Psychophysiological treatment for learning disabilities: controlled research and evidence

Research data are presented on the effects of a psychophysiological treatment method for learning disabilities. A total of 238 subjects with learning disabilities were selected based on their school records. Of these, 105 received the full treatment which consisted of the manipulation and maintenance of bilateral electrodermal activity between 6.5-8.5 mu mhos simultaneously combined with increasingly complex perceptual tasks (Mangina, 1981a, b, c; Mangina and Beuzeron-Mangina, 1988). Another 133 subjects with learning disabilities were assigned into four different conditions: (a) classmate controls; (b) only attachment of electrodes; (c) only optimal activation; (d) only perceptual stimulation. Evidence for the effectiveness of the treatment method was found based on different experimental conditions which are presented in this paper. ANOVA and multiple comparison tests indicate that beneficial effects were only obtained by the administration of the full treatment method and were significant at all three time intervals investigated (P less than 0.001). The evidence supports that the treatment method has induced a 'synergistic simultaneity' which is required by the brain both in terms of its bilaterally 'optimal' physiological activation and the appropriate quality of incoming stimulation in order to produce a beneficial neural integration.