Controversial Therapies: What Parents Need to Know - Página 2

Look to Good Science When Considering a TreatmentIntuition is a good thing, especially when it proves to be right! But when it comes to saying that “doing A results in B,” the plot thickens and lots of other things come into play. One of my favorite sayings (when I wear my professional hat) is “the plural of anecdote is not evidence,” meaning that (success) stories alone are not sufficient proof that an activity or treatment is likely to work.

That said, let me say right up front that there is lots that we don’t know about how the brain processes information and how such factors as vocabulary and knowledge, experience and practice , physical and neurological maturity, nutrition, stress, emotional development and so much more contribute to a person’s overall learning profile. And I am not going to say that any one approach or combination of approaches won’t work for a particular child. What I will say is this:

• In the absence of convincing data and clear connections between research and practice, we are all prone to wishful (and even magical) thinking. This is not altogether a bad thing, as it could (and sometimes does) lead to new ways of thinking about problems and solutions.
• But let's be sure to resist the temptation to embrace alternative approaches to problems that lack meaningful evidence. It's bad for the field of LD, it is a waste of effort and expense, and it offers false hope to those who struggle to overcome the challenges of LD each and every day.

Where to Begin: Specific Things to Look For  In the early 20^th century, people turned to “magic” potions like “Swamp Root" medicine, "Vin Vitae," and the "Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company” for promising approaches to address their problems. (Really!) Today, parents are bombarded with treatment options ranging from the simple and inexpensive to the complex and very costly. So what is a parent to do? Here are some important things to consider:

• Identify the key words and phrases being used to describe a treatment and make sure that they are defined in ways that are clear. Words such as "help," "progress" and "outcome" may capture the positive feelings you want to associate with a particular result, but look carefully at how these will be measured and wonder aloud whether any changes you might see are the result of a treatment of just a matter of chance.
• Look for (and ask for) feedback, both positive and negative, from others who have first-hand knowledge about the treatment. Personal experience as reported by experts or parents is relevant, but remember that it is not sufficient as evidence. 
• Ask for proof. The best “proof” that something is effective is when people (not connected to each other or connected to the treatment program) have studied its use, been successful in replicating positive outcomes, shared those results with others, and engaged in an open peer-review processes. If this type of information is not offered in background and promotional materials, it probably doesn't exist!
• Don't be swayed by jargon or lulled into belief because of credentials. The scientific process that underlies the "proof" behind a particular activity should be transparent (and not hidden from parents and educators) and easy to understand. Be sure that your decision to try something new makes sense to you, and is not based solely on the perceived authority of others.
• Beware of promises. There can be no guarantee that any single treatment or approach to learning will work with a given individual. And "money back if not completely satisfied" is not sufficient reason to experiment with a person's well-being.

When your child is struggling with learning, it’s natural for parents to want to try to find some way – any way – to provide help, support, and even a “fix” of some sort. There is a long (and growing) list of treatment approaches that purport to help address challenges specific to dyslexia, or other subtypes of LD or AD/HD, or weaknesses in overarching areas such as regulation of attention, executive functioning and metacognition, working memory and recall, auditory and visual information processing, and the list goes on and on. And many of these approaches might indeed offer some benefit to those who struggle with learning.

But know this: there are no simple remedies or magic potions when it comes to disorders of learning, attention, and behavior, so make sure your decisions are based not on solely on intuition or emotion but on solid evidence and good science.