Brain Exercises May Cure ADHD

By Andrew Alderson
The Telegraph

Prisoners have been successfully treated for the first time with a revolutionary "cure" for dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a trial that aims to stop them re-offending when they leave jail.

Inmates at Stafford prison volunteered to have "brain exercises" that were devised by a businessman, whose daughter tried to commit suicide because of the distress brought on by living with severe dyslexia.

The exercises seek to stimulate people's ability to concentrate, read and interact. The long-term aim is to make prisoners more employable after leaving jail.

Academics and the prison governor say the six-month study with robbers, fraudsters and violent criminals showed a remarkable improvement in behaviour and prisoners' ability to learn reading and other skills.

The prisoners performed two 10-minute exercises a day as part of the Dore Programme, founded by Wynford Dore. The former multi-millionaire businessman invested most of his fortune in funding a medical team to find a "cure" for ADHD after his daughter, Susie, tried to commit suicide for the third time 12 years ago. Susie, now 34, has completed the programme and now works with her father helping other dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD sufferers.

Some people in the medical world dispute the existence of ADHD and, therefore, whether it can be "cured". However, other independent experts have hailed the Dore Programme as a breakthrough. Some even believe that it could help to eradicate dyslexia in children within a decade.

In recent years, many sufferers from ADHD have been treated with drugs such as Ritalin. Mr Dore, 56, had a hunch that the root cause of the disorder was physical not educational and he says the results from treating 30,000 sufferers have proved that.

The Dore Programme seeks to treat the problem by using eye, balance and sensory exercises - including juggling and standing on one leg while throwing and catching a bean bag - to stimulate the cerebellum, a tangerine-size part of the brain that processes information.

Mr Dore financed a £250,000 trial at Stafford jail because he says up to 85 per cent of prisoners suffer from learning or attention difficulties, including ADHD. Sixteen prisoners completed the trial and 16 others were the control group.

Eighty seven per cent of prisoners reported improvements in reading, writing, memory, concentration and co-ordination. They described themselves as happier, calmer and more positive. Ninety three per cent thought that the programme should be made available in all prisons. Analysts recorded a 10 per cent improvement in "cerebellar functioning".

Louise Taylor, then the prison governor, said: "Initial results indicate that prisoners who have been motivated to do the exercises have shown improved behaviour and, in particular, have derived a greater gain than from other regime interventions such as education and offending behaviour courses. This benefits the prison and, most importantly, results in fewer potential victims in the community."

The trial has been so successful that a second one is under way on 30 young offenders in Bristol. Jeff Foreman, who is supervising the study, said he had been impressed by the improved behaviour of youngsters taking part in the study.

Mr Dore, who has set up 31 Dore Centres around the world, said he was excited by the results of the trials. "The cost of having our prisons full is massive, so anything we can do to stop people pursuing a life of crime makes economic sense," he said.

Mr Dore hopes that the Home Office will finance a bigger, longer-term study that follows inmates after they leave prison to discover whether those who have been on the programme re-offend less.

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