WALKING around pillows with your eyes closed, or repeatedly tossing a bean bag into the air might sound a bizarre way to learn how to button your shirt. But at a Worcestershire school it is exactly what some pupils are doing in an attempt to overcome some of life's many difficulties.

The New Elizabethan School in Hartlebury is currently testing the Dore Programme with five of its pupils. The programme aims to stimulate parts of the brain that prevent an individual from being able to carry out certain tasks and is used largely on those with dyslexia, dyspraxia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or attention deficit disorder.

It is essentially a gym work-out for the brain, using exercises such as juggling, balancing on a ball and standing on one leg while throwing and catching a bean bag.

For nine-year-old George Nicholls it has helped to develop his hand and eye co-ordination.

"Before I started this I couldn't do up my shirt buttons or tie my tie," he said. "But now I can do both of those things. I can also now paint the War Hammer models that I love doing. Before I couldn't hold the paint brush.

"At first, I didn't like having to do the exercises every day, but now I don't really mind as much."

George, who suffers from dyspraxia, has a 10-minute work-out every morning and evening. It involves walking around pillows with his eyes closed, sitting on a ball, bouncing a ball with his eyes closed and throwing a bean bag in the air and catching it with his eyes closed. George's mother Kirsty Barrett said she had seen a marked improvement in her son in a matter of weeks of being on the programme.

"As a parent I was very concerned about his dyspraxia," she said. "It prevented him doing things that most other children could do.

"So when I heard about this programme we decided it would be worth trying. So far, it has been really successful. He can now do up his own shirt buttons and do up his tie. The exercises seem strange at first and you wonder how it will help, but it really does."

The theory behind the scheme is that learning difficulties lie in the cerebellum - a tangerine-sized part of the brain at the base of the skull which processes information, governs balance and makes it automatic for us to carry out actions such as following a line of text.

It was developed by Wynford Dore after his daughter, who suffered from dyslexia, attempted to commit suicide more than 10 years ago. She had become severely depressed by her learning difficulty. In a desperate attempt to save her life, Mr Dore, who was a multi-million pound businessman, began funding research into the concept that the root of dyslexia was physical rather than educational. He later set up the Dore Foundation, which has since helped hundreds of people, including celebrities such as Toyah Wilcox and Kenny Logan, to combat many difficulties. Mr Dore visited the New Elizabethan School to see how the children were progressing on the programme.

"This programme helps children who get frustrated by not being able to do things that others find easy to do," he said. "Having dyslexia or dyspraxia, or any other learning difficulty, does not mean that someone is stupid. In fact, many of these children are incredibly bright.

"It is just that their brain is not wired up to carry out certain functions in the same way other people's may be."

Mr Dore said the programme was adapted for each individual with specific tasks given to combat particular difficulties. It takes 12 to 15 months to complete, carrying out the exercises every day, twice a day.

"After 12 to 15 months the person is cured' of that particular difficulty they may have," Mr Dore said. "It is a bit like riding a bike. Once you have learnt, you never forget."

Headteacher Annabel Goodman said: "This is an incredible programme that is having remarkable results. In the short time we have been testing this programme there have been changes in those taking part. My own son Jacob is on the programme. He is dyspraxic. His hand writing has improved and he is also a lot more sociable."

THE SCIENTIFIC BIT

What is the cerebellum?

A relatively small part of the brain that sits in the lower part of the skull at the back. Half the cells in the brain are concentrated in the cerebellum and it has a vast number of connections to the cerebrum, or thinking brain'.

What is cerebellar developmental delay (CDD)?

The thinking brain, the part responsible for intelligence, is usually quite healthy in those with learning difficulties. But if the connectors that link the thinking brain and the cerebellum aren't yet fully developed, the cerebellum can't process information quickly enough. One in six people have symptoms of CDD, yet most go undiagnosed.

How do I know if I have CDD?

If you've been diagnosed as suffering from dyslexia, d yspraxia, ADD or ADHD, or you recognise yourself in the list of symptoms, you may well have CDD. The Dore Programme is able to run specific tests to find out.

How does the Dore Programme work?

For people with learning difficulties simple skills such as reading, writing, and spelling remain very difficult. The Dore exercises stimulate the cerebellum to speed up the processing of information and help with learning, language, emotion and motor skills. For more information on the Dore Programme visit www.dore.co.uk or call 0870 880 6060.