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Thoughts on helping to improve brain function for the child with learning difficulties

- by Buffy McClelland

Practioners who work with those with learning difficulties often report that many children and adults with specific learning disabilities, or those who just struggle with formal learning but have no diagnosis, also have problems with accurate coordinated movement, eye movement control or sensory integration.

What is the evidence? Here is a brief outline of some of the evidence, firstly that those who find learning a challenge do often have motor control problems (sometimes quite subtle), secondly that movement programmes used with large groups can make a real positive difference with learning difficulties and finally Academic references. Use these coloured links to move around the page or just read on!

learning disabilities/sensory dysfunctions Movement programmes/learning Academic References

Learning disabilities are often linked with motor control deficits or sensory dysfunctions.

Many poor readers, both dyslexic and non-dyslexic have severe motor difficulties. Iversen et al (2005) looked at motor coordination abilities in three groups of children aged between 10 and 12 years old, one group who had been diagnosed with severe dyslexia, one group who were the bottom 5% and one who were the top 5% of readers in a particular district in Norway. They found that more than half the children in both the dyslexic group and the poor readers with no diagnosis had severe motor difficulties, particularly in manual dexterity and balance, where as only one in eight good readers had these problems. They identified that this was a "large" effect.

Children with developmental coordination problems also have problems with attention, learning and social behaviour. Dewey et al (2002) studied 96 children with specific developmental coordination disorder and 78 without motor problems, all of age 11. They found that those with motor control problems had significantly more difficulty with attention, reading, writing and spelling than the controls. They also found that for children with attention problems, that medication such as ritalin did NOT improve academic scores, when they compared similar children on medication and those not taking it! They conclude that a general underlying impairment of development occurs in some children, and manifests itself in many ways in the behavioural, academic and emotional domains.

Children with poor sensory integration often have poor school achievement, particularly in arithmetic. Parham (1998) investigated the relationship between sensory integration and school achievement in children aged between 6 and 10 years, 32 were learning-disabled and 35 were non-disabled. Sensory integration was significantly related to school achievement and this relationship was retained over a 4-year period, even when children of equal IQ were compared.

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Movement programmes can make a significant positive difference to learning.

Learning disabled children improve reading significantly with sensory integration movement therapy. Grimwood and Rutherford (1980) showed that learning disabled children aged 6-7 yrs, who were considered "at risk" for reading development problems, and who participated in a movement programme based upon Ayres sensory integration programme, improved in reading significantly more than a control group.

Children with poor reading improve significantly in reading ability after a reflex-inhibition programme. McPhillips et al., (2000) showed that children aged 8-11 years with poor reading made significant improvements in reading ability with a year-long programme of reflex inhibition movements compared to matched groups of children who did non-specific movements or no movements. During the study, the reflex movement group gained 19.6 months in reading age, while the placebo-movement-controlled and control groups only gained 7.3 and 6.9 months during the academic year (which is typical of poor readers, who lag further behind their peers as time goes on).

Students with learning problems improve reading and attention after a vestibular exercise programme.         Byl et al (1989) showed that boys aged 7 to 12 with poor reading who participated in vestibular exercises improved significantly more in reading and attention than a control group who did a similar amount of aerobic exercise.

Students with ADHD improve concentration, attention and behaviour after a coordinated movement programme.   Baker (2005) PhD thesis study. 20 students aged 6-8 years diagnosed with ADHD were split into two groups. 10 children experienced two weeks of daily coordinated movements, the other group did not. The Connors  Scale was used to rate concentration, attention and behaviour before and after the two week period. After the end of this period, the movement group were found to have improved significantly more in all three areas than the control group.

Academic References:

Dewey, D, B.J. Kaplan, S.G. Crawford, and B.N. Wilson, 2002. Developmental coordination disorder: Associated problems in attention, learning, and psychosocial adjustment. Human Movement Science,  21, 905–918.

Grimwood, L and Rutherford, E., Sensory Integrative Therapy as an intervention procedure with Grade One “at risk” readers-a three year study. The Exceptional Child. 1980. 27: 52-60.

Iversen S, Berg, K., Ellertsen, B., & Tonnessen, F. E. (2005) Motor Coordination Difficulties in a Municipality Group and in a Clinical Sample of Poor Readers. Dyslexia., Volume 11, Number 3, August, pp. 217-231(15).

McPhillips M, Hepper PG, Mulhern G. Effects of replicating primary-reflex movements on specific reading difficulties in children. Lancet 2000; 355: 537-541

Parham, L. D.,  1998. The Relationship of Sensory Integrative Development to Achievement in Elementary Students: Four-Year Longitudinal Patterns. Occupational Therapy Journal of Research; 18 (3), 105-27

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Text and Layout, Copyright © Dr Buffy McClelland, 2010. All rights reserved.