Friday, June 09, 2006

Bouncing balls on one leg makes for a better prisoner

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.

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.


2 comments:

yellowdoggranny said...

wonder if it would work if you patted your head and rubbed your tummy at the same time...??

dom said...

Don't be daft ,they're all murderers they'd pat the next head with a hammer and rub out someones tummy