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Lexiphone therapy: an auditory intervention approach for developmental dyslexia

Isi Beller , Peter Lloyd and Joanne Nicholson

(1) Lexiphone Clinic, Paris (2) University of Manchester) Lloydp@fs1.fse.man.ac.uk

Abstract

This paper describes an approach to dyslexia developed in France by Dr Isi Beller, a Parisian psychiatrist. Lexiphone therapy has been used in French speaking countries in Europe for more than 20 years and notable advances have been reported both for children and adults. The technique has a number of advantages over traditional methods of treating dyslexia. 1. It is not pedagogical in nature in that it does not attempt to use language directly to remediate a language/literacy difficulty. 2. A fundamental feature is the "re-education" of elementary aspects of language through the use of a special device, the lexiphone. 3. The participants are encouraged to be in control of their own therapy - a "school like" approach is avoided. The therapeutic setting is similar to a language laboratory and has children linked to a central therapist and the lexiphone by means of headphones and an intercom system. They work at their own pace and for much of the time engage in chosen play activities while receiving auditory intervention. The lexiphone produces parametric sound which is a speech signal with meaning and language removed. It is designed to characterise the prosody, rhythm and stresses of language in order to "retrain" phonological awareness in the dyslexic. Other properties of the lexiphone are "alternance", which makes the child work on segmental skills, and dichotic presentation which causes the two hemispheres to work on different input patterns. The intervention consists of seven stages over a period of about 12 months beginning with listening followed by spoken repetition and ultimately reading and writing tasks. As well as a description of the therapy, including the latest digitised computer driven model, data from a randomly selected cohort of children (N=129) attending Dr Beller's clinic in Paris will be presented illustrating the treatment effects that have been recorded.

Disclaimer: all the abstracts presented here have satisfied the academic committee as appropriate for presentation at an international conference. However, the material reflects the views of the authors, not necessarily those of the academic committee or the BDA. No endorsement of any approach, product or service is intended or implied.

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