158 Asia Pacific Journal of Developmental Differences Vol. 2 No. 2 July 2015 © 2015 Dyslexia Association of Singapore www.das.org.sg Improving the fluidity of whole word reading with a dynamic co‐ordinated movement approach Improving the fluidity of whole word reading with a dynamic co‐ordinated movement approach Piero Crispiani 1* and Eleonora Palmieri 2 1 University Macerata, Pedagogist, Scientific Director of Intalian Dyslexia Center , 2 Psychologist ‐ Pedagogist, Researcher, Itard Specialist , Director of Psychological and Pedagogical Victor Center Macerata. Asia Pacific Journal of Developmental Differences Vol. 2, No. 2, July 2015, pp 158 ‐ 183 DOI: 10.3850/S2345734115000277 * Correspondence to: Piero Crispiani, University Macerata, Pedagogist,Scientific Director of Intalian Dyslexia Center , www.pierocrispiani.it Email: pierocrispiani@gmail.com Introduction The article starts with a review of phases in theoretical understanding of dyslexia, moving from phonologically based to a recent emphasis on cerebellar deficit and procedural learning, which provide a rationale for the Italian Crispiani method Abstract In this article we present an intervention approach geared towards improving the fluency of reading and processing in children with dyslexia and dyspraxia. This is an important topic, identified by the National Reading Panel 2000 as key to improving reading comprehension. The approach, the Crispiani method developed in Italy is derived from theories of cerebellar deficit and procedural learning, and adopts a dynamic approach based on a combination of whole word reading with rapid co‐ ordinated movement. Following a literature review, an intensive case study of clinical practice with a 10 ‐year old girl with dyspraxia and dyslexia shows marked improvement in initiating and completing tasks. Finally, an experimental study with 33 children show an average improvement of 30% in reading fluidity following a 3 months intervention designed to improve processing speed and confidence in a clinical setting. This improvement was highly statistically significant. The implications for a whole child approach to intervention are discussed.