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The “symptoms” of people with dyslexia can take a huge variety of different forms. Thus every person’s dyslexia appears to be unique, and is, therefore, a key part of their personality and identity.
For example, dyslexics may be brilliant spellers because they have an amazing visual memory. On the other hand they may be poor spellers, in spite of their amazing visual memory.
Dyslexics think with the meaning of words, not with their sound. When a dyslexic does not understand the meaning they become confused and disorientated. While disorientated they don’t see accurately. So, no matter how accurate their visual memory, they may not have seen a word as it really looks.
Furthermore, most individuals recognised as dyslexic, and many who aren’t, do not grasp key life concepts fully. Among those concepts are Sequence: how things follow each other, one after another in terms of time, size, amount, arbitrary order and importance, and Order/Disorder: Order: things being in their proper place AND position AND condition; Disorder: things NOT in their proper place OR position OR condition.
These concepts are significantly important for accurate spelling. Each word is an example of arbitrary order and each letter in a word has a proper place in the sequence of that word, a proper position, facing forward and the right way up, and a proper condition, the same size as all other letters in the word and legible.
Traditionally dyslexia has been viewed as a disability. Many remedial approaches have focused on coping strategies involving drill and repetition. Davis facilitators understand the root cause of Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, ADD, Autism and other ‘Specific Learning Difficulties'(SpLD). We recognise that dyslexia is a form of intelligence – not a disability. Our approach treats dyslexic intelligence with respect and uses it to address learning problems.
Conventional methods are based on the idea that there is something wrong. That the student needs to learn how not to be dyslexic. Davis methods are based on the idea that there is nothing wrong. There is simply something different and very creative in a dyslexic individual’s thinking style. During a Davis programme a facilitator will show the student how to use their own thinking style to eliminate problems they may have with language-concepts. This is done through the medium of plasticine-clay.
Since dyslexic students think in pictures, they have difficulty thinking with the sounds of word. Thus it is difficult for them to try to read by breaking words down into component sounds. Thus
Dyslexic students have a hard time remembering things that they do not fully understand. Repetition and drill are a waste of time for them and will only increase their frustration.
They put the dyslexic individual in control. This programme uses the strengths and talents of the individual’s thinking and learning style to correct their learning difficulties, in a creative and fun way.
Instead they use a visual, meaning based approach to reading, relying on full understanding rather than rote learning. This leads to full retention allowing individuals to take control of their own learning. They have no need to be dependent on any outside device, medication or supplement. Davis facilitators know that Dyslexia and other Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) are neither a disease nor psychiatric condition. There is nothing wrong with a dyslexic’s brain, it simply works differently.
Find out more about the Davis Programme. Contact a facilitator near you.
These include:
Ronald Davis, author of the internationally best-selling book The Gift of Dyslexia calls this chain the “anatomy of a learning disability”.
Effective approaches for dyslexic learners work with their natural strengths and recognise the value of their thinking and learning styles. The Davis Approach recognises that natural ability and puts them in control of it. They are then shown how to use this control to eliminate the problems that come along with it. As this video explains:
The man who designed the Davis Methods is dyslexic himself. They provide a powerful hands-on system of learning. They make use of a person’s natural dyslexic intelligence and thinking style as a learning tool. Our one-to-one intensive programmes enable children and adults to use their own natural ability to overcome any dyslexic difficulties. These include issues with literacy, numeracy, hand-eye coordination, handwriting, attention, focus and energy control.
The Davis Dyslexia Correction Programme uses the dyslexic’s thinking style to deal with those negative issues that the individual wants to change. It is personalised to meet their goals.
This programme approaches Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) in a different way to other methods. To find out how, read How Davis is Different.
Children, aged 7/8 and up, whose school performance does not reflect their capability. Symptoms most commonly seen are learning related and/or attention problems.
Children from the age of 5 to 7/8 can be helped through a Davis Young Learner’s Programme.
Teenagers who have continued falling behind in their schoolwork and often show frustration and poor self-esteem as a result. Typically, their learning difficulty has gradually destroyed their enjoyment of reading and school in general. Moreover, they frequently show signs of social isolation or depressed behaviour.
Adults who have long experience of their learning and attention problems and realise they are functioning below their potential. Often they are frustrated with coping and are motivated by a desire to achieve more in their personal and professional lives.
Find out more about a typical dyslexia programme here
When the Davis Learning Strategies are used in the classroom, our approach successfully brings together learners of all different thinking styles. It is a learning experience which stimulates the academically able and protects the at-risk learner at the same time.
These methods have been used in the USA since the 1980s. This was when Ronald Davis, himself severely dyslexic, began to discover ways to overcome his own difficulties. He founded the Reading Research Council, which created a five-day Davis Dyslexia Correction Programme to enable both adults and children to overcome their dyslexic problems.
In 1995 the Davis Dyslexia Association International (DDAI) was established. The training of facilitators and the delivery of the programme was standardised.
Since then, the programme has expanded. Davis Programmes are delivered in 44 countries where there are licensed Davis Facilitators.
The methods have been used in the UK since 1997. A growing number of UK facilitators being licensed by DDAI and adhering to theier Standards of Practice.
Contact the facilitator nearest to you to find more information about the Davis methods.
Dyslexia is usually recognised because of the problems dyslexics experience. Society only tends to see the deficit side of dyslexia, whereas it is, in reality, a Gift. But a Gift that can come with a lot of baggage; not only connected with reading and writing difficulties. For instance, a dyslexic person might have difficulties with focusing and attention skills, organisation, time, memory, handwriting, maths, physical coordination or auditory processing. All of these can have an adverse effect in the workplace or in education, as well as in the individual’s daily life.
However, that Gift may equally have advantages such as global, very rapid almost intuitive thought processes. These lead to innovative, ‘outside the box’ ideas, great creativity, sometimes better than average spatial awareness. Moreover the dyslexic individual has the ability to see what is in their mind.as a reality and to include their imagination in their thought processes. The Davis Programme uses that creative imagination to show the dyslexic individual how to eliminate their dyslexic difficulties.
“Ron Davis is a revolutionary and profound thinker and has discovered what history will record as one of the great insights in the fields of learning and how the mind works.” – Thom Hartmann, author of Beyond ADD: Hunting for Reasons in the Past and Present, and many other top selling books.
“These [Davis] procedures have an excellent foundation in learning theory. They use each of the senses for learning and provide for concept integration.” – Joan Smith, Ed.D., author of You Don’t Have to be Dyslexic
“After hearing so much about what kids labeled ‘dyslexic’ can’t do, it’s refreshing to learn from Ron Davis about the gift of dyslexia. Davis helps us reframe the learning abilities of kids who have trouble reading, yet who possess superior visual-spatial understanding, and he provides important clues as to how they can be reached.” – Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D., author of The Myth of the A.D.H.D. Child
