Brain Gym Pointless?

In Carla Hannaford's wonderful book, Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head, she tells the story of Todd, who at 16 years old was unable to read -- until his mother discovered the Dennisons' Brain Gym and its cross-crawl exercise. Within 6 weeks of doing this exercise, which alternates opposite elbow to knee and requires crossing the midline of the body, Todd was reading -- at grade level.

Dr. Hannaford, a neurophysiologist,explains that Todd had everything he needed to able to read in the two hemispheres of his brain; however, the two hemispheres weren't communicating across the corpus callosum, the gray matter that connects them. By doing an exercise that crossed the body's midline, the corpus callosum was engaged and communication enabled.

Thousands of educators across the globe have embraced Brain Gym and its exercises, proclaiming their effectiveness in boosting energy, concentration, and learning. Now along comes a statement from England's Department for Children, Schools and Families, claiming that studies put its success down to nothing more than the 'placebo effect' and the general benefits of breaks and exercise.

The DCSF said: "We are unaware of any sufficiently robust or peer-reviewed evaluation of the approaches it promotes which would allow any clear link between the use of Brain Gym and pupils' learning to be established.We are also aware of a significant body of criticism of the theoretical underpinnings of the programme."

It said that Paul Dennison, the California teacher behind it, had admitted that many of Brain Gym's claims were based on "hunches." Also, officials said Brain Gym had been "criticised as being unscientific in a wide-ranging and authoritative review of research into neuroscience and education."

What do you think? Is Brain Gym pointless? Could Todd's ability to read after six weeks of doing the cross-crawl have been coincidence? What have been your experiences with Brain Gym?

Comments

[Gail Multop]

I have used some Brain Gym exercises with 4's. They enjoy them and really pay attention when we do them. But I haven't really tried to see any tie-in to better letter recognition.
I do, however, feel very strongly that Brain Gym's underpinnings (I believe Yoga is in there somewhere) are valid ways to enhance the brain/body connection.
I have no proof, except that after I do yoga, I think more clearly. At my age, it is a real gift!

[sarah major]

Methods we embrace depend on what we consider authoritative.
If I believe a method is valid only if it receives positive peer reviews, etc., I might avoid trying new things and look to the experts for my guidance instead. I might even try to apply one approved approach to every child.
But I consider hunches to be where brilliance begins.
If we focus on the child first as we try different approaches, we will find success.
Not all children experience the disconnect between hemispheres in their brains. Those with the greatest disconnect likely will show the most remarkable improvement. This doesn't mean we should apply a program like Brain Gym to every child in every classroom and then look for instant magic! Some children respond to images and experience amazing growth, just like the student in Dr. Hannaford's book responded to movements that crossed the midline. What will work magic for him all depends on what the child is starving for.

[Rae Pica]

Well said, Sarah! It's the one-size-fits-all approach that's putting America's educational system further and further behind.

[Loretta Kulpa]

I remember years ago in the 1970's and '80's, there was some talk that if children didn't crawl in infancy, then their reading ability would be impaired. Sounds like something similar here. While studying for my master's degree in reading (earned in 2002), I never came across the claim that physical exercise could solve reading problems. There are many reasons children have difficulty learning to read, but from what I learned, these kinds of physical exercises have little benefit. It is more important to diagnose the reading problem and apply appropriate strategies. Lots of success there!

[Rae Pica]

I take it, then, that you believe Todd's experience was coincidental? That after 16 years of being unable to read, the 6 weeks of cross-crawling had nothiing to do with his sudden ability to read at grade level?

Reading specialists have told me in the past that the only way to learn to read is to read, but I've never understood that. How can one learn to read by reading...if one can't read?

Can you shed some light on this?

Thanks for joining the dialog here!

[Clare]

I am currently writing a PGCE research project on the effectiveness of such approaches and would be keen to find the actual quote from the DCSF but I am having trouble locating it?Could anyone point me in the right direction? Some guidance would be much appreciated.

[Loretta Kulpa]

Re: Todd learning to read after cross-crawl exercise.

I don't know what issues were present in Todd that made learning to read difficult for him. It has been my experience in working with poor readers that there are many issues that might be hindering a child's ability to learn to read. So, I reserve judgment about the correlation between the cross-crawl exercise and Todd's becoming proficient in reading shortly after. However, I would like to understand how cross-crawl exercises help poor readers and would like to see the process successfully repeated in a large number of poor readers before I could endorse it.

[Rae Pica]

If you do any such research, please do let us know the results, Loretta!

[MaryJo Wagner, Ph.D.]

Cross crawl is not an invention of the Dennison's or exclusive to Brain Gym. Google "cross crawl" and you will find support for this particular exercise and why it is essential for efficient functioning--physically and cognitively.