Testimonials
Feedback from those who were directly involved in the study can
provide an informal yet valuable perspective on whether nutritional
treatment might be able to help children who may be disadvantaged by
learning conditions to perform better in the classroom.
Comments from
parents
Alison Kitching
'Kayleigh has always been a very active
child, the only thing that she lacked was concentration. Since she
has taken the supplements I have seen a change in her. She is more
determined.'
Wendy Moffett
'I was really pleased when it said on Thomas'
report that the biggest improvement in Thomas' literacy skills was
his reading. I am sure that this can be attributed to the Fatty Acid
Trials.'
Sheila Best
'Absolutely amazing. After Elliot started
taking the tablets, the first two or three months. he was more
interested in work. He would go to the library. Not so much
interested in the TV.'
Elaine Jennings:
'I felt that Joseph benefited greatly from
the trials with an increase in concentration.'
Christine Hodgson:
'Mark has turned into a more confident
child when mixing with other children and adults. His writing has
improved and he enjoys asking questions, or reading to improve his
knowledge. I will always give Mark the supplements as I believe they
have made a huge difference in his life.'
Comments from teachers
Andrew Westerman, Head Teacher
'We're pleased to say that
it does seem to be having quite a significant effect on a number of
children ... we're finding that the handwriting is more regular,
it's kept on the line, the letters are evenly spaced and formed, and
you can imagine it's flowing much more easily for them. Also, the
reading scores are going up quite significantly. The average
increase is between two and three years in three months. In one case
we have seen an increase of four years. This is simply
stunning,'
"We have seem improvements in attentiveness, ability to take
part in lessons, self-esteem and so on. I can't believe how involved
they are in lessons. '
Comments from pupils
Kayleigh Garnett
'Before, when I didn't take these tablets,
I was talking and I couldn't concentrate properly. But now that I've
been taking them, when I go home to do homework, I'm taking more
care and concentrating and everything.'
Daniel Taylor
' It's really fun because its just to help
you with your maths and english and just to give you help to speed
up on it.'
Elliot Best
'Now I am not so interested in the TV. I just
like reading books. The best place in all the world is the library.
I absolutely love it.'
Joe - a case study
His
parents described him as a 'difficult child from birth'. He had been
born two weeks prematurely and was small for dates. He screamed
constantly and following referral to a paediatrician was admitted to
hospital at 9 months for investigation into his poor weight gain. He
was allergic to milk products and had red patches of dry, flaky skin
at the back of his knees. Unlike his older brother he avoided
constructional toys - he hated jigsaws and Lego - and he was 20
months before walking independently. He slept only a few hours each
day until he was 4 years old. His sleeping patterns continued to be
erratic even after starting school. His diet was limited: he ate
large quantities of dry bread, smoked sausage and bananas - the only
fruit he would tolerate.
At 8 Joe was still unable to dress
himself, had problems coordinating a knife and fork, could not ride
a bike and his parents said €œIf there is anything at all he can bump
into or trip over he'll find it€�. Despite his difficulties, Joe was
popular in his peer group and children in the class were very
supportive. In the infants, Joe presented as a happy child but by
the age of 8 he was becoming frustrated by his problems. He was very
irritable and had frequent mood swings. He was described as
'hysterical with excitement' one minute and 'tearful and withdrawn'
the next.
Neuropsychological assessment highlighted
discrepancies between his verbal and non-verbal ability. His reading
was measured at a level 18 months above his chronological age, his
comprehension skills were also very good. Verbally he was very
imaginative but he struggled to put anything on paper. In the
classroom he was becoming increasingly distractible, not
concentrating sufficiently to finish the tasks set. As part of the
assessment, he was given a piece of writing to copy (See Fig 1)
Figure 1. Extract copied from 'The
Twits' by Roald Dahl
Joe had accessed
school-based programmes to improve his motor skills and perception.
Progress was slow and during a review mum said that she had noticed
him drinking more and having very sweaty palms and feet. His eczema
was particularly bad at the time. The G.P. had seen him and blood
tests had revealed nothing unusual. Joe started on a course of EFA
supplements and within a week his parents believed he had become
less excitable and by the end of a month his class teacher reported
significant improvements not just in his attention to task but also
in the presentation of his work. On occasion, particularly when
feeling stressed Joe had developed a slight tremor in his hand when
writing. This had completely disappeared. More importantly, Joe said
'My head feels clear' and he had noticed changes in his handwriting.
A month after Joe began his 'treatment' he was asked to rewrite the
piece previously copied from Roald Dahl's book. The results were
remarkable (See Fig. 2)
Figure 2
Joe continues to make good progress. In school the staff
believe that the most obvious effect is a difference in his
concentration. The quantity of written work he is able to produce
has increased and the content of his stories , which are now legible
reflect his ability. His parents report that he is now keen to come
to school and he no longer claims to have headaches and stomach
pains towards the end of school
holidays.