Learning for life

ANDREW'S behaviour was always difficult to control and impossible to predict. He was dismissed by most as a stereotypical naughty boy. But his mum didn't agree. "My friends kept saying he was just a very active boy, which I think was a polite way of saying he was naughty, but I knew there was more to it," said Deborah of York.

"I'm sure they thought I was being completely neurotic, but I knew it was more than naughtiness."

Andrew's problems started when he was just six months old. He would bang his head on things in frustration - a habit more common in two-year-olds in a tantrum.

"When he got to about two or three I would ask him to do simple things like go and get his socks and he would either not come back at all or he would come back with something completely different," said Deborah. "He couldn't seem to focus on anything.

"He never wanted to sit and have a cuddle. He never gave us a kiss or showed any affection at all. He wouldn't even make eye contact."

But this sort of behaviour was mild in comparison to what was to come.

"When he started nursery his tantrums were horrendous," said Deborah. "He did all the things you dread your child doing: biting, scratching and nipping.

"It got to the point where I avoided taking him out of the house whenever I could. It was difficult because I had another baby by then, but I just didn't know how Andrew was going to react to situations.

"If I said he couldn't have some sweets I didn't know if he was going to throw himself on the floor or sweep everything off the shelves. Either way, I didn't want to face it."

It was at this point that her health visitor referred her to a family psychologist. She was given strategies for coping, but Andrew's problems were not specifically addressed.

By the time he was five, Deborah began to recognise traits in her son that she had displayed as a child.

"I'm dyslexic and I began to see similar signs in Andrew," she explained. "I wasn't diagnosed until my second year at college, so all through school I was just dismissed as being slow.

"After 20 years I assumed things would be different and that all sorts of treatments would be available to him. Unfortunately that was not the case."

An occupational psychologist finally confirmed that Andrew had dyslexia, dyspraxia (a disorder of the cerebral cortex resulting in a patient's inability to organise their movements) and attention deficit disorder.

He didn't have severe symptoms of any of them, but his problems stemmed from a mixture of all three.

"I always said I didn't want Andrew labelled," said Deborah. "But in the end I was relieved."

The diagnoses led eventually to Andrew receiving half an hour of special tuition in school every day. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

"We were told he wasn't capable of doing his SATS," said Deborah. "It was such a disappointment for us and for him because we know he is bright, he just hasn't got the same skills as other children."

It was at this point - earlier this summer - that she saw a television programme about the DDAT Centre in Sheffield. Founded by American Wynford Dore, whose daughter Susie suffered throughout her school life because of severe dyslexia, it offers specifically designed exercise programmes to children and adults diagnosed with dyslexia, dyspraxia and/or attention deficit disorder.

"I saw kids just like Andrew who were completely changed within 12 months," said Deborah. "I knew this was something we had to try."

An initial assessment at the centre costs about £480. It involves several separate 15-minute assessments by specialists who test how certain parts of the client's brain work. These include an electronystagmography test which shows exactly how the eye moves when it is tracking a moving light, and a posturography test which uses NASA technology to measure how the brain controls posture and movement.

A programme of simple exercises is then drawn up for the client to perform at home. Andrew's programme includes throwing a bean bag from one hand to the other, following its path with his eyes at all times. And sitting on a stool and alternately turning to the left and right.

He does the exercises twice a day for about ten minutes at a time.

"DDAT is expensive (every subsequent appointment is at least £100), but it's worth it," said Deborah. "After just two weeks we are already seeing results.

"The improvements are small but noticeable - and being able to praise Andrew for something feels wonderful.

"He is already showing better balance and is managing to keep his attention on one thing at a time for longer. He really is watching those bean bags."

Wynford Dore regards his treatment as a cure. It might not work for everybody, but for some he says it can be a truly life changing experience.

Deborah is confident that this could be a turning point in her seven-year-old son's life. She just wishes she had heard about it sooner.

"All children like Andrew should have access to this kind of treatment free of charge," she said. "I don't care who pays for it, whether it's the NHS or the local education authority, just as long as somebody does.

"Andrew and children like him have a right to a decent education just like everyone else. If this treatment helps them achieve that right, it should be made freely available to them."

Deborah and her husband Chris are now far more optimistic about their eldest son's future, but they are also trying to remain realistic.

"Andrew has a mountain to climb, and he will be climbing it for the rest of his life," said Deborah. "But at least now he has the centre to help make the climb easier.

"People say we are paying out a lot for a few bean bags, but it is more than that. Hopefully, this treatment will change Andrew's life."

- For further details about the DDAT Centre, call 0870 737 0010.

- The names of Andrew and his family have been changed to protect their privacy.

Updated: 08:49 Monday, October 07, 2002