Dyslexia in Children and Adults
At The Key Clinic, we support children, teens, and adults with Dyslexia through personalised, drug-free programmes that strengthen reading, spelling, and language processing skills, while addressing underlying neurodevelopmental and cognitive factors, helping to improve confidence, learning, and everyday functioning.
Our Natural Therapy Options
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BrightBeatz™, our digitalied Auditory Integration Training, uses ‘modulated’ music to stimulate the ears and encourage more balanced listening.
The programme takes place over 10 days (two 30-minute sessions a day, at home),
Improvements may be seen during and immediately after the course.
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Retained primitive reflexes may also interfere with eye-tracking, making reading difficult.
- McPhillips, M., & Jordan-Black, J. A. (2007). Primary reflex persistence in children with reading difficulties (dyslexia)
Integrating these reflexes may lead to improvements in reading and maths skills
- McPhillips, M., & Jordan-Black, J. A.(2005) Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs
The NeuroMature programme aims to integrate retained primitive reflexes by using slow, controlled neurodevelopmental exercises with your child over a few months.
Once the reflexes have been integrated, the exercise programme does not need to be repeated.
FAQs
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Dyslexia is a language-based learning difficulty characterised by difficulties with word decoding, or the ability to understand how a word’s appearance relates to what it sounds like.
Dyslexia causes difficulty reading, spelling, processing language and speaking.
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Some early, pre-school indicators of potential dyslexia include:
Delayed speech and language development
Pronunciation difficulties
Frequently needing things repeated
Missing or delayed developmental milestones eg crawling
Traumatic and/or C-section birth
Difficulties remembering names of colours and letters
Glue ear or repeated ear infections/grommets/congestion
A family history of dyslexia
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It tends to run in families and has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence!
Unfortunately, we live in a system where we are judged by our linguistic ability, It is an unfair competition for those with dyslexia, who are often very smart, but struggle with language. The biggest symptom is, therefore, a loss of confidence, as a result of heroic efforts often being met by academic underachievement.
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The dyslexic brain can also have many strengths. For example, the ability to see ‘the big picture’, to be intuitive, creative and to think of alternative ways around a problem. Many of the greatest thinkers and successes in history have been dyslexic.
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Phonological processing deficits cause the language and reading struggles experienced by dyslexics. They may also experience resulting eye-tracking problems:
Eye movement patterns during reading can reflect the difficulties people with dyslexia have with phonological processing and word decoding. (A Jothi Prabha: Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine Volume 195, October 2020)
People with dyslexia have a different and more difficult way of sampling visual information than normal readers. (Léon Franzen, Zoey Stark, Aaron P. Johnson.Scientific Reports, 2021)
Source: https://chadd.org/about-adhd/adhd-and-autism-spectrum-disorder/
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No, because The Key Clinic aims to investigate underlying contributing factors to difficulties, in order to make life easier. You do not need a diagnosis to participate in one of our therapies.
If you or your child has been receiving treatment, do not stop or suspend their treatment program without consulting their doctor. Our approach is intended to complement any medical treatment, rather than replace it.
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There are many ways to make life easier for a child with dyslexia. For example, structured phonics-based teaching (such as Orton-Gillingham) from a dyslexia specialist can be helpful, and we recommend discussing this with your child’s school.
In addition, technology may help compensate for underlying areas of difficulty (eg text-to-speech software or audiobooks)
The Key Clinic’s complementary and unique approach is to address underlying neurodevelopmental barriers to learning that may be holding your child back.
Signs of Dyslexia
Signs of dyslexia in children
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Reading/phonics difficulties
Difficulty learning phonics and spelling
Slow reading/dislike of reading
Below the expected level for their age (although you cannot diagnose dyslexia by attainment level, as children may learn to compensate, by working extra hard)
May skip a line when they try to read or find the words that seem to move on a page. (sing a ruler or finger under the words can help)
Poor concentration
Loss of confidence (this increases over time, as effort does not match performance and they cannot demonstrate the intelligence they have locked inside)
‘Playing up’ in class or acting like ‘the class clown’ (again, a way of deflecting away from their areas of difficulty
Dislike of school
Restricted vocabulary
Difficulty with:
Following instructions, finding it hard to take in what is being said
Finding the right word or forming answers to questions, often forgetting words
Seeing similarities and differences in letters and words.
Spelling
Recall of information
Signs of dyslexia in adults
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Confuse similar words
Erratic spelling
Difficulty skim/speed reading
Read and write slowly
Difficulty taking notes or copying
Need to re-read paragraphs to understand them
Feel overloaded mentally and switch off
Difficulty organising thoughts onto paper
Confusion when given several instructions at once
Neurodevelopmental Movement - NeuroMature
The NeuroMature programme aims to give the body a second chance to develop, addressing underlying barriers to learning. We use individually tailored neurodevelopmental exercises to inhibit retained primitive reflexes, which can help improve eye tracking, balance, coordination, self-confidence and emotional resilience (ref. https://www.inpp.org.uk/publications)
We have different programme options available, which can range in time from one month to 6 months. Results typically last and programmes do not need to be repeated.
Mother of an 8-year-old boy who completed NeuroMature programme in June 24:
“It has been so rewarding to see the improvements in Dylan's academic performance and overall behaviour. He has engaged in the programme from the start, and the commitment and perseverance he's shown will benefit him in the future. The Key Clinic has been brilliant. Professional, empathetic, caring and incredibly accommodating. Thank you!!
Tips for parents - Persevere. Time-consuming, but worth it.”
Auditory Integration Training - BrightBeatz
A clear link has been shown between dyslexia and phonological processing.
When thinking about speech and language difficulties, we don’t often think about our ears and yet research has shown that how we hear can affect how we learn, speak, function and behave in many important ways.
Dr Guy Berard, a pioneering French ENT doctor observed that distortions in the hearing profile can mean that not all parts of language are heard at the same volume (which can be similar to trying to listen to someone speak on a mobile phone in an area with poor reception.) He also identified ‘dyslateral hearing patterns’, which may make processing language more difficult.
Dr Berard developed AIT Auditory Integration Training to encourage more balanced listening.
BrightBeatz, The Key Clinic’s Auditory Integration Training (AIT) was developed with Professor Joshua Reiss, a leading professor of Audiology at Queen Mary University, London, to encourage better listening.
Best of all, this programme can be completed at home and only takes 10 days, with 2 x 30-minute listening sessions per day.
Some parents report seeing improvements continuing to build 6-12 months following the programme.
The Key Clinic can help individuals with dyslexia to thrive
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At The Key Clinic, we don’t believe in compensating forever, when things don’t come easily.
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We assess and target underlying contributing factors that may be holding you back.
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The dyslexic brain has many strengths. We want to empower you to harness the power of that difference.