Can Learning Disabilities Be Mitigated?

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Can Learning Disabilities Be Mitigated?By Dianne Craft, MA, CNHP

On a sunny morning, twin 5-year-olds were practicing writing their names. Carawrote her name on the paper and proudly showed it to me. John also wrote his

name and proudly showed it to me. Caras name was written well, albeit with the

primitive spacing and angles that 5-year-olds often use. John, however, wrote hisname in total mirror writing! As a special educator, I knew that reversing a letter in

writing is typical for a child who is just learning how to write, as 5-year-olds are.However, I knew that total mirror writing was a whole different story. That told me

that this child was having big issues with an internalized midline that would onlylead to bigger issues when older, if not addressed early.

To further explore this internalized midline, I asked John to do the simple cross-

crawl exercise (touching the opposite hand and knee while standing). Idemonstrated how to do this. He watched me and then did a homolateral crawl

(touching the knee and hand on the same side of the body). Then I said, You justmarch in place, John, and I will move your hands, touching the opposite knee. We

did this for a few moments. As soon as I stopped moving his hands, themovements went back to the original homolateral fashion. Meanwhile, his sister,

who had been intently watching this process, said: Look at me. I can do it! I caneven do it going up the stairs, like this. I can do it while singing a song. Watch me!

John, who had been watching his sister do the cross-crawl without any effort said,This is boring. (As we know, boring is a euphemism for hard).

After doing some easy interventions with John at home, he began to write with

ease, without the disturbing mirror writing. Later, he became a voracious reader,and now he is in college, majoring in journalism because . . . he loves writing.

When working with John, I used two simple interventions that parents can easily do

at home with their children. These two interventions, if carried out consistently and

faithfully, can make a huge difference in preparing a childs brain and nervoussystem for easy learning and information processing. These interventions are (1)

midline exercises and (2) nutritional interventions, particularly the essential brain

fats.

Mitigating the Symptoms of Dysgraphia (fine motor or writing issues)

Make sure your child crawls for a few months. If you have a little one who wants towalk early, without crawling, then spend a few minutes several times a day (at

each diaper change, possibly) touching the childs knee to the opposite hand. Thiswill be perceived as crawling by the brain, and it will make all the adequate

hemispheric connections.

A childs hand dominance is usually established by age 4. If your child is stillswitching hands after that age, then do an easy midline-establishing exercise

called Bilateral Drawing to help the brain establish the correct hand dominance.Stand behind your child at a sliding glass door. With an erasable marker in each

hand, help the child move each hand, drawing from the midline outwards. At thebeginning, both markers touch each other, and then they should move way out, as

far as the arm will go. Then slide them back to the middle, and repeat this


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movement down the glass door. Do this about five minutes a day for four weeks.After this time, the brain should have established a hand dominance for the child. i

If a child does mirror writing, then do some easy midline brain training. Have the

child lie on the floor. Kneeling beside him, touch his opposite hand and kneerepeatedly, while the childs eyes are in the upper left position (stimulating the

right, automatic brain hemisphere). I do this movement with the child for twominutes. It helps to play some music with this, which further stimulates the right,automatic brain hemisphere. Do this exercise two times a week for three months.

To further establish the midline as the childs plumb line and to internalizedirectionality, help your preschooler with midline fine motor exercise. Draw a large

8 lying on its side, on a piece of double-wide construction paper. With the childsitting with his middle lined up with the middle of the horizontal 8, have him trace

around the track with a crayon three times (stimulating the right, automatic brainhemisphere) and then write the letters of the alphabet directly on the 8 diagram on

the construction paper. Continue this process as you go through the alphabet. Thealphabet letter represents the visual/spatial part of the exercise and stimulates the

left brain, so this becomes a whole brain activity. With a preschooler, do this

exercise for about ten minutes a day, using about five letters altogether, along withthe three times around the track in between each letter. This needs to be doneslowly as your hand is on the childs hand, training his muscle memory for midline

recognition and fluency. (If your back hurts from leaning over, then you are doing itright!)

Mitigating the Symptoms of Dyslexia (significant reading problems)

Do step one, as described above, for your non-crawler or quick walker.

If your child has a difficult time (has to think about it) performing the cross-crawl

movement standing up (touching opposite hand and knee repeatedly for one

minute), then do the brain training as described in step number three, above.

Since research shows that dyslexia, dyspraxia, and ADHD run in families that havean essential fatty acid deficiency, it is good to mitigate dyslexic-like symptoms by

giving the essential fatty acids early. Research strongly indicates that the DHA infish oil helps to increase the integrity of the connections in the brain. For most

moms, this just means that they give a teaspoon of flavored, emulsified (best

digested) cod liver oil daily. Since the cod liver oil contains DHA and anotherimportant brain fat, Vitamin D, it has been found that many learning disabilities can

be reduced when this supplement is taken. Researchers are finding a strongcorrelation between a deficiency of DHA and Vitamin D and dyslexia, dyspraxia,

ADD, autism, allergies and asthma. ii

Take repeated ear infections seriously, because these can be one of the causes ofauditory processing problems later in life. In Dr. Mary Ann Blocks clinic in Texas,

children never have more than one ear infection, because she replaces all dairy andsoy products in their diet. If a child is given an antibiotic for an ear infection, many

moms know that by also giving a good probiotic, like Primadophilus, the childsmemory and behavior are not negatively impacted by the temporary yeast/fungus

overgrowth that tends to come with repeated antibiotics. iiiiv

Mitigating Symptoms of ADD/ADHD


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In pregnancy, research shows that moms who take adequate amounts of fish oil

(especially when Vitamin D is included) have fewer issues with learning andfocusing with their children. Always check with your doctor before adding any

supplements while pregnant or nursing. Have your Vitamin D3 levels checked first.vvivii

Try to nurse your child exclusively as long as you can. When introducing foods,select fresh, whole foods as much as possible. Many parents do this by just making

many of the babys first foods by simply mashing bananas, steaming carrots, or

making pureed chicken in the blender, etc. Make sure the child is getting good fatslike avocado, butter, and whole fat dairy products. If a child has had early ear

infections, or antibiotics, it is good to put off introduction of dairy products as longas possible.

Limit intake of sugar and packaged, processed foods as much as possible. Use

whole oatmeal for breakfast with berries, rather than packaged cereals.

If your child needs an antibiotic or steroid, also give a good probiotic three times a

day for several months after the medicine has been given, to restore the childs gutecology. Remember that the bowel is the manufacturing plant for the calming,focusing neurotransmitter, Serotonin.

Play much outside in the sunshine, without sun block on for part of the time. viii

If the child has hypotonia (low muscle tone), research the information on the role

that Vitamin D plays in this condition. It is fascinating.

Consider giving emulsified, flavored cod liver oil to any child with speech delay orarticulation issues, sensory processing issues, or difficulty sitting still. This has

worked for hundreds of years with children. We have just forgotten the importance

of this food in our childrens diets.

DISCLAIMERThis information is not intended as medical advice. Everyone is encouraged to

make their own health care decisions, with advice from qualified professionals.


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i1. Dianne Craft, MA, CNHP, Brain Integration Therapy Manual.

ii2. Dr. Jacqueline Stordy, Ph.D., The LCP Solution for Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ADHD.

iii3. Mary Ann Block, D.O., No More Ritalin.

iv4. Leo Galland, M.D., Superimmunity for Kids.

v5. William Crook, M.D., Help for the Hyperactive Child.

vi6. Fish Oil Supplements for Pregnant Moms Boosts Kids Eye/Hand Coordination and Learning,

Science Daily, June 29, 2012. www.sciencedaily.com.

vii7. Giving DHA Supplements to Pregnant Mothers, Science Daily, May 1, 2010.

www.sciencedaily.com.

viii8. Michael Holick, M.D., The Vitamin D Solution.

Dianne Craft has a masters degree in learning disabilities. She speaks widelyat homeschoolconventions across the country. Her books, Brain IntegrationTherapy Manual, Right Brain Phonics

Program, and her DVDs, Understanding& Helping the Struggling Learner, Teachingthe RightBrain Child, Smart KidsWho Hate to Write, andThe Biology ofBehavior have helped hundreds of

families remove learning blocks in their struggling children at home. Visit her website,www.diannecraft.org, for many articles on children and learning and to download her free Daily

Lesson Plans for the Struggling Reader and Writer.

Copyright, 2012. Used with permission. All rights reserved by author. Originally appeared in The

Old Schoolhouse Magazine, the family education magazine, October 2012. Read the magazine

free at www.TOSMagazine.com or read it on the go and download the free apps at

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Can Learning Disabilities Be Mitigated?