Dyslexia, meaning "reading difficulty" was originally called "word blindness" and thought to be a visual problem, however more recent studies point to language and auditory problems as the fundamental cause. Listening is the most basic skill required for verbal communication and a weakness in listening ability may hinder the development of a strong language base.

Consequently, the child encounters problems when it comes time to approach the more complex linguistic tasks of writing and reading. If the sounds of speech have not been accurately heard, they cannot be accurately conveyed by symbols. The left hemisphere of the brain is the main centre for processing language although the right does play a smaller part.

How MindSounds Sound Therapy can help:

The balance between the two hemispheres of the brain is of fundamental importance in overcoming dyslexia which is a fundamental process of the MindSounds program.

Both hemispheres play a role in processing language, but the roles they play are different. The eye must combine with the power and the quality of the ear to make sense of the written sounds. This co-ordination happens easily when the left hemisphere deals primarily with audition and the right hemisphere deals primarily with vision. In dyslexia, the route which allows for phonic analysis has often been damaged.

Sound Therapy can help restore the functioning of this route and reduce the cause of the problem. Dr Alfred Tomatis says "We read with our ears ... the ear is the organ of language, the pathway to language assimilation, the key that controls it, the receptor regulating its flow."

Sound Therapy can help stimulate and exercise the ear, encouraging it to receive and interpret sound in an efficient manner. Music and specific beats and tones are a highly organised series of sounds that the ear has to analyse. Therefore, listening to music combined with sound therapy is an excellent way for a child to learn how to perceive sounds in an organised fashion, or in other words, to learn how to listen.

The added benefits of confidence and self esteem

Children with dyslexia often have feelings of inferiority after repeated failure. It is unfair that they must try many times harder than anyone else to achieve only mediocre results. Sound Therapy may offer immediate emotional relief because it is a method of treatment that requires no extra effort from the child. A therapy that does not require the child to struggle with the problem area of language enables him or her to feel let off the hook for once and enjoy a treatment that is not a constant reminder of his or her own inadequacies. The basic cause of the language difficulties may be remedied by Sound Therapy. Once the child is able to receive and interpret sound accurately and easily, his or her ability and motivation to communicate is greatly increased. Thus the problem learner is transformed into a receptive and motivated learner.