A Cure for LD? Fishing for an Answer Is the Wrong Approach

LD AWAY: A Cure for Learning Disabilities and MoreIt’s time to celebrate because experts from around the world finally agree that a proven treatment for learning disabilities (LD) has been discovered. Never before has there been so powerful an approach to helping children achieve better grades, have healthier and better functioning brains, raise their IQ, and become ready for life. Here are just some of the features and benefits of this new and cutting-edge approach: Exercises can be done in the safety of privacy of your own home, hands on or online, or if you prefer, delivered by certified therapists and other trained professionals Treatments are designed by scientists and proven to work with anyone; children as well as adolescents and adults, regardless of age, prior experience, language status or family history The program works by attacking the root causes of learning problems in the brain, based on the science of brain plasticity, and will rewire, rebalance, integrate, optimize, reconnect and retrain the brain for optimal performance The program is based upon cutting edge knowledge in the areas of brain circuitry, cerebral development, brain scanning, neuroscience, brain synapse functioning and neurochemistry, cerebral blood flow and metabolic activity in the brain The activities will result in better learning by enhancing brain fitness, fixing problems with visual and auditory processing, focused attention and working memory The program is clinically proven, research-based, comprehensive, drug free and scientific And perhaps best of all, it is beneficial not just for children with LD (such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia) but also for those with autism spectrum disorders (such as Asperger’s Syndrome), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Tourette’s Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, sleep disorders, and much, much more. Act now and see results today. Why wait to try these simple and game-like activities that are sure to release your child from the bonds of frustration and failure and help them to realize their full potential. Call or write now for free information, a trial download of the program software or a free or low cost consultation with a program certified professional near you.

Sound too good to be true? Have you seen some of these words, phrases and promises in advertisements on TV, online or in newspapers and magazines? Have you thought about whether your child might benefit from one or more of these approaches? Have you wondered about whether these therapies are “really” legit or whether they are profit-making companies that are preying on the vulnerabilities of parents who will do pretty much anything to help their child?

What is a parent supposed to do when their child is struggling with learning or behavior and when school progress, despite their receiving special education and related services, accommodations and targeted tutoring and remediation just doesn’t seem to be working (or working fast enough)?

What Makes A Treatment “Controversial?” A “controversial” therapy is one that:

• Promises to deliver results that have not been carefully studied, and replicated, by independent researchers
• Has not been proven effective, in rigorous treatment studies, to be of benefit in treating a particular underlying disorder
• Has been tested but found not to be effective, or is supported only by observations and anecdotal report
• Is alleged to be effective in treating many different types of disorders
• Is said to “cure” a particular disorder
• Has an underlying theoretical basis that does not fit with our scientific understanding of the disorder it is supposed to treat

That said, there are many “complementary” therapies and approaches that people turn to as ways to enhance desired outcomes. And no doubt, for many families, some of these have proven helpful. They should not, however, replace or delay the provision of what we know to be more scientific, proven and effective practices. Also important to remember is that attributing improved performance to the use of a complementary treatment is, at best, speculation.


What’s the Harm in Trying? Let’s also be clear that science does not yet offer all the answers to what works to improve learning, attention and behavior for individuals with learning disabilities and other co-occurring disorders. And the only way to know whether a particular therapy or intervention will offer some benefit may be to give it a try. The problem is that choosing unwisely might, in fact, result in unintended harm:

• “Do not harm” is not sufficient – wasting time and resources distracts from offering proven treatments which is especially important for young children. There are critical periods of time during which when learning is expected to take place. As the child moves through the grades, expectations for skill development move at a rapid pace and falling too far behind is often irreparable. (We know this from careful, longitudinal data in the area of reading – if a child does not read on grade level by 5^th grade, the likelihood is that they will graduate from high school 3 or more years behind in reading.)
• Unproven therapies can add to the stigma felt by a child; engaging in unproven interventions could result in the child developing an inaccurate understanding of the true nature of the type of disability or difficulty they have.

Adults rarely give children a choice of whether or not they want to engage in a particular treatment, so when we choose for them, it’s our moral obligation to ensure that it has the highest likelihood of being effective.

Gather Information, Ask Questions, and Then Ask More QuestionsIf you want to weigh the possible risks and benefits of controversial therapies, here are some tips and guidelines to help you navigate these murky waters:

• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• If it explains the reason it works in fancy words that you don’t understand, it probably has something to hide.
• If it is designed to help all students and promises to result in improvement in all areas of performance, it’s probably not worth the time, effort or expense.
• Providing isolated practice in an underlying aspect of cognitive functioning does not mean that a child will be better able to perform these skills in real-life settings.
• If someone tells you that it worked for “their child,” there is no reason to doubt it, but also no reason to presume that it will work for your child, and no reason to assume that the “therapy” was what caused the reported improvement.
• “It might not help but it won’t hurt so it’s worth a try” is not sufficient reason to jump, especially if it distracts from other things that you could be doing that have demonstrated better outcomes in a more systematic, scientific, reliable and beneficial way.

If you are ready to take a chance and try one or more of these therapies, make sure that it is safe and that there is no chance that it might cause your child any harm (this is especially true for treatments that involve drugs, herbs and diet, body manipulation, and that deal directly with vision and hearing). Know the questions you should ask about any therapy for your child.

Visit NCLD’s Cures for LD? Consumer Beware! for answers to important questions on therapies and treatments for LD.