our current state of knowledge, supported
57
58. Dorothy Bishop
Oxford Study of Children’s
Communication Impairments,
Department of Experimental Psychology,
South Parks Road,
Oxford,
OX1 3UD,
England.
for reading list see:
http://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/oscci/
58
Photography: Biljana Scott