The Raviv Method- Learn to Learn
Developed By Nili Raviv, Barak BenSimhon & Ronny Cohen.
presented at The 6th BDA International Conference, University of Warwick 27-30 March 2004
Researchers Dr Sally Shaywitz and Dr Bennett Shaywitz, from Yale University have described a study for the National Academy of Sciences in which they state that people with dyslexia have "A fault in the electrical connections" in the brain, in the pathway which enables reading.
The researchers developed a range of tasks, which were assigned to their subjects while they were being scanned, using MRI. The tasks comprised work with letters, sound and words; researchers studied their subjects brain activity as they carried out each task.
From Overcoming Dyslexia (2003) by Sally Shaywitz, M.D., New York, Knopf:
"In the MRI, good readers activate highly interconnected neural systems that encompass regions in the back and front of the left side of the brain. (p.78) In contrast, dyslexic readers show a fault in the system: under activation of the neural pathways in the back of the brain older dyslexic children show increased activation in frontal regions so that by adolescence they are demonstrating a pattern of over activation in Broca¹s region‹that is, they are increasingly using these frontal regions for reading." (p.81)
They may become accurate readers, but reading by this route remains slow and laborious; "the disruption in left posterior systems prevents rapid, automatic word recognition." (p.84)
They will not become natural readers unless they can develop pathways like those of the good readers mentioned above.
Thus the question I would like to address is: is it possible to create efficient pathways in the brain intentionally? certainly yes
My experience is based on the observation of children and adults with learning problems with whom we have worked in our clinics, using the method we developed-- I will speak about the method in a moment.
We developed the program as a response to my Barak struggle with severe learning problems. He was not able to read at all until the age of 20. He was treated with all the known methods, with no success. But at the age of 20 he experienced what seemed to be an almost a spontaneous recovery. Of course Iwe were very keen to find out what might have happened, what had occurred in his brain which might have been responsible for this change. And so we began an ever-deepening investigation into new developments in brain research, studying existing treatments both conventional and unconventional, and slowly developed the method we use today in our clinics in Israel. We treat children and adults with learning and attention problems, and also train therapists.
David, 17 years old-typical case.
Before: Difficulties in reading, writing , Math, ADD symptoms- take Ritalin for 8 years,Learn in a small special class.Social problems: low self-esteem, does not have friends /social life.
After:Improved in all areas . Moved to normal,class . did all A level examinations ,Now learn, psychology in university. Have normal social life: many friends, girl friend etc.
Sarah, 13 years old-typical case.
Before:Not able to read at all. Was not able to keep eye contact. Learned in a special small class. No Sensory Motor problems.
After: Reading normally after 8 weeks.Learning in a normal class in high school.
What do we do?
The program is structured in stages. Any stage has to be well established before going on to the next stage.
Part 1:Preparing the brain to learn
Part 2: Correcting and improving learning skills
As the aim is for the brain to function with full co-operation and synchronization, we check:
Motor skills
Sensory skills
Language skills
Logic/mathematical skills
Communication skills
Self-awareness skills
When a gap is found, an intervention or series of exercises is employed to bridge it. We use certain exercises to activate brain functions. We start by going back to the sensory-motor level and building up from there, integrating the more complex skills with the sensory-motor skills.
2. Controlling and manipulating electrical activity in the brain: the brain waves.
Fast or high brainwave activity is associated with efficient attention and learning. When a person is asked to concentrate and to fulfill cognitive tasks, the relevant areas of the brain are activated by the high brain wave.
However, when a person who suffers from ADD is asked to concentrate, his or her brain wave activity decreases. ADD sufferers who need to stimulate the high brain wave activity needed for concentrating and performing cognitive tasks, and some of the behaviors associated with ADD can be seen as reflections of this. Medications like Ritalin stimulate brain wave activity and make concentration possible.
We teach clients how to manipulate and control brain wave activity by:
Stimulating the brain for concentrating and performing tasks in a natural way, i.e. without drugs
Reducing brain activity for releasing tension and relaxing. for example: in cases of examination anxiety
3.Training in two-dimensional perception
Letters and words are two-dimensional symbols, which refer to three-dimensional reality. The ability to decipher these symbols depends on the well-established perception of direction and sequence. For example, concerning the letters d b and q p: the symbol is the same apart from the direction it faces, and each represents a very different sound.
To establish this type of perception we use an exercise known as : anchoring the orientation point. In dyslexia, this is of course a problem: the anchoring of the point of view. The exercise establishes a sense of orientation and is the basis for the perception of sequence.
In some cases the client needs only this part of the program, and little else.
Part 2: Correcting and Improving Learning Skills
When the neurological structures for learning and attention are well-established, it is possible to move on to the second part of the program. For this we use some exercises that are similar to those of conventional methods, though we always integrate them with earlier sensory-motor skills, in order most effectively to bridge learning gaps. The final stage is to refer the student to professionals teachers like: Maths, grammar, etc. , to bridge the gaps in relation to the class level.
A series of concentrated and focused motor-sensory exercises, which stimulate high-frequency brainwave activities and allow better focusing and concentration skills.
Coaching ADD – personal training: Development of life skills, which allow one to deal with difficulties in concentration, impulsiveness and/or hyperactivity. Personal training clarifies personal and professional goals, while developing and applying strategies, which are appropriate to the client’s personality and environment, be it familial, social or professional.
Pilot study
duration: 3 months program
3 points of measuring :
1) Before starting the program: January 2003
2) After 3 months: April 2003
3) One year later : January 2004
Pupils were tested in 5 main areas:
1) WRAT Reading,
WRAT: Wide Range Achievements Tests
2) WRAT Spelling
3) WRAT Math.
4) The Morrisby Manual Dexterity Test.
5) 5 Minutes copying of unseen text.
WRAT Reading Results:
After 3 month:
Average gain: +6.9%.
Individuals: +18% and +16% gain.
After a year: +3.8% gain.
WRAT Spelling Results:
After 3 month:
Average : + 2.1% gain.
Individuals: +8% gain.
After a year: +2% gain
WRAT Math. Results:
After 3 month:
Average : + 4.5% gain.
Individuals: + 17% gain.
Hand eye Manual Dexterity Morrisby Test:
Speed:
After 3 month:
Speed: Average 29.6% increase.
Individuals: 46%- 52% increase.
After a year: 9.8% increase.
Individuals: average 9.8% increase.
Hand Eye Manual Dexterity Test:
Skills:
After 3 month:
Average 22% increase.
Individuals: 35%- 48% increase.
After a year:
Average 11.4% increase.
Copying Exercise (Written)
Result showed on average that speed of writing ALMOST DOUBLED.
Individuals: 4 wpm-14wpm.
Error rate, likewise, showed a halving of mistakes.
Staff Assessment:
Noticed Significant improvements in Class Concentration, Behavior and Attitude to
Learning, and Speed of Completion of Tasks. Further areas of improvement were
Organization of work and Performance
The results:
The success rate can be interpreted as approximately 80%. All of the children in the study are now in normal classes and are continuing to improve without further therapy.
(Point out that Mr. Jones worked with the children for only three months instead of four. I believe that if the program had been continued for another month, the results would have been even more exciting. Point out also that he did not employ the dysgraphia part of the program, and that nevertheless improvement in handwriting was shown.)
As I mentioned at the beginning, I have explained my practical work, the treatment method and our results, which have been good and promising. I would be happy to provide more information to anyone who is interested, and to co-operate fully with anyone who may be interested in conducting a study of the method and its results, or to investigate what happens in the brain during treatment.
conducted in 2003 by Mr. Mike Jones, a special education teacher and therapist using the Raviv method at St. Joseph¹s High School in Newport, Wales.
Study group: 10 pupils (mean age 12-15)
We see 120-150 people a week on average; and these change approximately every four months: that is the length of time generally given for treating learning difficulties according to our program. Over the years we have treated thousands of children and adults, and trained hundreds of therapists and teachers all over Israel; the method is well-integrated into the medical and educational systems there.
And of course I run courses here in the UK. There are a few therapists practicing already, in Wales and in the Oxford/Cotswold area.
Again: my experience is that it is possible to create specific neurological structures/circuits in the brain by means of specific stimulations, or exercises.
I will present first a very extreme case of brain recovery following trauma, and then will give some examples of clients with dyslexia who have benefited from the method.
One client of mine is a survivor of a terrorist attack. The left part of his brain was severely damaged. His left hemisphere, which, as you know, is responsible to a large extent for speech and language abilities, was virtually destroyed. Thus he lost completely the ability to speak, to read, write and think mathematically; and this was true in all the five languages he spoke. He came to me after a period of rehabilitation in hospital. He walked with a limp, and his right hand was completely paralyzed.
As I said, he did not speak at all, but used only noises, like those of a cave man to communicate.
After a month and a half he was able to speak two words in sequence, and had read a whole book. His limp disappeared, and his right hand regained movement, including closure of the fingers.
Now, after five months, he uses 5 words in sequence, often more, and can read Hebrew with no difficulty, all types of books, at all levels. He writes with his left hand, though in this area there is room for improvement. Numbers still confuse him, so he uses a calculator and does not count on his abilities yet. He can add and subtract, divide and multiply, but makes mistake when he has to say numbers out loud. As he is a businessman, he cannot afford to confuse 10,000 with 100,000!
We continue to work and hope that once again he will be able to speak any language he chooses, not only Hebrew.
So we have seen that the method works very well in this severe case. Let us now discuss some clients with less drastic learning problems, and look at the correction of their learning skills. I say correct but in fact this is not accurate-- we do not correct, we create new pathways, or neuro-structures for learning. One might call it teaching the brain to learn in a new and more efficient way.
