Talk:List of alternative therapies for developmental and learning disabilities

Nice start

I think that this list is coming together quite nicely. Might I recommend that sources be provided to show that each entry in the list meets the inclusion criteria? -- Levine2112 ^discuss 20:23, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

Clarification

Is this a list of alternative medicine type therapies for developmental and learning disabilities? Or is it a list of therapies for developmental and learning disabilities which are alternative to the mainstream therapies for these conditions? If it is the latter, then what is the mainstream treatment for these therapies? My concern stems from this edit where the editor removed Physiotherapy for the reason that it is not an alternative medicine. But is it an alternative (to the mainstream) therapy for developmental and learning disabilities? Make sense? -- Levine2112 ^discuss 02:33, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

I put it back with a minor addition. Massage, for instance, is a most common treatment for dyslexia, and there's even special dyslexia massage that is used for other LD's, too. I think it doesn't mean massage in itself is alternative even if it's sometimes given as an alternative treatment. An alternative treatment can be anything, even drinking water (like in Brain Gym), but that's not alternative without the LD context. There is a pretty reliable source (Chivers) of physiotherapy and occupational therapy being such treatments, that's why I'm a little reluctant to exclude them. I guess you're right and I'd better get on with closer explanations as soon as I can. I'm also waiting for Reid's book that has more information on treatments particularly designed for LD's and DD's. I thought I should mention here that there's no mainstream "therapy" for dyslexia. Slow readers have to practise more, that's pretty much it. But there are all kinds of theories of LD people being superintelligent, "right-brain learners" etc. Maybe it's good for their self-esteem and a good business. My point is people - and especially professionals, such as teachers and teacher trainees - should have the right to know what is science and what is fiction. So it's not really about being totally against something, just trying to sort things out a little. Piechjo (talk) 22:37, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

It may be a good idea then to include refs for each therapy listed here which state that they are alternative therapies for DD and LD. If not, we will get more editors removing their pet therapy because they don't like it categorized as "alternative" or, conversely, we will have editors adding therapies that either aren't alternative and/or aren't used as an LD or DD therapy. Sound good? -- Levine2112 ^discuss 22:43, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

OK, there will be a lot of ref number ones, but I guess it shouldn't be a problem. I can get the Reid book tomorrow, but it may not be until next week I can start working on it. I'll try to do a quick ref and statement add before that. Piechjo (talk) 21:02, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

LD sources

Now I've added sources, mainly Chivers and Reid. They both mention dyslexia in the cover, but also most other LD's inside their book. The next thing to do is to add Controversial Therapies for Developmental Disabilities as another source. Piechjo 15:54, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

Excellent work! -- Levine2112 ^discuss 18:33, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

A bit of confusion

From User:Eubulides' talk page:
The articles: Alternative therapies for developmental and learning disabilities and Autism therapies are too vague and complex how they're separated. The only scientifically-proven therapies are ABA, TEACCH, and PECS (as well as Speech and occupational therapy.) Also Son-Rise is also the least scientifically proven therapy. Why isn't there one article called Early childhood intervention for developmental and learning disabilities, explaining both scientifically-proven and non-scientifically proven approaches? ATC ^{. Talk} 23:37, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Also this seems confusing too: List of alternative therapies for developmental and learning disabilities. List of Alternative therapies? Some of them have been mentioned in the other articles too. Why don't we just use one article and merge all the therapies together? ATC ^{. Talk} 01:00, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

One article for everything sounds like a big project (and a big article). I'm not familiar with the list article and don't know why it's there. Eubulides (talk) 01:58, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Okay but do you think Son-Rise—very similar to Floortime/DIR—shouldn't be listed in the Autism therapies, as it not scientifically proven, and instead, be listed in the Alternative therapies for developmental and learning disabilities. Additionally, the therapies mentioned in the list article, I will put in my sandbox until I can find ways to include it in the alternative therapies article. And I will put the list article up for proposed deletion, as it is unnecessary. I'm going to add this discussion on the alternative therapies article's talk page. ATC ^{. Talk} 02:18, 27 January 2010 (UTC)