Multi-millionaire Wynford Dore describes his daughter’s third suicide attempt as a “wake-up call”. In her mid-twenties, Susie’s life had been devastated by dyslexia. Any parent would despair at such a moment, but Dore had the resources to do something for his child. The former businessman has pioneered a set of simple exercises that he controversially claims “cure” the condition.

Now, in response to criticism of his technique — which he says has a success rate of more than 80% in treating dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — he is calling on the government to establish an independent body to evaluate treatments for such conditions.

A total of 2m adults and children suffer from dyslexia — or “word blindness” — in Britain. Last weekend, Professor David Reynolds of Plymouth University published the results of a three-year survey into Dore’s drug-free technique, concluding that it eradicated learning difficulties in more than 80% of cases.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Dyslexia, took the lowest-performing children in a Midlands school and found that following treatment with the Dore method they saw “strong and lasting” improvements in their scores in national literacy tests.

“Before the treatment began, independent school reading tests showed that the children with learning difficulties were making only seven months’ progress in 12 months. And they were falling further and further behind their peers,” said Reynolds. “In the 12 months of treatment the children made 20 months’ improvement in reading progress and caught up with their peers.

“After the treatment the children maintained their progress — in other words the treatment provided a permanent solution to the problem.”

Trevor Davies, headmaster of the Midlands school, Balsall Common, said: “In my opinion, this programme has cured these children of their learning and attention difficulties.”

The Dore method ascribes the range of difficulties that it claims to help to an underdeveloped cerebellum. This is the tangerine-sized part of the brain at the base of the skull that processes information and governs balance.

According to Dore — who made his fortune in the fire protection industry — simple “brain gym” exercises such as balancing on wobble boards, walking downstairs backwards and juggling with bean bags develop the cerebellum. His is one of several unusual treatments for dyslexia, including fish oils and special spectacles, that have sprung up because there is so much uncertainty around the problem.

Certainly, Dore is passionate about his technique, as are his followers, who include the pop star and television presenter Toyah Willcox and the rugby player Kenny Logan.

“I remember filming Quadrophenia in 1979 with Sting, and he was teaching me how to sing the backing vocals to the Police hit Roxanne,” said Willcox. “I couldn’t visualise the music or hear the rhythm. So I ended up smashing furniture around the room and banging my fist down on tables, saying, ‘Sting, I will never learn it. I can’t learn in the normal way.’ He didn’t know I was dyslexic. Nor did I admit it.

“Because I couldn’t spell or read, I had a poor vocabulary. If I spoke, people would laugh. But my life changed beyond recognition in November 2003 following a revolutionary treatment called the Dore programme, which I believe has virtually cured my dyslexia.”

Dore himself said: “Experts have argued for 50 years about whether dyslexia exists or not. They have argued about what causes it, how to define it, how to diagnose it and how to treat it. My daughter Susie attempted to take her own life while the so-called experts argued among themselves. We focused on solving the problem rather than arguing about its existence.”