For correction of dyslexia and other learning disabilities

Media Coverage

The significant help that Michael Zarchin offers children and adults to solve their problems with dyslexia has made waves. As the testimonials of satisfied clients are shared, new clients are joining. This unique story reached the staff of the magazine “Mishpacha”....

THE MISSION BEYOND THE WORDS
By L. Meisel (Mishpacha Journal 2002)

What do Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Alexander Graham Bell, Walt Disney and Nelson Rockefeller have in common? All these geniuses were dyslexic. What is dyslexia? Can it be defined as brain damage, retardation or disability? “None of those”, explains Michael Zarchin, who freed himself from the bonds of dyslexia and now helps young dyslexics to realize this dream. “Dyslexia is merely a learning disability”, he explains. “A dyslexic child can become a genius, just as any other child can do so”.

According to research conducted abroad, the difficulties typical of dyslexics are concentrated in the following five areas:

Linguistic: Difficulty perceiving and sequencing sounds in speech (phonemic awareness), difficulties in pronouncing words with many syllables, weakness in vocabulary, difficulties in understanding things that are said quickly, listening to lectures and writing simultaneously, difficulties in organizing a sequence of plot or ideas, mistakes in syntax and conjunctions, difficulties in word retrieval, difficulties in learning a foreign language, a significant gap between their oral expression and written expression, with the former being much better than the latter.

Reading: Technical difficulties with decoding, difficulties in reading comprehension despite adequate mechanical decoding, very slow reading, difficulties distinguishing important from trivial details.

Writing: Illegible handwriting, poor spelling, difficulties constructing sentences and sequencing their thought in writing, despite good oral communication abilities..

Mathematics: Difficulties in understanding mathematical language, partial comprehension of basic automatic operations, difficulties remembering formulas or a sequence of mathematical operations, reversal of figures and signs, problems in spatial awareness of directions, difficulties copying multi-digit numbers, reading and processing the information in word problems.

Learning skills: Difficulties organizing time, persevering at a task, combining information from various sources, remembering and learning by heart, difficulties in technical usage of printed and electronic databases, difficulties in passing exams despite knowing the material.

How is possible that a successful businessman would have reading difficulties and hide it for decades?

Michael Zarchin was not born a businessman, but I was born dyslexic. There are some occurrences and events in a person's life that cannot be understood until later on. I liken this to a person looking in the mirror. In order for his reflection to be whole, he has to move back a bit. In the same way, things that happen in an individual's life can be seen clearly after some time has passed. For many years, I searched for the culprit in the complicated situation that I was in, which prevented me from conforming. I invested great efforts in getting out of my situation, and I believe that I have been blessed with the mental strength and courage to be an aid and a support to others who are hoping for a serious solution to the problems of dyslexia.

As I said, I was born dyslexic. I was unable to read and write until a late age, and I only started talking at five or six years old. I did not learn to sit or walk at the normal time. I ignored colors, shapes and pictures completely, as if they did not exist. Until the age of 16, I did not read or write. There must be other people like me, but I have yet to meet someone with such a severe case. Furthermore, I have yet to meet someone who so thoroughly conquered the disability as late as adolescence. At the time in which I was in school in Israel in the late 1950's and early 60's there was no awareness of the problem, nor tools to address it. In depth research in the area of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities was just beginning to be conducted in the US Only about 15-20 years ago people started dealing with learning disabilities in Israel.

My mother contacted the best experts on child development in Israel, who promised her that the problem would be resolved with time but without knowing anything about the real cause of my problem.

When I was six years old, my mother heard that in London there was an expert in various learning disabilities, called Dr. O'Neill, who was considered the leading expert in this new field. I accompanied her, and our hearts were full of happiness and hope: my mother, since this was the first time she was able to reach an expert who might solve my problem, and I, since this was the first time in my life that I flew in an airplane.

Dr. O'Neill, a pleasant and jovial man, gave me various tasks, and told my mother: “The child is intelligent, smart, there is no reason why he should not eventually become Prime Minister of Israel, since he has skills and a strong will. However, he suffers from a problem called ‘dyslexia', a learning disability that is currently only known in the academic and research world. At this stage, I do not know how to treat it, and I doubt that there are any experts who know”.

We returned to Israel hoping that eventually the problem would be treatable, and despairing that there was no solution at that time.

At my elementary school I was very popular socially, so that nobody apart from my teachers knew about the disability.

Fortunately, since I was the son of the great Zarchin, the successful industrialist, I became the protégé of the school principal, who ensured my parents that I lacked nothing, and often tried to motivate me, which, of course, did not help at all. Although I knew that this special treatment was the result of my family background, rather than my talents, it helped me continue studying and hiding the great secret about my inability to read and write.

I remember that the principal of one my elementary schools a famous pedagogue, called my mother and told her: “Mrs. Zarchin, your son Michael is a lovely child, friendly, charming and socially popular, but I am afraid that my duty as principal is to tell you the truth. I must not try to cover up and cause you false hopes. I'm sorry, but your son Michael will never, ever know how to read and write”.

My mother, who expected this and was not particularly surprised, still felt a sharp pain, but did not give up hope.

“You are a well-known educator”, she said nobly and coldly, “but your statement is too final. I think it is best not to determine anything at this stage when Michael is only nine years old. For such an arbitrary decision, it would be better to wait until my son Michael is at least seventeen”.

The principal's statement that I would never learn how to read and write was part of the general approach in those distant days of the end of the nineteen-fifties and the early nineteen-sixties.

The term “dyslexia” was known only to a few educational psychologists around the world, and the problem was considered unsolvable, offering spotty assistance. Such a child was sentenced to a life of literacy ignorance.

During this period, there was no well-known neurologist, psychologist or psychiatrist in Israel that my mother did not visit. Those experts claimed I was apathetic, with autistic features, unidentified, with a personality they could not understand, a genius or intelligent or an “intelligent retard”, which they could not diagnose. Creating the term “intelligent retard” demonstrated both lack of understanding, and a great deal of cruelty and nastiness.

My anxiety about the future, and oppressive life undoubtedly left their mark on me. The fact that there was still no cure for my problem kept me awake at night. School became an ongoing nightmare, but there was no alternative school for me. I hated books, and wished I had been born in a world without books. Letters and words made me anxious. What would I do with all the books filling my school bag? I was having problems with reading and writing, hardly knew how to add and subtract, all I knew was the result of knowledge acquired in a local grocery shop in my neighborhood. On the other hand, I wanted to know everything that was written in all the books in the world.

The embarrassment I felt, and the desire to maintain a respectable position in a society that admired me and was unaware of my problem, led me to make my presence felt by acts of naughtiness in school. I also got recognition and praise for my athletic abilities. I was involved in many types of sport, where I was successful and won various competitions, which improved my self-confidence.

Miraculously I eventually did learn to read.

It didn't happen that easily. I experienced many difficulties and overcame many obstacles. Sometimes I despaired, and it took superhuman strength to continue. The turning point occurred when I met one of the world's greatest experts on dyslexia therapy, Dr. Stanley Abelman, a student of the renowned Dr. Jerry Getman. . He was one of the greatest experts in the nineteen-seventies, and hundreds of people were waiting at his door, making appointments a year or two in advance. I was accepted at his clinic at a time when treating the problem was not yet well developed around the world.

Abelman used a combination of several techniques, which to me seemed chaotic. At the time, I did not understand what he was doing. Only many years later, in retrospect, did I understand how good he was. To this day, three decades after I met him, no similar method for really treating dyslexia has appeared. None of the current treatment methods has been able to imitate his method in solving the problem.

His letter combinations were amazing, and led to the formation of a word, then a sentence, and eventually a whole chapter. He integrated knowledge about visual and auditory perception, and coordination, linking them skillfully to changing cognitive processing, which ultimately affected my ability to learn reading , writing and math. . I was his student for half a year, a period that changed my life completely: I had begun to read in English, as well as in Hebrew, though I was not taught any Hebrew by Dr. Abelman.

Of course, after this short period I had to continue making great efforts until I was able to realize my dream of reading fluently, but there is no doubt that Dr. Abelman helped me reach where I am today. I myself adopted his method. He always told me that since I grew up in a rare situation where it was not apparent that I had suffered, I had the ability to help others, and so he used me as an example in his lectures around the world.

Today there is greater awareness and there are treatment methods for learning disabilities. Is there any difference in the type of treatment?

There is a significant difference. Most of the literature says there is no solution to dyslexia, and that it is only possible to help, and not in all cases. It is possible to provide tools for going around the problem. I claim that the problem can be solved completely.

There were years that the term Dyslexia was a closed book to me. I searched for definitions and studies on the subject. I disagree with this professional assumption, I am enraged by this assumption and their ignoring those young people and adults who are relying on false theories that prevent them from receiving proper treatment.

I found several infuriating definitions of dyslexia: “It is accepted that dyslexia does not disappear, does not change and does not improve. Therefore, long-term multi-sensory corrective instruction is required, and progress is limited. Individuals should accept the limits of dyslexia and learn to live with them”.

There was also a description of dyslexics which is very problematic: “People with reading problems are constantly experiencing feelings of frustration and failure. Every day they discover that their achievements do not match those of their peers. Due to the compulsory education law, they are not removed from the education system, but their frustration increases”.

Even treatment of dyslexia is done by bypassing the problem. Signs are created to remind people of words. The use of additional tools to bypass the problem can only help. It cannot solve the problem completely, and in many cases it does not even help.

Of course, such things do not accord with my worldview and the vast experience I have acquired over my many years in the field, using a treatment method that is not accepted by experts. One of the experts I met over the years told me: “You could not be dyslexic nor ever been, or you would never have gotten out of it with no traces in your reading, writing, or ability to learn a second language!”

I believe, from extensive experience and written and oral testimonies, from the many thank-you letters I have received, and from personal observation, that there is a solution to the problem, even if it is serious and profound, and that it can be completely overcome.

The method I use, which I learned from Dr. Abelman, is to activate the system of creative thinking, which forms the connection between the eye and ear and the creative part of the brain. The combination of these multi-disciplinary systems not only helps overcome the problem of dyslexia, this method also uncovered the fact that most of the problems in learning mathematics and geometry can be solved in the same way.

From the day we are born we absorb millions of pieces of information into our memories, using a natural process that exists in the human brain. When we want or need to know a certain fact, the brain retrieves the requested information and passes it on to our expressive faculties.

I define this as input-output. For a child who cannot read, the three operations: input, processing and output, exist just as for any other child, however there is a disruption in the processing and output. This disruption causes the lack of knowledge.

We teach the system to retrieve.

Humans have five senses that together create the whole required for functioning. But what does a human do if one of his senses has been damaged? The method for solving the non-functioning of one of the senses is very ancient. Its main part is knowing how to use the healthy senses to overcome the disability. As a result, people with damaged sight develop very sharp hearing to compensate for the lack of vision.

This is the basis of Abelman's method. He was able to implement the theory that the additional senses and talents of dyslexics should be used to overcome the problem. Abelman's greatness was in his innovation in using a method that was not popular at the time.

With your status today and your success in the financial field, does it not seem a little strange that you have a small job on the side helping dyslexic children?

In the past few years I have decided to instruct children with serious learning disabilities. Word of mouth has spread the rumor that I am able to help these children. This is not my sole source of income. This is not my survival, and I do not live off the families who are trying to rehabilitate their children. I only try to save them from upsetting situations where they fall into the hands of “experts”, or even greedy charlatans, who are unable to solve their children's problems.

I received an accurate diagnosis, and I believe that diagnosis is half of the solution. I succeeded where others failed. I feel this as a holy duty to use the gift I have received, as a deposit, and to pass it on to others who need it. This is my occupation when I am not busy with my normal job.

The researcher Davis, in his book The Gift of Dyslexia, claims that dyslexia will not turn all dyslexics into geniuses, but that knowing that their brains work in exactly the same way as those of great geniuses contributes to the self-esteem of dyslexics. It is important for them to know that the fact that they have difficulty in reading, writing, spelling or mathematics does not mean that they are stupid. The same brain functions that create genius can also create these problems.

From my life experience, the skills I have developed, and my penetrating ability to observe and see, which has developed over the years of my involvement in the field, I am able to create the tools that can lead the dyslexic to the knowledge that he can reach the top, meaning that he can solve the difficulties in reading, writing and spelling. Albert Einstein in physics, and Walt Disney in art, had these tools, and through them they were able to solve their dyslexia. Society must give these children the faith that they are not different. I find support for my work every day and every hour. When a child feels helpless or despairing, I sit him down on the couch and tell him my story.

I have no one method in my work. Each person is a different story, no lesson is like another, and the energy formed between the patient and myself is the secret of the treatment. All the knowledge exists in the patient, and I just know how to get it out.

I work on quality rather than quantity, so I am able to receive a maximum of 20-25 patients a year, and they come to me at least twice a week, without a clock or stopwatch, each one for as long as necessary.

I have testimonies from children and adults who could not believe what achievements they would reach, and things just happened to them, before their very eyes.

If I have been able to light the way to a person in despair, to give a youth the ability to learn and become wise, to help give a Jewish boy the ability to read the Shema Israel, the central Jewish proclamation of faith, the prayer, , this is my reward.



Michael Zarchin is currently writing his scientific method and his life story in the book The Mission Beyond Words.

Here is a typical story from his book:

Ariel's mother went through hell, she says, until her eyes opened.

My son has learning disabilities: problems with reading and writing, and attention problems. Apart from this, he is a charming, smart and sensitive boy. I did everything to help my son. The school sent me to instructors. Some of them were very friendly, Ariel liked them, but that was all. He hardly learned how to read, and it was impossible to make him sit still for five minutes.

At what stage did you discover that Ariel had problems with reading?

I discovered this when he was five or six years old. As soon as he started first grade he had a real trauma. We were still naïve and thought that if we kept him there another year everything would sort itself out, but of course this didn't help.

In the second grade, I was sent by the town council to Miskal, a program that helps children with reading and writing problems. But Miskal was frustrating. We survived the years with difficulty, we felt desperate and, naturally, many new difficulties appeared in addition to the reading problems. In the ninth grade they wanted to send him to an unsuitable school, so I transferred him to a Yeshiva.

How does he get on in the Yeshiva without reading?

Today he can already read. There is a great improvement in his condition, and this did not happen suddenly. The corrective learning teacher in the school, who helped him with a special refresher lesson, told me about the Roth Institute in Jerusalem and recommended me to try it. The Rabbi there discovered the problem immediately, and told me: “Listen, I know a special person who can help you, if you are willing”. I replied that not only were we willing, but we had not stopped looking for help for Ariel. This man was called Michael Zarchin, and he came to our home, talked to the boy and formed the impression that he could help him.

Since then, we went to him twice a week. It was a celebration for the boy. As soon as we got home he wanted to go there again, since he felt so good there, and this was the first time he had felt good in any educational setting.

Ariel sat there from four to six. For us this was a miracle. Until that time it was impossible to make him sit still even for five minutes. Michael calmed him, he showed him so much love, and the boy felt this, he is a very sensitive child who needs love.

The sentence that attracted Ariel in particular was when Michael said: “You are doing this for me, you are helping me, rather than me helping you”. These words really bought him.

He has been learning there for nearly a year, and there is not only a great improvement in the boy, but a real revolution. I remember that the doctors recommended giving Ariel Ritalin so he would be able to concentrate, but this did not help. With Michael he sits for two whole hours with his mouth open, it's a real miracle. He has a style and knowledge that nobody else has, a sort of calm and tranquility which he can project to the child and go down to his level, understand him, form a relationship with him. Even though Ariel's progress depends on Michael Zarchin, I don't know if I should say this, perhaps you shouldn't write this, Michael is very considerate in terms of the payment. He is so helpful that I have no words to thank him.

Today Ariel has found his place in the Yeshiva. In the morning for as long as he is able he does academic studies, and in the afternoon there are classes where he flourishes.

There is no doubt that we have a long way ahead, but I feel that with Michael Zarchin, the good messenger, we are on the right way.