A NEW treatment for dyslexia involving special balance and co-ordination exercises has transformed the life of a Horwich youngster.

For the past eight months Rivington and Blackrod High School pupil Thomas Seddon, aged 13, has been having a new form of treatment for his dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit disorder.

Thomas spends a few minutes three or four times a day doing a range of simple exercises which involve activities such as spinning around, catching a bean bag and balancing on a "wobble board".

The results have amazed his family. From being practically unable to catch a ball, Thomas has improved to such an extent he is now involved in a number of sports.

His reading and writing skills have also dramatically changed. Before the treatment started, Thomas, of Ormston Avenue, was only able to read random letters on different lines of a page, but now he is starting to be able to read along lines.

He is also able to do tasks which would have been beyond him, such as having a paper round.

His devoted mother Margaret, aged 37, has fought for years to get her son the right treatment. She said: "Dyslexia is where the brain cannot organise itself. Thomas used to fall over his feet and drop a ball.

"You could tell him to open a door, then close a window and then move a chair. He would probably do one task right, but then get the others wrong and he would do them in the wrong order."

Thomas has been treated by the DDAT (dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention disorders) centre in Manchester since last April. DDAT has pioneered a new treatment involving special exercises to improve balance and hand-eye co-ordination.

Researchers from Exeter and Sheffield universities have completed a 12-month study of 40 children on the DDAT treatment programme. Their progress in comprehension SATS tests has increased by almost five times compared to the previous year, in reading by more than three times, and in writing by 17 times.

DDAT was founded by Warwickshire businessman Wynford Dore, whose daughter suffered from acute dyslexia. His medical team found the root cause of the problem lay not in the thinking brain, as had been traditionally believed, but in the cerebellum, the co-ordinating centre of the brain.

Ever since Thomas was a baby, Margaret has known that there was something wrong, although it was not until he went to the DDAT Centre last year that his condition was diagnosed.

As a baby, Thomas had no balance and would fall backwards if left unsupported. When his younger brother Jonathan was born, Margaret noticed that her younger son was soon streets ahead of Thomas in terms of development. Thomas spent two years at nursery school before going on to junior school, where he struggled with his lessons. Margaret said: "The teachers just kept on telling me that he would catch up and that he was just being a typical young lad."

Fearing that Thomas would never learn how to read and write, Margaret moved him to a different primary school after two years.

At his new school Thomas was classed as a special needs pupil and given extra educational support and tuition. When he reached the age of 11, he went on to Rivington and Blackrod High School where he attends mainstream classes but receives special tuition in reading and writing, although Margaret feels it does not tackle the root cause of his problems.

Margaret said: "He used to come home from school at the end of the day absolutely shattered. He would be worn out after trying to do things -- and not being able to do them."

A turning point came when Margaret saw a television programme on DDAT. She pooled together funds with her father, Fred Hibbert, to send Thomas to a DDAT centre. His condition was quickly diagnosed and he was given a series of exercises to do. One exercise involves Thomas spinning round and round -- which forces him to concentrate on balancing -- and then he sits still for 30 seconds. He then spins round in the opposite direction before sitting down and waiting one minute. He then spins round 10 times in both directions.

For another exercise he has to throw up a bean bag and catch it a set number of times.

Margaret said: "The brain is split into two parts -- the sub-conscious and the conscious. Thomas's sub-conscious is not working as it should. So the conscious part of the brain is having to do everything.

"The exercises all aim to get his sub-conscious thinking a bit more. The exercises concentrate on different things, such as his focus or his balance."

The first improvement the family noticed was in Thomas's sporting skills.

Margaret said: "All of a sudden he could catch a ball and he just went sport crazy." Thomas now plays football, tennis and badminton and enjoys running.

The family were told that the last aspect to improve would be Thomas's reading and writing. They have already noticed a significant difference.

A glance through Thomas's school books shows his writing skills have dramatically improved. His writing is clearer and more coherent.

His new-found skills have been a massive boost to Thomas's confidence. He now socialises with boys his own age. Previously he would play with younger children as he preferred their more childish games.

He has joined the Army Cadets and has learned how to march. Shortly, he will be going on camp where he will have a go on a shooting range.

And he is now doing a paper round. He has to read the addresses and remember what paper each house wants.

His grandfather Fred said: "Before, there was no way he could have done a paper round. He would have gone out of the house and forgotten where he was supposed to be going. This new treatment has been amazing."

Margaret said that previously Thomas would avoid writing anything -- "like the plague". But with his new-found confidence, he now happily spends his spare time sending emails on his computer and reading websites.

Anyone wishing to know more should contact the DDAT Centre helpline on 0870 880 8789, or visit www.ddat.co.uk