Wynford Newman Dore (born 1949) is a British businessman and author. He founded the companies Nullifire and Education Development International, and is known for developing the Dore Programme, a controversial and now-liquidated enterprise that promoted an exercise-based treatment for neurodevelopmental disorders. He has also authored books on the subject, including Dyslexia: The Miracle Cure.

Early life and education

Wynford Dore was born in Tongwynlais, South Wales. His parents moved to Coventry in 1959 in search of work. He gained a scholarship to King Henry VIII School and went into industry to study computing and systems design.

Career

In 1974, Dore saw a business opportunity following the introduction of the Fire Precautions Act 1971. In response, he set up his own company Nullifire Ltd, offering fire protection products to public buildings, including hotels and guesthouses. In 1998, Nullifire was acquired by an American company. Following the sale of Nullfire, Dore became involved with a number of companies, including Brigade Clothing, a supplier of school-wear. He is currently associated with Zing Performance.

Education Development International

In 1999, Dore co-founded The Education Partnership with Gareth Newman, a retired principal of Brooke Weston City Technology College. The initiative was established in response to Education Secretary David Blunkett's 1998 policy, which permitted private companies to manage schools or education authorities. Among the company's directors was James Tooley. The company bought a school, named Arnold Lodge School in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

The company was later renamed Education Development International plc. In 2011, it was sold to Pearson plc.

Private schools

Dore acquired Arnold Lodge School in Royal Leamington Spa in 1999. The school was nominated for Senior School of the Year in the UK in 2020 by the Times Educational Supplement. In 2023, he acquired Stratford on Avon Preparatory School.

Dore method

Wynford Dore developed an exercise-based program, originally operated through the DDAT company (Dyslexia Dyspraxia Attention Treatment), which he claimed was an effective non-pharmacological treatment for neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia, ADHD, and developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia). The "Dore method" consisted of a series of balance and eye-tracking exercises intended to stimulate the cerebellum, based on the premise that these conditions were linked to cerebellar developmental delay.

Between 2006 and 2007, Dore opened multiple clinics internationally, including in the UK, the United States, and Australia. The treatment garnered significant media attention, but it proved highly controversial within the medical and scientific communities. Independent experts criticized the research funded by Dore for lacking rigorous methodology, particularly the absence of randomized, double-blind control groups. When a study favorable to the Dore program was published in the journal Dyslexia in 2006, five members of the journal's editorial board resigned in protest, citing severe methodological flaws in the research and financial conflicts of interest.

Subsequent peer-reviewed analyses thoroughly dismantled the program's scientific validity. A review published in the Australasian Journal of Special Education evaluated the commercialization and evidence base of the method, concluding that "none of the necessary desiderata to substantiate claims for a cure are met by the available scientific evidence for the efficacy of the Dore program." Furthermore, in 2009, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that advertisements claiming the program offered help for conditions like dyslexia and ADHD were unsupported by evidence and misleading.

In May 2008, the DDAT company went into liquidation in the UK. The following month, "The Dore Group", which operated 13 clinics across Australia, went into voluntary administration. The sudden financial collapse resulted in the closure of the clinics, leaving parents who had paid thousands of dollars in upfront fees out of pocket and patients with incomplete programs.

Dore subsequently adapted the program's balance exercises into an online format, which currently operates under the name Zing Performance Ltd.

Charity work

Since 2014, Dore has served on the Board of Directors at The Reach Institute, New York. The institute provides support for children with behavioral and developmental issues across North America.

Bibliography

  • Dore, Wynford (2006). Dyslexia: The Miracle Cure
  • Dore, Wynford (2006). Opening the Dore on ADD/ADHD: The Miracle Cure
  • Dore, Wynford (2008). Dyslexia and ADHD: The Miracle Cure
  • Dore, Wynford (2018). Stop Struggling in School

Personal life

Dore has four children; Susie, Rosie, Glyn and Gareth. He lives in Stratford on Avon in Warwickshire, England.

See also

External links

  • website
  • website
  • website