VOL. 49 Davis DyslexiaAssociation International ISSUE 3 • 2008

Dys lex ic Read er• •́ •́~The

IN THIS ISSUE

(Cont’d on p. 6)

News & Feature ArticlesThe Fabulous, Famous Dyslexic,Henry Winkler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Michael’s Great Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Note Proficiency, Part 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Undiagnosed Teenager with Dyslexia . . . .8Understanding My Gift . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Steve Mock Thinks Outside the Box . . . .13Finding the Right Niche . . . . . . . . . . . . .14bAd Boy Makes Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Beginning of the End of Reading First . . .19La Fidelidad de Uchi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Regular Features

In the Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Quotables from Notables . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Famous Dyslexics Remember . . . . . . . . . .9Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Humor Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17-18New Davis Licensees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Davis Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-28

The Fabulous, FamousDyslexic, Henry Winkler

(Cont’d on p. 5)

other’s Day, 2008will go down in my booksas one really cool day!Ironically, I was not with

my children. Instead, I was in Andover,Massachusetts at a book signing withHenry Winkler (a.k.a. The Fonz fromHappy Days). For those of you whodidn’t realize, he is also a best-sellingauthor and among the ranks of manyother extremely talented, famousdyslexics.

I really didn’t know what toexpect, but I am a huge fan of Mr.Winkler’s best-selling book series,Hank Zipzer - The World’s Greatest

MBy Karen LoGiudice, Davis Facilitatorin Newburyport, MA

Underachiever, and I saw this as agreat opportunity to meet a man whohas gone above and beyond withrespect to shining light on dyslexia -both its realities/difficulties and itsgifts/talents. Based on the wonderfulcharacter, Hank Zipzer, a 4th grade boywith dyslexia, Winkler’s 14-strongseries of chapter books are mostlyautobiographical.

Having arrived at thefunction an hour and a halfearly, I was excited to be rightat the front of the line. Peoplestarted assembling and the buzzof excitement was growing. Inone way or another, HenryWinkler had touched the life ofeach person in line... either withhis acting, producing, writing, orsome other experience!

As people around me were

Michael’s Great Day

My son, Michael, is graduating fromhigh school tomorrow. He’s not alone–there are thousands of young men andwomen in our community who will walkup the aisle, get their diploma,and then throw their caps in theair. There will be thousands ofcelebrations throughout the cityas each family enjoys thebeginning of their child’s newstage of life. But my son has aspecial story.

When Michael was five yearsold, he flunked kindergarten. Webrought him home for school and gavehim a year to relax. But things didn’t get

Michael Moser, just graduated, is on hisway to Wingate University on a soccerscholarship.

By Jean Moser, Davis Facilitator inWinston-Salem, North Carolina

Jean sent us this story on June 7, 2008,shortly before her son, Michael, graduatedfrom high school.

PAGE 2 THE DYSLEXIC READER

The Dyslexic Reader is published quarterly by Davis Dyslexia Association International (DDAI), 1601 Bayshore Hwy.,Suite 260, Burlingame, CA 94010 USA. Tel. +1 (650) 692-7141. OUR GOALS are to increase worldwide awareness about the positive aspects of dyslexia and related learning styles;and to present methods for improving literacy, education and academic success. We believe that all people’s abilitiesand talents should be recognized and valued, and that learning problems can be corrected. EDITORIAL BOARD:Laura Zink de Diaz, Alice Davis & Abigail Marshall. DESIGN: Gideon Kramer. SUBSCRIPTIONS: one year $25 in US, add $5 in Canada; add $10 elsewhere. BACK ISSUES: send $8.00 to DDAI. SUBMISSIONS & LETTERS:We welcome letters, comments and articles. Mail to DDAI at the above address. VIA FAX: +1 (650) 692-7075 VIA E-MAIL: editor@dyslexia.com INTERNET: www.dyslexia.com

The opinions and views expressed in articles and letters are not necessarily those of DDAI. Davis™, Dyslexia Correction®, Davis Symbol Mastery®, DavisOrientation Counseling®, and Davis Learning Strategies® are trademarks of Ronald D. Davis. Copyright © 2006 by DDAI, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

I learned to read at age 10hello, my name is sadie i am 13 i live inthe uk and i am dyslexic. i learnt how toread when i was 10, by pointing to a word,asking what it means, then memorisingthe serise of letters in till i had aheadache. to this day i have problemsspelling or reading out loud, i also talkto fast or confuse words such as : to,two and too or write words with the letters gummbled round such as myname i would some times spell it: ideasor aside. i am good at art, maths andscience and used to think i was stupid orstrange and i was bullyed at school forbeing dyslexic or wareing flamboyant

Copyright 2002 Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com

In the Mail:

Our Chloe’s doing great!We want to share our 10 year-old ChloeNadine’s success with Davis Facilitator,Constance Chua of Singapore.

Math was always a problem forChloe. I got frustrated and she was oftenin tears unable to relate to numbers as

clothes and calling them art. but when isaw the program “the gift of dyslexia” itgave me confidence to be what i want to be (a cosmologist) and helped meunderstand my self and what was hapaning in my brain, i want to saythank you for all that your Associationhas done for people like us!! and i haverecormended your books to many people!and i will continue to do so!

from sadie p. hambleton other kids do. Tutoring made no difference and her fear and dislike for the subject grew.

After assessment in Singapore,where Ms. Chua convinced Chloe thatdoing Math the Davis way is fun and easy,she did a Davis program last April.

Immediately after the program wenoticed that Chloe was calmer and moreconfident. To our amazement she scored80% in her first test a few weeks later!

She continues to progress and heraverage is now 90%. When we ask howshe does “Davis” she can’t explain, butsays, “I just know it.” Our youngerdaughter, gifted in math, is nervous thatChloe may become her match!

Chloe has blossomed in confidenceand responsibility. God bless Mr. Davis! Weare deeply grateful to him for making theprogram available throughout the world.We’d also like to express our sincerestappreciation to Ms. Constance Chua forher patience, continued guidance andencouragement to Chloe. We will alwaysbe grateful to her.

Yours truly,

Natalie L. TanchipManila, Philippines

THE DYSLEXIC READER PAGE 3

Note Proficiency, Part 1By Geoffrey Keith

If a student takes home a piece ofmusic and practices the wrong notesand rhythms, he will have reinforcedthe wrong information in his memory.It is critical to have a wayto send the student homeknowing that he will bepracticing the right noteswith the right rhythms.The student must beplaying the materialcorrectly before heleaves the lesson and must have enoughmaterial to practice all week long.

I once saw a J.S. Bach note holderin a bookstore. In it was a note cardwith the words, “If you play the rightnotes at the right time, the instrumentplays itself.” Now, I do not know ifBach ever said this, but it does catchthe essentials of playing music. Much

of basic music reading is about playingthe right notes at the right time. Rhythmis the secret to sight reading, but thereis a catch: in order to play the rightrhythm a person must be able to findthe notes.

An often recommended strategyin instrument method books is to havethe student say the names of the notes

Example 1: Holds and rests.

Example 3: Holds and rests.

Example 2: Rhythm on the note D with a system of placeholders.

out loud as he plays. This is a greatteaching tool; the only problem isthat the student will say the notes,

but often not perform the rhythms aswritten. This means that he will haveto relearn the rhythm later. What weneed is a way to say the names of thenotes out loud in the correct time.

It is easy to play and say the notenames on measures of quarter notes onthe note D. Each quarter note gets onepulse per note. If we play and say thenote names on the same D on four

quarter notes, two half notes, and awhole note, the rhythm becomesharder. The student will have to feel themissing beats and not play on them.

Dr. Christopher McGahn, one ofmy teachers at U-Mass Lowell, used tosay that nature hates a vacuum. Inother words, if there is a space in therhythm, we want to fill that space withsomething. The space in the rhythm canbe filled with a system of placeholders.In Example 1 above, let’s write an h inthe space between the half notes andthree h’s after the whole notes.

When saying the note names for

Example 2, the student would say,“DDDD, DDDD, D hold D hold, Dhold hold hold,” while playing thenotes on a steady pulse.

I tell the student that the h standsfor the word hold, and that it is aplaceholder for the extra beats in thelonger notes. Notice that the holds lineup with the numbers in parenthesisfrom the line of numbers used forcounting the rhythm. That is becausethey both convey the same rhythmicinformation in different ways. Eachsystem provides all of the rhythmic“events” in the line, whether it is astruck note or a held beat. Theextended counting provides all ofthe beats, and all of the subdivisionsif there are any, while providing auser-friendly guide to when to clap.Similarly, when a student says thenotes and the holds she is saying onething for each event in the line. Forrests I use an r (Example 3, at left).

Have the student say, “C rest Drest, E hold rest rest, rest rest rest rest,E hold D hold, C hold hold hold,”while playing. For dotted notes andties, just add the appropriate numberof holds and rests (see Example 4,next page).

To say note names at the eighthnotes level of rhythm, simply cutthe hold in half. The hold is just aplaceholder and has no rhythmicvalue itself. Cross out the second noteof a tied pair to remind the studentthat she will not play on that note(Example 5).

Saying the interval and chordnames can be valuable as well(Example 6).

It is easier to read intervals andchords if we chunk the notes togetherunder one label. Intervals count thedistance between notes: a second istwo notes apart, a third is three, etc.Triads are three note chords and arenamed for the bottom note (the root)of the chord. Unfortunately, things arenot that simple, because we canchange (or invert) the order of thenotes in a chord. Chord theory is one

Rhythm is the secret to sightreading, but there is a catch:in order to play the rightrhythm a person must beable to find the notes.”

“It takes two to four yearsto get to the point where thestudent will no longer needto say the note names.”

PAGE 4 THE DYSLEXIC READER

Example 4: Holds with ties and dotted Notes

Example 5: Holds and rests at the eighth note level.

Example 6: Intervals and triads.

Example 7: Combining hands.

the example for her. This forces her toread the notation. If you play theexample for her first, she may skipover the process of reading altogether.

Concert pianist Charles Rosenrelates this piece of advice: “Smallchildren with a gift for musiccommonly have an amazing memory.There are many stories of childrenwho when starting piano lessons werethought to be able to read music, buthad not in fact acquired the skill: theyhad heard the teacher play a piecethrough once and could repeat itwithout mistake. Piano teachers havehad to learn not to play a new piecefor the more talented beginner”(Rosen, p. 90). It is not so much if youshould play for the student, but ratherwhen you should play, which is alwaysafter he has attempted to read thepiece. I have had helpful parents whohave played the pieces for their child,without my knowledge, not realizingthat they were short circuiting theprocess of learning how to read music.

Used consistently, holds and restswill help the student execute the rhythmcorrectly while saying the note namesout loud. In part two of the article wewill discuss using lines and colors tohelp students gain proficiency infollowing the notes. �

ReferencesRosen, Charles. Piano Notes: TheWorld of the Pianist. NewYork:The Free Press, 2002.© 2008 Geoffrey Keith

About the authorGeoffrey Keithreceived his musicdegree from U-MassLowell in 1993 andnow runs his ownmusic lesson studio,Success MusicStudio, specializingin multisensory

strategies for teaching music to youngstudents, students with dyslexia,AD/HD, and visual-spatial learningstyles (successmusicstudio.com).He has taught music for the last 18years, nine of them working withmultisensory strategies; he is alsoa visual thinker.

of the more complex aspects ofmusic, and we cannot go into itin depth here.

In theory, the holds willwork at the level of the 16thnote as well, but by the time thestudent has reached that levelof rhythmic difficulty, she hasusually mastered the notes andwill not need to say the notenames anymore. The studentwill focus on counting at thatpoint. It takes two to four years toget to the point where the student willno longer need to say the note names.

On piano, sum the rhythm of thetwo hands into one set of holds. Uselines drawn between the two handson the beat to show the student howthe hands are organized in time. Theparenthesis in the extended countingalso reflects the rhythm for bothhands (Example 7).Play both hands together

saying, “E hold third D E hold third F,G C third third third A third A, G holdsecond G F hold second F, E hold holdhold hold hold hold hold.”

Singing the notes with the studentis great ear training for her. (A cautionfor full time music teachers: if yousing through 40 to 60 lessons perweek, you risk laryngitis.) Also, use apointer, such as a conductor’s batonor a pencil, to point at the notes,holds, and rests while you sing orsay them with her. This will helpher keep the steady beat and notget lost in the score. Have her singor say the note, interval, and chordnames through once or twicewhile she plays before you play

PAGE 5THE DYSLEXIC READER

“We all want progress.But progress means gettingnearer to the place where

you want to be. If you are onthe wrong road, progress

means doing an about-turnand walking back to the

right road. There is nothingprogressive about beingpig-headed and refusing

to admit a mistake.”–C.S. Lewis, Irish writer and scholar,best known as the author of TheChronicles of Narnia (1898-1964)

“To fly, we have tohave resistance.”

–Maya Lin,American architect

“The artist is nothingwithout the gift, but the giftis nothing without work.”–Émile Zola, French novelistand critic (1840-1902)

“When you do the commonthings in life in an uncommon

way, you will command theattention of the world.”

–George Washington Carver, Americanbotanist, educator, inventor (1864-1943)

“Children have never beenvery good at listening to theirelders, but they have never

failed to imitate them.”–James Baldwin, American writer andcivil rights activist (1924-1987)

NNoottaabblleess.. .. ..from

QQuuoottaabblleess

title that struck me as an oxymoron:The Gift of Dyslexia. My knee jerkreaction was “this is NOT a gift.” But I bought the book.

easier in school. We found a phonicsprogram and faithfully followed thesteps. Then we tried another one. Mathwas a struggle, and even a hands onapproach was less than successful.Then we bought a program that claimedif he could learn to crawl he would beable to read. We spent thousands on avision therapy program that was fun,but ineffectual.

Michael was obviously bright,curious, and gifted with perception andathletic ability. He loved animals, andcooking. As a very young boy, he andhis brother had a homemade breadbusiness and sold 20 loaves a week topeople in our community. (And peoplestill talk about how good it was!) Wehad this disconnect between who he wasand his experience with school. I wasbrowsing through a local bookstore oneday when I came across a book with a

gained confidence in understanding howhis brain works. He began the Programreading at the second grade level, andfinished at the sixth grade level.

Over time, we built the triggerwords, did the Koosh® ball exercises,and the reading exercises. Slowly butsurely, Michael got closer and closer tograde level. Today, he’s taken, survivedand completed his SATs and will beattending Wingate University on a soccerscholarship. He continues to use hisDavis “tools.” He has discovered that hecan even “diagnose” what’s botheringhim in math and at school and then useSymbol Mastery or the ReadingExercises to master it. He continues togrow in his desire to learn and conquerthose things he used to avoid, and seemsto be on the verge of “blooming” as astudent.

Michael is graduating tomorrow,and we are all celebrating! �

Michael’s Great Day (cont’d from p. 1)

I couldn’t read it fast enough. Thisbook described my son’s experiencesand brain in a way that made totalsense to me. I immediately called theCalifornia office to get the name of theclosest facilitator. She was gracious andcaring and answered all my questions.Although we were interested, the timingwasn’t right for us to take Michael.

Several years later, at the age of12, Michael did do a Davis DyslexiaCorrection Program. And what achange we saw. Not only did he makeamazing strides in reading, he also

“We had this disconnectbetween who he was and hisexperience with school.”

PAGE 6 THE DYSLEXIC READER

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InternationalDavis Dyslexia

Correction®

Providers

The Davis DyslexiaCorrection program is

now available from morethan 450 Facilitatorsaround the world. For updates, call:

(888) 805-7216 [Toll free]or (650) 692-7141 or visit

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Henry Winkler (cont’d from p. 1) He finally had a name...he was notstupid, he was not lazy, he was trying to liveup to his potential. He was dyslexic!

Winkler half-jokingly described his definition of dyslexia as:

• You spend a third of your time trying to figure it out.• You spend a third of your time trying to figure out why you can’t figure it out, and• You spend a third of your time trying to cover up your shame and humiliation fornot keeping up.

He continued on to reveal that his natural talents, dreams, extreme hard work,and personality were attributes that enabledhim to put one foot in front of the other,every day, to get where he wanted to be. He believes that this potential lives withineveryone! He went on to say,

“If you will it, it is not a dream. I nowhave found in my life that that is a phrase thatmakes the world turn on its axis. If you willit, it is not a prayer. What you want, if youhold it in your brain, and you never let yourdream go, and put one foot in front of theother...if you will it, it is not a dream. There is no reason you cannot have whatever it isyou are imagining.

“Every human being who has a learningchallenge–how you learn has nothing to dowith how brilliant you are. Because you learndifferently, it does not mean that you don’thave greatness inside of you! Every one ofyou has greatness inside of you, and your jobis to figure out what your gift is and give it tothe world...and the world cannot wait to seewhat you give...I know I can’t!”

Each progression in his career, eachjourney to a new level, was once somethinghe felt he couldn’t do... didn’t know how. Butby putting one foot in front of the other, hefound out he could, and did learn how. Whenhis agent suggested that Winkler write children’sbooks about his dyslexia, he thought that he

sharing their stories, we all were surprised tosee Henry Winkler, himself, walking towardus–happy to see the crowd. He introducedhimself to almost everyone, taking picturesand shaking hands with awed fans on thesidewalk. No sneaky, back-door entrances for him...as he was ushered in by staff, hethanked everyone for coming and walkedthrough the front door.

This was a good sign, and things justkept getting better! Inside, HenryWinkler entered the stage-frontarea of the town hall to a hugeround of applause. Dressed injeans, a blue blazer, pink tie,

and casual shoes, he hopped up on the stageand introduced himself. His in-person energyis funny, warm, approachable, and very candid!

He started off by saying, “I stand beforeyou being an actor, a director, a producer,[and author]. I am a husband, a father to threechildren [...] and I am in the bottom 3% inthis country academically.”

Despite this jaw-dropping comment, hisdelivery was with such grace, humility, andhumor, that it was a clear demonstration thatacademic success is NOT the only measureof greatness!

He spoke of his life growing up in NewYork–the same apartment building where HankZipzer lives. He talked about his real-lifeteacher (also a character in his books) who,unfortunately, always called Winkler lazy andnot working to his potential. He spoke of hisparents, who didn’t understand him or hisacademic difficulties.

Winkler was 31 when he found out he wasdyslexic...having spent most of his life believingthat he was “dumb.” His story is similar tomany dyslexic adults... a huge percentage ofwhom are undiagnosed even now.

When his son started showing signs ofdifficulty in school, they decided to have himtested for a learning disability. As the resultscame back and they learned more aboutdyslexia, Winkler realized that they were notonly diagnosing his son, but were alsodescribing him!

Every one of you has greatnessinside of you, and your job is to figure out what your gift is andgive it to the world...and the worldcannot wait to see what you give.”

“could never do that. It took two years beforehe decided that it was a possibility, andagreed to meet with his co-writer, Lin Oliver.They are now working on their 15th book.Reflecting on his journey, Winkler said,

PAGE 7THE DYSLEXIC READER

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� BrazilAna LimaRio De Janeiro+55 (021) 2295-1505

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Sandy FarrellHudson, Quebec+1 (450) 458-4777Renée FiglarzMontreal, Quebec+1 (514) 815-7827Sher GoerzenMaple Ridge/Vancouver+1 (604) 290-5063

Gerry GrantSupervisor-SpecialistWorkshop PresenterWaterloo/Toronto+1 (519) 498-2424

“I said I could never do this. I said, ‘It isimpossible...I have nothing to say.’ ...You putone foot in front of the other–it is amazingwhatyou can figure out...what you can accomplish.You don’t even know what you can accomplishuntil you try it. Never say never!’”

There were many moments throughouthis speech that were incredibly inspiring.There were many dyslexic children in theaudience, and he gave special care to directmuch of his speech toward them. Heanswered questions and was amazingly openand candid about his experiences.

There were also many times throughouthis speech when I could correlate what he wasdescribing to classic disorientation symptoms–and wished so much that I could tell him thatthere is an easy way to control them! Allthroughout the Hank Zipzer books, there aredescriptions of disorientation: Hank can’t figure out why he can’t seem to get it...why hecan’t remember the spelling words he studiedfor ... why reading is so hard...! As a DavisDyslexia Correction Facilitator, I would loveto see Hank have a Davis Program and feelthe effects of having tools to help him!

At the very end of his absolutely wonderful talk, once again I was first inline–this time for an autograph! There wereso many people there... he was not going topersonalize any of the autographs (per thestaff). I gave him my book and awkwardlysaid, “yay! I get to be first!” As he signed mybrand new Hank Zipzer book (#14), I pulled a copy of The Gift of Dyslexia out of my bagand in the chaos and rush from the crowd, Ionly managed to say a few quick words aboutit. He accepted the book graciously. I’d becrazy to think that he doesn’t already have alibrary of books that have been given to him...but I dare to dream.

I left knowing that I would alwaysremember this event that far surpassed anything I was expecting... and, my dreamthat Henry Winkler will read The Gift ofDyslexia (a book that has changed the lives of so many of the people he is also trying toreach) continues. In true Henry Winkler style,I can’t wait to hear what he thinks about it!

Oh, and when I got home and checked

out his autograph? He did personalize it! He wrote: “You are 1st! – Henry Winkler.”Very cool!

Thank you, Henry Winkler, for beingsuch an amazing, open, honest, talented,funny, and, of course, famous dyslexic.

Thanks, also, to the Andover Bookstorefor hosting this wonderful event! �© Karen LoGuidice; first published May 14, 2008, atwww.ne-dyslexia.blogspot.com/Reprinted with permission.

Davis Facilitator, Karen LoGuidice with HenryWinkler (aka “The Fonz”) and author of themuch-loved Hank Zipzer books.

“It is amazing what you can figureout...what you can accomplish. You don’t even know what you can accomplish until you try it.

Never say never!”

“As human beings, ourgreatness lies not so muchin being able to remakethe world–that is themyth of the atomic age–as in being able to remake ourselves.”

–Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948),political and spiritual leader

“on greatness...”

“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of thehuman spirit. We are allthe same in this notion:The potential for greatness lives withineach of us.”

–Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994),American Olympic track & fieldgold medalist (Rome, 1960)

PAGE 8 THE DYSLEXIC READER

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The Undiagnosed Teenagerwith Dyslexia

By Abigail Marshall

Often, very bright children are able to compensate for their dyslexia in the earlyschool years, but cannot cope with thegreater intellectual demands of secondarylevel schooling.

Some common signs that yourteenager may have dyslexia: •Your child must repeatedly read and rereadmaterial in order to understand it.

•Your child has extreme difficulty managingand keeping track of homework assignmentsand deadlines for his various classes.

•Your child repeatedly reports that he wasunaware of assignments and deadlinesbecause the teacher “never told” him whatwas required.

•Your child has unexpected difficulty withlearning a foreign language.

•Your child struggles with higher math, such as algebra.

• There is a significant discrepancy between your child’s school performanceand scores on standardized tests, includingcollege board tests such as the PSAT.

If your child shows significant problemsin any one of the above areas, it is a sign thathe may have a previously undiagnosed learningdisability. You should discuss these issues withhim and also talk to parents of his classmatesto find out whether their children are alsohaving problems with the same subjects.Sometimes a problem with a math class orthe first year of a foreign language can simplybe the result of a poor teacher; poor grades inany subject can also occur with a teacher whois unusually strict in grading practices. If it isa “teacher” problem, usually other studentsand parents will have similar complaints.However, if the problems seem to be unusualor persistent, you should seek an evaluationfor dyslexia or other learning barriers. Theguidance counselor at school may be able tohelp arrange such testing, as well as to helpplan your child’s course schedule to bettermeet his needs.

When an older child asks for helpIn some cases, your older child or teenagermay be the one who asks for testing. Yourchild may find the academic demands inmiddle school and high school overwhelming,

at least in some subject areas. He may havelearned about dyslexia on his own, throughInternet web sites or by talking to other kids.In any case, he knows that he is strugglingwith material that seems easy for his peers.Your teenager may be afraid to bring up thesubject of dyslexia at home. He may beembarrassed to let you know just how poorlyhe is doing at school, or he may be afraid thatyou will be angry or upset.

It is important that you listen to yourchild and try to understand the reasons hefeels he needs extra help. You might want totake a list of common dyslexia symptoms andask your child to show you which problemson the list he feels apply to him. You may besurprised to learn that your child has beenstruggling for years, but has managed in thepast to hide his problems through sheer determination and hard work. Your supportand understanding is crucial; for a child whohas previously done well academically, anappropriate diagnosis can be the boost heneeds to excel in high school and gain admittance into the college of his choice. �

Reprinted with permission from The EverythingParent’s Guide to Children with Dyslexia ©2004;F+W Publications, Inc., by Abigail Marshall,Adams Media, $14.95 trade paperback.

PAGE 9THE DYSLEXIC READER

� ColombiaLaura Zink de DíazBogotá +57 (1) 704-4399

� Costa RicaMaria Elena Guth BlancoSan Jose+506 296-4078Marcela RodriguezAlajuela +506 442-8090 � CyprusAlexis MouzourisLimassol +357 25 382 090

� EcuadorAna Magdalena EspinVargasAmbato +593 (2) 854 281Nora Cristina Garza Díaz Ambato +593 (3) 282 5998Carmensol Herdoíza Ambato +593 (3) 284 9344Cristina Mariela LaraSalazar Ambato + 593 (2) 854 281Inés Gimena Paredes Ríos Ambato +593 (2) 854 281

� FinlandElisabeth HelenelundBorga +358 400 79 54 97

� FranceChristine BleusSaint Jean de Gonville/Genève +33 450 56 40 48Corinne CouelleLyon +33 (628) 38 84 41Jennifer DelrieuVoisins le Bretonneux/Paris+33 (01) 30 44 19 91Françoise MagarianLegny/Lyon+33 (0474) 72 43 13Carol NelsonBoulogne-Billancourt/Paris+33 (0) 1 49 09 12 33Odile PugetSegny/Geneve +33 (0) 450 418 267Guilaine Batoz Saint-MartinLa Bastidonne/Marseille+33 (0490) 08 98 56

� Germany/DeutschlandTheresia AdlerBannewitz +49 (0351) 40 34 224Ellen EbertAmmern +49 (03601) 813-660Cornelia GarbeBerlin +49 (030) 61 65 91 25Astrid Grosse-MönchBuxtehude+49 (04161) 702 90 70

Nelson Lauver’s websitebegins, “Nationally syndicatedjournalist, broadcaster, auto-biographical writer,motivational speaker,humorist, entrepreneur andliteracy advocate…Nelson

Lauver is a guy who beat the odds andchanged his life.” On his AmericanStoryteller Radio Journal, Lauver tells four-minute slice-of-life stories broadcaston 60 radio stations. A far cry from his lifein 1992, when he was a line painter in aparking lot. Lauver says that he graduated104th out of 104 students. “I was that kidtrying to read, stuttering and stammering.I heard someone laugh, and that sent meon this course of not doing well in school.”Lauver also had conflicts with teachers: At first he received paddlings, but lateroutright beatings. On average he missed50 days of school a year. But after he wasdiagnosed with dyslexia at 29, and beganto work on his problems with reading andwriting, he started writing stories abouthis family and friends. And dreaming ofbeing a broadcaster. Those stories becamerecordings and eventually he fulfilled hisdream. Today his fans compare him toGarrison Keillor, Paul Harvey, or CharlesKuralt. In addition to his radio program, healso offers motivational talks on a varietyof inspiring subjects, including one titled“Inside the Mind of a Kid with LearningProblems.” Learn more about Nelson, and even download many of his storiesfree at: www.theamericanstoryteller.com.

Famous Dyslexics RememberRod Duncanwas born in asmall village on the Welshcoast. Back then, life wasgood – lots of messingaround with sand andbuckets. But when youngRod started school, the

educational psychologist informed his parents that he didn’t know what waswrong with him. Since the professionalbelieved there was no such thing as dyslexia,that certainly couldn’t have been the problem! The local education authority ultimated advised Rod’s family that theycouldn’t educate him, and he was sent toEdington School in Somerset, specializing inteaching dyslexic children. Rod evaded someof his difficulties by focusing on the sciences.After graduating with a Mining Geologydegree he worked in scientific research until1989. After a stint doing volunteer work inTaiwan and finding himself unemployed, hebegan to write. Now he spends more timewriting than any other activity. Rod has

Clement R. Arrisonhad great difficulty learning to read andwrite during his childhood in Michigan. In his 30s, his sister gave him a copy ofReversals, a book about overcomingdyslexia, and he realized that it was “thestory of my life up to that time.” Arrisonrealized reading and writing were nothis strong suits, but also that everyonehas strengths and weaknesses. “I hadtrouble in high school, but so did a lot of kids.” With his father’s help, he eventually became a better reader, butspelling continued to elude him. “I didn’tunderstand the way the English languagewent together. There are so many ways to spell a word, so many meanings.”Arrison devoted his energies to building

radios and other electronic devices in highschool. He studied electrical engineering in college and joined Bell Aerospace inBuffalo, New York after graduation.Eventually, he became president of Mark IV Industries, a leading manufacturer ofhighly-engineered systems and componentsfor the worldwide automotive market.Mark IV is Headquartered in Amherst, NewYork and Turin, Italy and has operations in 16 countries. Clement retired from hisposition as president of Mark IV Industriesin 1996 and became an advocate for thereading-disabled. And through his ArrisonFamily Foundation provided major fundingfor the documentary, DemystifyingDyslexia, produced by WNED in 2006.

published three novels, the “Riot” mystery/suspense trilogy: Backlash, Breakbeat andBurnout, and participated in two “live literature” projects, Hazard Warning andBlood Mother, collaborating with novelistsClare Littleford and Sally Spedding.

PAGE 10 THE DYSLEXIC READER

� Germany/Deutschland (cont’d)

Das Legasthenie InstitutIoannis TzivanakisSpecialist TrainerWorkshop PresenterDDA-DACH DirectorBerlin +49 (030) 66 30 63 17Christine HeinrichSchwäb Gmünd+49 (0717) 118 29 74Sonja HeinrichSupervisor-SpecialistDDA-DACH DirectorGarbsen/Hannover+49 (040) 25 17 86 23Kirsten HohageNürnberg+49 (0911) 54 85 234Ingrid HuthBerlin +49 (0179) 896 8007Mechtild HyllaKassel +49 (0561) 602 78 20Rita JarrarMünchen+49 (089) 821 20 30Inge Koch-GassmannBuggingen+49 (07631) 23 29Angelika KohnSteinheim-Kleinbottwar+49 (07148) 66 08Marianne KranzerKönigsfeld+49 (07725) 72 26Anneliese Kunz-DanhauserRosenheim+49 (08031) 632 29Sabine La DueStuttgart +49 711 47 91 000Jutta MeissnerStuttgart+49 (711) 882 2106Gundula PatzlaffStuttgart+49 (0711) 23 64 86 0Margit PlegerWetter/Dortmund +49 (02335) 84 87 60Colette ReimannLandshut+49 (0871) 770 994Ursula RittlerStuttgart +49 (0711) 47 18 50Phoebe SchafschetzyHamburg +49 (040) 392 589Margarethe Schlauch-Agostini Volklingen +49 (0689) 844 10 40Gabriela ScholterSupervisor-SpecialistStuttgart+49 (0711) 578 28 33Beate Tiletzek Waldkraiburg+49 (08638) 88 17 89Andrea ToloczykiHavixbeck/Münster+49 (02507) 57 04 84

out; the museum was burnt to the ground,along with Hugo’s father and his belovednotebooks. Hugo retrieved the damagedautomaton from the ruins of the museum.

Hugo was then taken by his uncle (aTimekeeper) to live with him. He taught littleHugo the way of the gears and how to keeptime. However, his uncle was a drunkard; onenight he went out and never came back. Tokeep from losing the automaton and to avoid

being put in anorphanage, Hugotook over his uncle’sjob. He kept the timeby sneaking into thetrain station at nightto oil and adjust thegears. Meanwhile, he

put everything in the automaton backinto place, and then it was able to write.He hoped that it would write a note (leftby his father) that would help him in someway. Little did he know, it would onlydraw a picture, but that picture would bevery important, a turning point.

What I really liked about this bookwas the plot, although the writing itselfis undistinguished, like the writing in theHarry Potter series. At first you seem to know everything that is going on (atleast, the gist of things), but as you readon and the characters (along with the

The Invention of Hugo Cabret By Brian SelznickReading level: Ages 9-12Publisher: Scholastic Press ISBN-10: 0439813786ISBN-13: 978-0439813785

By William Edwards

William Edwards did a DavisDyslexia Correction Programwith Davis Facilitator CarolNelson in Paris in 2005. He isnow 12 years old. In Volume48 of The Dyslexic Reader,we published one of William’spoems. We are delighted topublish his book review in thisedition! Thank you, William!

This story takes place in Paris in the 1920s, a time of discovery, but also a time of magic.Modern technology was just forming, butwas still a vague concept to the untuned mind.Ordinary townsfolk could not understand thecard tricks or automatons or even the cinema.Hugo Cabret is one of those few individualswho strive to grasp the new magic, eventhough he is only a timekeeper in the CentralTrain Station in Paris. This is odd, because he is only a nine-year-old boy!

His father was a janitor in the museum.One day he was in the attic of the museumand he saw an automaton of unknown origin.It was beautiful to his eyes (and to Hugo’s),but a few pieces were missing. Hugo pushedhis father to renovate it; his father filledmany notebooks with drawings, diagramsand formulas about the automaton. OnHugo’s eighth birthday, his father gave himone of these notebooks. But as we know,“Nothing gold can stay.” His father and therest of the notebooks were noexception. One night while hewas working on the project, hedid not hear a guard shut andlock the door to the attic. Afterthe guard had left, a fire broke

“The characters are neithergood or evil, dry or wet; theyare people who have bothstrengths and weaknesses.This makes them realistic, so I can relate to them.”

PAGE 11THE DYSLEXIC READER

� Germany/Deutschland (cont’d)

Ulrike von Kutzleben-HausenDeisslingen+49 (07420) 33 46Dr. Angelika WeidemannUlm +49 (0731) 931 46 46Gabriele WirtzStuttgart +49 (0711) 55 17 18� GreeceEvagelia Apostolopoulou-ArmaosPatras +30 (261) 062 21 22Zoe DeliakidouThessaloniki +30 2310 434510 or +30 6934 662438Irma Vierstra-VourvachakisRethymnon/Crete+30 283105 8201 or 69766 40292

� IcelandÁslaug ÁsgeirsdóttirMosfellsbaer+354 861-2537Sigrún Jónina BaldursdóttirSnaefellsbae+354 586 8180Gudrún BenediktsdóttirHafnarfirdi+354 545 0103 or +354 822 0910Gudbjörg EmilsdóttirDLS MentorKópavogur+354 554 3452Hólmfridur GudmundsdóttirGardabae +354 895-0252Sigurborg Svala GudmundsdóttirMosfellsbaer+354 867 1928Stefanía Halldórsdóttir WadeKopavogur +354 564 2890Ingibjörg IngolfsdóttirMosfellsbaer +354 899-2747Sigrún JensdóttirMosfellsbaer +354 897 4437 Valgerdur JónsdóttirDLS Presenter-MentorKópavogur +354 863 2005Sturla KristjanssonDLS Presenter-MentorHafnarfjordur+354 862 0872Jon Einar HaraldssonLambiAkureyri +354 867 1875Ásta OlafsdóttirVopnafjordur+354 473-1164Erla OlgeirsdóttirAkranes +354 694 3339Hugrún SvavarsdóttirMosfellsbær+354 698-6465

plot) get more twists and turns, what youthought was right seems obviously wrong.Also the characters are neither good or evil,dry or wet; they are people who have bothstrengths and weaknesses. This makes themrealistic, so I can relate to them. The twistsand turns in the plot come from the flaws andstrengths of the characters.

What initially brought me in was thatthe story was set in Paris. Because I lived in Paris for a year, I have so many memoriesof train stations in Paris. For example, theMusee* d’ Orsay was once the Gare*d’Orsay. I remember the big clock there, likethe clock that Hugo lived behind in the sta-tion. So many things can happen in a big citylike Paris! I made many discoveries myselfand I thought Paris was magical.

* Musee = museum (in French)* Gare = train station (in French)

About the author and the bookThe Invention of Hugo Cabret by BrianSelznick won the Caldecott Medal in 2008and was a finalist in 2007 for the National

Brian Selznick (left) signs books after the 2007NBA Teen Press Conference.

Book Award, in the Young People’s Literaturecategory. The book is 550 pages long andincludes 300 full-page graphite illustrations.The story evolves as much through the illustrations as through the text. In an exclusive interview for Amazon.com theauthor described it as “not exactly a novel,not quite a picture book, not really a graphicnovel, or a flip book or a movie, but a combination of all these things.” �

CCaann yyoouu ttuurrnn mmiillkk iinnttoo ppllaassttiicc??Did you know that milk can be turned intoplastic? Or that any FM radio can be easilyaltered allowing it to eavesdrop on aircraftbroadcasts? How about a radio made from apenny?! This book will teach you to make aboomerang with a bookmark or turn a TVtray into a 6-foot robot. Silly and fun foryoung wannabe MacGyvers!

WWhhyy iiss tthhiiss ddiinnoo hhaavviinngg aa hhaarrdd ttiimmee ggeettttiinngg aa mmeeaall??Just looking at the cover, you know thisTyrannosaura Rex wants to let you know thathe’s B.A.D! Stinky and mean, he’s sure he’sthe king of the dinos. So why does he havesuch a hard time getting a meal? In a surpriseending, we discover this particular dinosaurmay not be quite as nasty as he appears!Especially popular with boys, but lots of funfor everyone.

Mini-Book Reviews

Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things By Cy TymonyPublisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing176 pages, TeensISBN-10: 0740738593ISBN-13: 978-0740738593

I’m Bad!By Kate & Jim McMullanPublisher: Joanna Cotler40 pages, Ages 4 – 8ISBN-10: 0061229717ISBN-13: 978-0061229718

By Laura Zink de Díaz

PAGE 12 THE DYSLEXIC READER

� Iceland (cont’d)Thorbjörg SigurdardóttirReykjavík +354 698 7213 Margret Thorarinsdottir Selfoss +354-486-1188

� IndiaCarol Ann RodriguesMumbai+91 (22) 2667 3649 or+91 (22) 2665 0174

� IrelandAnne Marie BeggsOld Portmarnock/Dublin+353 (86) 239-1545Paula HoranMullingar +353 44 934 1613Sister Antoinette KeelanDublin +353 (01) 884 4996Aideen TierneyDublin� IsraelLuba AlibashRamat Hasharon/Tel Aviv+972 (09) 772-9888 or(052) 272-9532Mira AshooshKiron +972 (03) 635-0973Goldie GiladKfar Saba/Tel Aviv+972 (09) 765 1185Judith SchwarczDDA-Israel DirectorSupervisor-SpecialistPearl ZarskyRa’anana/Tel Aviv+972 (09) 772 9888� ItalyElisa De FeliceRoma +39 (06) 507 3570Piera Angiola MaglioliOcchieppo Inferiore / Biella+39 (015) 259 3080Alessandro TaiocchiSettimo Milanese +39 (333) 443 7368Silvia WalterBagno a Ripoli Florence +39 (055) 621 0541Rafaella ZingerleCorvara In Badia+39 (0471) 836 959

� KenyaChristel FlowersLangata/Nairobi+ 254 (20) 72 271 4578Josephine NaikuniNairobi+254 (20) 604 347Manisha ShahNairobi+ 254 (0) 722 492 217Kimberly SwallowNairobi+ 254 (20) 712 0472

� LebanonSamar Riad SaabBeirut +961 3 700 206

Understanding My GiftBy Mark Whidden

My name is Mark Whidden. I’m 36 years oldand I completed a Davis program last summerat The Chicago Reading and Dyslexia Centerwith my Davis Facilitator, Kim Ainis. I’d liketo share some of my thoughts about howwhat I’ve learned has changed my awarenessof my picturing thinking gift, my writing, andrelationships.

I used to get frustrated because peopledidn’t understand concepts as quickly as Idid. Understanding that people who don’thave dyslexia don’t get concepts like I do hasreally helped me. Now that I’m aware thatmost people don’t create mental pictures asvivid as mine, I draw my ideas to help themunderstand. I do this especially with softwareand web pages, database projects, or anythingconceptual. In meetings I can pull up programsales volume spreadsheets in my head and tellmy co-workers, for example, that a programgrossed $557,000 last year and $350,000 theyear before. A brain like mine is like havingyour computer with you at all times.

I’ve also started using this gift when Itravel. So let’s say I’m in Atlanta, and someonein Chicago needs help with a software programwebsite. I can actuallysee the program website in my mind asI walk down the streettalking with them onthe phone. Even though they might not be toosavvy with software tools, since I can see thepage so clearly, over the phone I can help themnavigate it. More importantly, I can help themunderstand where they are when they are lostin a website. If you don’t think in pictures, Idon’t know how you’d do that.

I now feel more confident when I sendout an email. If it’s an important one, I makesure I have enough time to write it. And afterI turn my dial down, I can go back to it andreread it with an oriented, calm mind. I feel alot more confident that it’s going to be rightwhen it goes out.

Matching dial settings helps with conversations. I don’t feel like I’m runningcircles around people anymore. It’s more

pleasant to be on the same level as the personI’m with, functioning at their speed. Whenour dials don’t match I feel like I’m racingand the other person is just standing there.This creates a mental image of me runningaround them, trying to explain somethingthey’re just not getting. When I turn my dialdown or up, depending on who I’m with, Ican definitely communicate better. Beingable to control my dial is amazing in anotherway, too. Sounds don’t bother me as muchany more. If someone is tapping a pen, mydial still ratchets up, but I can focus.

Before the program I never realized howhigh my dial rose and how that felt to otherpeople. I always functioned at a 7 or 8. (Kimadds, with a smile–or at a 9). It never occurred

to me to think abouthow this impacted myrelationships. I reallyappreciate that Kimshowed me how

dyslexia and my dial were affecting my relationships. What I learned from her aboutapplying the Davis tools to relationships isjust as important as what I learned aboutreading and writing.

Although a relationship I’d been in forseveral years ended after the program, what Ilearned helped me generally with relationships.Since my ex’s dial was usually at about a 4 andmine hovered between 7 and 9, this createdproblems. I was always saying “Hello-o-o”and waiting for a response because our dialsettings were so different. Since the Davisprogram, there’s no chance you’ll see me onthe six o’clock news having killed someonewhose dial was under 4!

If I have a trigger in a relationship–a

Mark Whidden says ”Use the gift and don’t be afraid to tell people about it.”

“A brain like mine is like having your computer with you at

all times.”

“ I don’t feel like I’m running circles around people anymore.”

PAGE 13THE DYSLEXIC READER

� MalaysiaHilary CraigKuala Lumpur+60 (36) 201 55 95

� MexicoSilvia B. Arana GarcíaMexico, D.F. +52 (55) 5540-7205Cathy Calderón de la BarcaMéxico D.F.Advanced Workshop

Presenter+52 (55) 5540-7205Hilda Fabiola Herrera CantuCuliacan, Sinaloa +52 81 6677 15 01 19María Silvia Flores SalinasSupervisor –SpecialistGarza García Monterrey NL+52 (81) 8378 61 75Laura LammogliaTampico, Tamaulipas +52 (833) 213 4126Alejandra Garcia MedinaHuixquilucan+52 (55) 1085 5608lMaria Lourdes GutiérrezMexico D.F.+52 (555) 593 18 22Lucero Palafox de MartinVeracruz+52 (229) 935 1302Ana Elena Payro OgarrioCorregidora, Queretaro+52 442 228 1264Lydia Gloria VargasGarza García Monterrey NL+52 (81) 8338 2226 � NetherlandsLiesbeth Berg-SchagenVleuten +31 (030) 604-9601Manja BloemendalDen Haag+31 (70) 345 5252Ineke BlomDorpstraat+31 (020) 436-1484Lot BlomUtrecht +31 (030) 271 0005Lieneke CharpentierNieuwegein+31 (030) 60 41 539 Hester CnossenVeghel +31 (495) 641 920Ratnavali de Croock Oudorp (Aalkmaar)+31 (072) 511 6881Mine de RanitzDriebergen+31 (0343) 521 348Christien De SmitSluis +31 (0117) 461 963Marijke Eelkman Rooda-BosGouda +31 (0182) 517-316Jolien FokkensBeilen +31 (0593) 540 141Ina GausSantpoort-Zuid+31 (023) 538-3927Jola GeldermansBeverwijk+31 (0251) 210 607

picture that is sticking with me–I have to talkmyself through it so I can let it go. To me it’slike the reverse of a trigger letter. If you can’tsee the letter A, there’s a reason. Conversely,if 20 related images were always appearing inmy head, I used to use them like bullets, andthey’d ricochet off a number of issues. Now Ican talk about the pattern I see in them–I don’thave to discuss them all. I’ve realized that itisn’t always helpful to hash over every imageevery time.

I used to be afraid to talk about beingdyslexic because I didn’t understand how mymind really workedand didn’t have arationale for how orwhy I was dyslexic.But now I find thatothers find it interestingand they understandme and my gifts better.Until I did a Davis Program I just had alearning disability and people said, “Oh, soyou can’t read and you can’t type.” Verbally, I tested at a Mensa IQ but I couldn’t writewell. But now I understand how my dyslexia isa gift and how the challenges that sometimescome with it are related. I now know how tofix the parts of dyslexia that are problems sothey won’t be problems any more.

Now that I’m dating again–that wholenew world of emails, Instant Messaging, andtexting–I’m pretty up front about the wholedyslexic thing. I’ve found it makes the

relationship better. For example, I work on a lot of projects. I picture doing them in 10 or20 different ways and then pick the optimalpath. In the past I did all that in my head. NowI share what I think is the optimal path and whyI think it is the best. If you’re putting up abookshelf, it’s more logical to cut the boardsand sand them before you put polyurethaneon them. Otherwise, they will be frayed, theends won’t look right, and you’ll have to startover. I find that sharing the fact that my braincan do something 20 ways and then pick theoptimal is interesting to the person I’m dating.

I can share what Ithink we should doand how I got there,and ask them if theyagree.

Recently, I hadanother validation thatshows I don’t need to

be afraid to tell people about my dyslexia. Mycurrent support person and friend becamereally interested in the way I think, and readThe Gift of Dyslexia. She is impressed withhow my brain works and what my gifts are.

My message to other dyslexic people is,use the gift and don’t be afraid to tell peopleabout it. Use caution of course: when I told aformer manager about my dyslexia, she startedto talk slower to me! I eventually decided tofind a new job. With a new job and a wholenew set of tools for learning and working,I’m much happier! �

Steve Mock grew up with dyslexia.He was a very bright child butspent his summers in “dyslexiacamp” because he couldn’t read orcomplete written assignments.Fortunately, during the tenth grade,Steve figured out his own learning styleand began to excel in physics and history. Heeven learned to speak Japanese and lived inJapan for several years.

Now, he’s a successful high-tech businessentrepreneur. He says that’s “because of my abilityto think outside the box, something I credit tobeing dyslexic.”

Steve’s latest business enterprise is“Giftventure,” a service based on a game he invented for his nieces. Giftventure is a personalized treasure hunt. Customers can order

Steve Mock Thinks Outside the Boxa treasure hunt when they wish togive a child a gift for a birthday, orspecial occasion. Giftventure createsand mails a series of letters to the childfrom a mythical character – a pirate,dragon, fairy, even Santa Claus. Theletters lead the child to a gift that thepurchaser has hidden somewhere. Stevesays, “The kids are having so much fun

in the adventure, they don’t realize they arereading and writing and doing what would

be considered homework in other circumstances.”If this sounds like an intriguing way to give a child a gift, you can visit the website,www.giftventure.com to learn more about it.You can also listen to children talk about theirGiftventure treasure hunts at:www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpDEorlq95E �

“I understand how my dyslexia is a gift and how the challenges that sometimes come with it arerelated. I now know how to fix theparts of dyslexia that are problemsso they won’t be problems.”

PAGE 14

�Netherlands (cont’d)Jan GubbelsMaastricht+31 (043) 36 39 999Judith HolzapfelDeventer +31 (0570) 619 553Mia JenniskensEindhoven+31 (040) 245 9458Trudy JolingLaren +31 (035) 531 00 66Marie KoopmanBilthoven+31 (030) 228 4014Carry KulingHeemstede+31 (0235) 287 782Edith Kweekel-GöldiSoest +31 (035) 601 0611Imelda LamakerHilversum+31 (035) 621 7309Irma LammersBoxtel +31 (411) 68 56 83Yvie Leenaars-de RooÿBavel +31 (0161) 433 449ZeiZei LerninstitutDrs. Siegerdina MandemaSpecialist TrainerAdvanced WorkshopPresenterDDA-Nederland DirectorRobin TempleSpecialist TrainerWorkshop PresenterMaria Hoop+31 (0475) 302 203Sjan MelsenArnhem +31 (026) 442 69 98Cinda MustersAmsterdam +31 (20) 330-78 08Bert NeeleMelick +31 (61) 259 8802Marianne OosterbaanZeist +31 (030) 691 7309Fleur van de Polder-PatonSchiedam+31 (010) 471 58 67

Petra Pouw-LegêneDLS Nederlands DirectorBeek +31 (046) 437 4907Karin RietbergHolten +31 (548) 364 286Jacqueline van RijswijckVenray +31 (0478) 58 73 98Lydia Rogowski WijnbergHelmond +31 (0492) 513 169Hanneke SchoemakerWageningen+31 (0317) 412 437Ilse SchreuderAalzum/Dokkum +31 (051) 922-0315Silvia Jolanda SikkemaDrachten +31 (0512) 538 815

We didn’t discover that my daughter, Sara,was dyslexic until after she was out of collegeand had worked for several years as a chemicalengineer. Eventually, she tired of the privatesector and decided to enroll in graduateschool. As an undergraduate she’d had a fewstruggles, but none of us realized they relatedspecifically to reading until in graduateschool her reading load increased to about600 pages per week. Having listened to mechirp about dyslexia all during my DavisFacilitator training (and put up with being my guinea pig on occasions!), she called meand asked for a program during winter breakthat year.

That was two years ago. I don’t thinkSara was terribly good about doing the follow-up work. She had a lot of other stuff to do!But she continued to use Alignment and theother tools often, especially when the readingload grew particularly heavy or she had towrite a significant paper. Sara tells me thatwhen she just can’t get a paper right and hastrouble staying aligned to work on it, one ofthe things that helps the most is for her roommate to toss her the Koosh balls.

Last fall she finished up her Masters inHistory of Science at the University ofWashington. This June she walked across thestage to receive her diploma. You go, Sara!But there’s more…

Sara applied for admission to a doctoralprogram in the Women’s Studies department atUW, where her focus will be “Women of Colorin the Sciences” (their under-representation,actually). Her application was accepted inMarch, and the department informed her shewas their number one choice for admission!Very cool! But there’s more...

In April, Sara received notification thatshe’s been selected to receive the GO-MAPFellowship (Graduate Opportunities & MinorityAchievement Program). It’s a competitiveaward based on “departmental nomination of students who demonstrate high academicmerit and whose life experiences and/or

graduate academic pursuits will contributesignificantly to the intellectual and culturalenrichment of departmental programs.”

The fellowship is for two years, andSara expects to finish her doctorate in exactlytwo years, because although her programdoesn’t officially start until the fall, she’salready completed quite a bit of the coursework. This fellowship will cover all her tuitionand fees, freeing her from the need to workwhile she studies and writes her thesis. It willalso include health, vision and dental benefits.Since Sara has asthma, that part is a real boon!

Of course, I’m biased–I have alwaysknown Sara is brilliant, astoundingly persistentand hardworking. But I also know that manyof her teachers in elementary, high schooland in college, underestimated her–someeven devalued her because of her difficultieswith mechanics–spelling, punctuation, etc. Andyet, at 30, she’s finally found an academicniche where her gifts are being recognizedand rewarded without a moment’s hesitationabout the occasional misspelled word!

As Editor, I put together the “FamousDyslexics Remember” section of TheDyslexic Reader. Working on it for this issue,I paused and considered the possibility that inanother ten years time, my own daughtermight actually qualify to be featured there.And if she were, I know her comments on thechallenges posed by her dyslexia would surelyinclude grateful thanks to Ron Davis andDDAI for making these wonderful toolsavailable to so many people just like her! �

Finding the Right NicheBy Laura Zink de Díaz, Davis Facilitator in Bogotá, Colombia

Sara Díaz, during her Davis Program in MountVernon, Washington.

“She’s finally found an academicniche where her gifts are beingrecognized and rewarded withouta moment’s hesitation about theoccasional misspelled word.”

PAGE 15THE DYSLEXIC READER

�Netherlands (cont’d)Suzan SintemaartensdijkAkersloot +31 (25) 131-26 62Marja SteijgerAmstel+31 (020) 496 52 53Romina TorozUtrecht +31 (61) 280-1821Karima P.A. TurkatteAmsterdam+31 (020) 696 4379Marieke UiterwijkLeiden +31 (071) 576 2533Mieke van DeldenLeek +31 (059) 4514985Carly van den AkkerSchijndel/Einhoven+31 (06) 15 20 81 73Agnes van den Homberg-JacobsAmerica Limburg+31 (077) 464 23 22Annette van der BaanAmsterdam+31 (020) 420-5501Hetty van der WellOss +31 (041) 263 6403 Annemarie van HofUtrecht +31 (030) 65 86 700Tienke Veenstra-SierhsmaMeppel +31 (0522) 254 453Lia VermeulenHuizen +31 (062) 3671530Christien VosTolbert +31 (0594) 511 607

Lucie Wauben-CrutsElsloo +31 (046) 4370329 Gerda Witte-KuijsHeerhugowaard+31 (072) 571 3163

� New ZealandKirsteen BrittenChristchurch+64 (3) 348 1665Vivienne CarsonAuckland+64 (09) 520-3270

Catherine ChurtonDDA-Pacific DirectorSupervisor-SpecialistAuckland+64 (021) 448 862

Jennifer ChurtonAuckland+64 (09) 360 494Ann CookWarkworth/Auckland+64 (0) 9 422 0042Martine FalconerChristchurch+64 (03) 383-1988Konstanca Friedrich-PalzerMotueka/Nelson+64 (03) 527 8060

Tina GuyNelson +64 (03) 547 4958

Teacher: Maria, go to the map and find North AmericaMaria: Here it is.Teacher: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?Class: Maria.

Teacher: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor? John: You told me to do it without using tables.

Teacher: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?Donald: H I J K L M N O.Teacher: What are you talking about?Donald: Yesterday you said it’s H to O.

Teacher: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn’t have ten years ago.

Winnie: Me!

Teacher: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ‘I.’Millie: I is ...Teacher: No, Millie ... Always say, ‘I am.’Millie: All right ... ‘I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.’

Teacher: George Washington not only chopped down his father’s cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn’t punish him?

Louis: Because George still had the axe in his hand.

Teacher: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?Simon: No sir, I don’t have to, my Mom is a good cook.

Teacher: Clyde, your composition on ‘My Dog’ is exactly the same as your brother’s. Did you copy his?

Clyde: No, sir. It’s the same dog.

Teacher: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?

Harold: A teacher.

KKiiddss AArree QQuuiicckk

AA PPaarraaddiiggmm

“I’m the greatest batter in the world,” said the proud boy as he tossed the ball into the air and swung his bat. He missed.

Undaunted, he threw the ball up again and said, “I’m the greatest batter ever!” He missed again.

He looked at his ball and then his bat. Once more he tossed the ball up into the air. “I’m the greatest batter who ever lived!” He swung hard and missed.

“Wow!” he exclaimed. “And “I’m an even better pitcher!”

HIJKLMNO?

PAGE 16 THE DYSLEXIC READER

�New Zealand (cont’d)Wendy HaddonMosgiel +64 (03) 489-8572Rochelle Harden BoothWanganui +64 (027) 306-6743Sandra HartnettMapua, Nelson+64 (03) 540 3277Margot HewittKaiapoi +64 (03) 312-0496Alma HoldenAlexandra+64 (027) 485-6798Bronwyn JeffsChristchurch+64 (03) 344-2526Glenys KnoppDarfield +64 (03) 317-9072Raewyn MathesonDLS MentorInglewood+64 (027) 411-8350Tania McGrathChristchurch +64 (03) 322 41 73Shelley McMeekenDunedin +64 3 456 5058Colleen MortonGore +64 (03) 208 6308Kerrie PalmaRodney +64 (09) 425 5941 Jocelyn PrintKaikoura +64 (03) 319 6711Alison SymeDarfield +64 (03) 318-8480Lorna Timms Christchurch +64 (03) 363 9358Margot YoungAuckland+64 (0) 9 638 3627� PhilippinesImelda CasugaBaguio City +63 (744) 42 29 01� PolandAgnieszka OsinskaWarsaw +48 (22) 658-2237� PortugalAna Catarina Gil deAlmeidaLisboa +35 (121) 781-6090Maria Teresa HenriquesLisboa +351 (21) 847-3515Cristina Rocha VieiraLisboa +35 (191) 921 4808Sofia Vassalo SantosLisboa+35 (191) 911-2565� Republic of SingaporePhaik Sue ChinSingapore +65 6773 4070Constance ChuaSingapore +65 6873 3873

� South AfricaSharon GerkinDurban +27 (82) 82 85 180

bAd Boy Makes GoodBy Laura Zink de Díaz, Davis Facilitator in Bogotá, Colombia

Vincenzo Giammanco had a miserable timein school. Teachers and even some of hisclassmates humiliated him regularly.

“Sometimes it took me two hours to dothe same simple homework assignment thatanother kid could do in 15 minutes, “ recallsGiammanco in an interview with DennisTaylor of the Monterrey Herald. “I had tosound out every letter, decipher every word.”

But today, at 23, Vincenzo is a buddingfilmmaker and writer. His short film, bAd, isthe story of a dyslexic fifth grader just tryingto get through the school year. Many of theexperiences of John Read, the main character,are taken from Giammanco’s childhood. Herecalls how he’d break into a sweat waitinghis turn to read aloud in class. That stressfulexperience became a scene in the movie,where the clock ticks down as John struggleswith a book that seems twice his size.

“I was an extremely creative child, butwhen school camealong I just startedfalling behind,” saysGiammanco. “My self-esteem began to sufferand I began to hategoing there. I’d fake being sick or make anyother excuse to get to stay home.”

Fortunately, during junior year in highschool Giammanco enrolled in a class onfilmmaking and suddenly discovered that hisdyslexia might actually be more of a gift thanhe’d ever considered.

Giammanco gained new insight into hissituation: “A dyslexic person is forced all hislife to think outside the box to (find) ways todo some of the things a normal person doeseasily. I feel like that often creates a level ofcreativity, as well as a work ethic, that otherpeople don’t have, and those things help when

you get out of school and into the real world.” Since bAd came out in 2007, it has won

a Young Artist Award: Best Performance in aShort Film–Young Actor (Remy Thorne) andwas nominated for Best Short Film Starring

Youth. The teacher whotold young Vincenzothat he’d never amountto anything, must bebiting his tonguethese days! His first

film a success, Giammanco is working on twomore screenplays.

Reader reviewers at Amazon.com, wherethe DVD is available for sale, agree that this30-minute film is a must-see for schoolteachers and administrators.

On line you can read Dennis Taylor’sextensive article in the Monterrey Heraldabout Giammanco (Dyslexic Makes GoodbAd Movie) at:www.montereyherald.com/fdcp?1210912878339

You can also watch the trailer for bAdon Youtube at:www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZWQ5t755_o �

Vincenzo Giammanco, producer of “bAd,” anaward-winning short film about a dyslexicchild.

“Vincenzo recalls how he’d breakinto a sweat waiting his turn to

read aloud in class.”

IMAGINE you are in a room with three switch-es. In an adjacent room there are three bulbs,each in a separate lamp sitting on a table. Allare off at the moment, each switch belongs toone bulb. It is impossible to see from one roomto another. How can you find out which switchbelongs to which bulb, ifyou may enter the roomwith the bulbs only once?

Test your logic.. .

From brainden.com, brain Teasers Forum,http://brainden.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=58

THE SOLUTION: Keep the first bulbswitched on for a few minutes. It getswarm, right? Now all you have to do isswitch it off, switch another one on, walkinto the room with the bulbs, touch themand tell which one was switched on as thefirst one (the warm one) and the others canthen be easily identified.

PAGE 17THE DYSLEXIC READER

� SpainSilvia María Sabatés RodrigoMadrid +34 (091) 636 31 44� Switzerland/CHTinka Altwegg-ScheffmacherSt. Gallen+41 (071) 222 07 79Monika AmreinZurich +41 (01) 341 8264Regula Bacchetta-Bischofberger

Horw /Luzern +41 (041) 340 2136Priska BaumgartnerWettingen +41 (056) 426 28 88Renate Blum-MullerFull-Reuenthal +41 (56) 246-18 66Michelle BonardiCastel S. Pietro, Ticino+41 (091) 630 23 41Vicki BrignoliLumino +41 (091) 829 05 36Carole DubossonVeyras/Sierre+41 (027) 452 62 02Brigitta DünkiRafz + 41 (079) 318-8300Ursula FischbacherOrpund +41 (032) 355 23 26Mieke FriederichsReinach +41 (061) 712 42 06Heidi Gander-BelzDLS Presenter-MentorMonchaltorf+41 (44) 948 14 10Elisabeth GerberMettmenstetten +41 (044) 767 10 54Katharina GrenacherBern +41 (031) 382 00 29Elisabeth GutGrut +41 (044) 932 3242Ursula Hirzel EglerStäfa +41 (01) 926 2895Christa JaegerRiehen +41 (061) 641 4667Consuelo LangLumino +41 (091) 829 05 36Claudia LendiSt. Gallen+41 (071) 288 41 85

Beatrice LeutertStein am Rhein +41 (052) 232 03 83

Erika Meier-SchmidBonstetten+41 (01) 700 10 38Verena Luisa MoserRiken +41 (076) 346 93 34Maya MuraroStäfa +41 (079) 704 03 07

Let child discover own mistakes

Q:My children are creating their clay alphabets. My 11-year-old daughter is notmaking a nice alphabet: it’s sloppy! Theyounger ones have better alphabets. I’m soglad they’re not comparing! Should I haveher do it again? Should I tell her it’s notacceptable? She just seems to be sloppy bynature. When a letter is backwards, should I point out the mistake, or have the childrentry to find the error themselves? I shouldmention that after a break, when I asked my daughter if she was satisfied with her alphabet, she said she wasn’t, and proceededto fix it on her own!

A: Congratulations–you did exactly the rightthing. You never want to point out mistakesor make your child change things. Rather,you should help her find them on her ownby asking questions like “are you satisfied?”Taking a break was a good step–you can alsouse the Davis tools: having your daughter dorelease, and then reminding her to check herpoint (or “hands” if she has done alignmentinstead of orientation). Then you can ask the“are you satisfied?” question. If your daughterdoesn’t see a problem at first you can usequestioning to bring her attention to problemslike reversed letters, as you work with thealphabet.

It is very important that the child discover her own mistakes and also that shehave ownership and control of her alphabet.

Disorientation is valuable at timesQ: Should one constantly readjust oneself at the orientation point after orientationcounseling? Or, after practice, is the person’sawareness stably fixed at the orientationpoint? If the latter is the case, is there is away to speed up the stabilization of the optimal perception point? For example, at themoment there are a bunch of brain-trainingcomputer programs available. Perhaps playingthem while keeping your orientation pointwould be beneficial?

By Abigail Marshall

A: If by “stably fixed” you mean that themind’s eye stays permanently at the orientationpoint, that should never happen. We wouldn’twant that, because disorientation is a powerfultool in appropriate settings. There are simplytimes when people need to disorient in orderto make sense of their environment or copewith overwhelming stimulus.

If what you mean is that the process offinding the orientation point becomes habitualso that the person is able to stay on point forlonger periods, that comes over time withexperience. Practice could speed up thatprocess. The brain-training computer programsMIGHT work, but only if they train to thesame orientation point. It is very possible thatthey in fact train to a different mental statethan the ones achieved with orientation.Since we don’t know–those programs weren’tdeveloped in conjunction with Davis–I would recommend sticking with the Koosh® ballexercises.

One more caveat: If you are talking aboutyourself, please feel free to follow whateverschedule of practice you feel comfortable with.However, if you are working with a child, itis probably not a good idea to try to speed upthe process. If you push too far or too fastyou could simply create resistance or stress.

Difficulty creating mental picturesQ: I did the perceptual ability assessment withfour of my children. I got some confusingresults and am unsure of the next step. My11-year-old girl had no problems with theassessment. She’s a “textbook” dyslexic. Ithink I’m just supposed to go to the next stepin the book with her. My 10-year-old boycan’t see pictures very well with his eyesclosed. He does better with his eyes open.He’s right handed but could only see “thecake” from the left. What does it mean that hecan only see the cake from one side? Will he beable to go through the next step in the book?My 9-year-old boy got so lost describing his“shark,” he couldn’t see a piece of cake. I

PAGE 18 THE DYSLEXIC READER

� Switzerland/CH (cont’d)Christine NoisetRenens/Lausanne +41 (021) 634 35 10 or(079) 332 2775

Véronique PfeifferZürich +41 (01) 342 22 61Therese Rice-SchumacherUster / Zurich+41 (052) 267 5154Hilary RhodesChesieres-Villars+41 (024) 495 38 20Regine Roth-GloorMohlin/Basel+41 (061) 851 2685Doris Rubli-Huber St. Gallen +41 (071) 245 56 90Benita RuckliSigigen +41 (041) 495 04 09 or (079) 719 31 18Lotti Salivisberg Basel +41 (061) 263 33 44Sonja SartorWinterthur+41 (052) 242 4015Marianne SchutzZofinger+41 (62) 752 8281Andreas VillainZürich +41 (076) 371 84 32Catherine WarnerGeneva +41 (022) 321 70 42Margit ZahndGerolfingen+41 (079) 256 86 65 or(032) 396 19 20

� United Arab EmiratesLinda RademanDubai +9714 348 1687

� United KingdomNicky Bennett-BaggsGt. Gaddesden, Herts+44 (01442) 252 517Sue BullenAyrshire, Scotland+44 (01292) 591 797Sarah DixonEast Horsley, Surrey +44 (01483) 283 088Susan DuguidLondon+44 (020) 8878 9652Dyslexia Correction CentreGeorgina DunlopJane E.M. HeywoodDLS Mentor & PresenterAscot, Berkshire+44 (01344) 622 115 Christine EastKingsbridge, Devon+44 (0) 8000 272657Hilary FarmerOxford, Oxon+44 (01865) 326 464 Nichola Farnum MALondon +44 (0) 8000 272657Jacqueline Ann FlisherHungerford Berks+44 (0) 8000 272657

Perceptual Ability Assessment because hedid not understand that it had to do withhelping him learn to read better. The YoungLearner Kit would help you take a slower,more relaxed approach with both youryounger children.

Suspects daughters are dyslexic

Q: I suspect that my daughters have dyslexia.The fifth grader is good at math but struggleswith reading and spelling. The third graderstruggles across the board in all academicareas. She and I worked through the DavisDyslexia Correction Orientation Procedures.She really seemed to understand the wholeactivity, and could easily see her orientationpoint. We have just begun to work with theclay alphabet. My fifth grader, didn’t reallyseem to get what we were doing at all. Shewas willing to play along and tried her best,but it was clear that it wasn’t working as well for her. Can I work through the symbolmastery and reading exercises with both girls,even though the older one didn’t seem tobenefit from the Orientation Counseling? Doall dyslexics need to get oriented in order tobenefit from the rest of the Davis Program?

A: If a Davis provider has a client who is unable to do the Perceptual AbilityAssessment, the Facilitator will take that asan indication that it would be better to startwith Davis Alignment, which is described in Ron Davis’ second book, The Gift ofLearning. I would suggest you try that with your fifth grader.

thought we’d never get through the assessment.This child is always “lost” somewhere. He’sa great artist, has beautiful handwriting,understands math but can’t read. He alsowanted to keep his eyes open, and is righthanded but could only see the left. My 7-year-old daughter can’t see any mentalpictures and is just learning to read three letter words. She seems to be fine, but can’t identify all the numbers through 10,although we’ve done lots of practice for thelast two years. She doesn’t understand mathconcepts at all. Will the math program workfor her even if she can’t see mental pictures?

A:At the end of the perceptual abilityassessment you should know whether yourchild “gets” the concept of moving themind’s eye and seeing “from” the vantagepoint of the mind's eye. If the answer to thatis yes, then you can move on to OrientationCounseling. So, yes on your 11-year-olddaughter. The question for the 10-year-oldboy is not whether he could view the cakefrom both sides but whether he grasped theconcept of putting his mind’s eye on his finger tip. If he wasn’t able to do that, youwill want to do Alignment as described inThe Gift of Learning. (You will need thatbook anyway if you want to work on mathand handwriting).

Your 7-year-old is too young for theprogram described in the book. I recommendthe Davis Young Learner Kit for Home Use(one kit can be shared–just buy some extraclay). While most children over age 8 areready for the dyslexia correction program,you may not to be able to get your highly-imaginative 9-year-old son’s attention longenough to do the regular program–unless heis motivated to learn to read. He may havegotten lost in his imagination during the

It will not hurt your older daughter inany way to do the clay modeling without theOrientation tools (Orientation or Alignment),but it may not help either. Without the abilityto recognize and control disorientation, shemight enjoy doing the clay modeling, but shemay have difficulty retaining what shelearned. �

PAGE 19THE DYSLEXIC READER

�United Kingdom (cont’d)Maureen FloridoHarleston, Norfolk+44 (0) 8000 272657

Carol ForsterGloucester+44 (1452) 331 573 Achsa GriffithsSandwich, Kent +44 (01304) 611 650Axel GudmundssonLondon +44 (020) 8341-7703 Tessa Halliwell Barrow upon Soar, Leics+44 (01509) 412 695Karen HautzLondon+44 (0207) 228-2947Annemette Hoegh-BanksBerkhamsted, Herts+44 1442 872185Catherine HooperCamborne+44 (01209) 717 754Phyllida HowlettHaverfordwest,Pembrokeshire +44 (01437) 766 806Angela JamesReading, Berkshire+44 (0118) 947 6545Liz JollyFareham, Hants+44 (01329) 235 420Lisa KloossLondon +44 (0208) 960 9406Sara KramerLondon +44 (0) 8000 272657Marilyn LaneRedhill +44 (0173) 776-9049Isabel MartinCrowborough East Sussex+44 (0) 8000 272657Stuart ParsonsLowton/Warrington,Cheshire+44 (07754) 534 740Fionna PilgrimKeighley, West Yorkshire +44 (0) 8000 272657 Maxine PiperCarterton, Oxon+44 (01993) 840 291

Elenica Nina PitoskaLondon +44 (0) 8000 272657Rebecca RossLamberhurst, Kent +44 (0) 8000 272657

Pauline RoylePoulton-le-Fylde, Lancs+44 (0) 8000 272657

Ian RichardsonBlaisdon Longhope, Glos+44 (0) 8000 272657

Rosemary SavinsonLondon +44 (0208) 316-1973

Janice ScholesLiversedge, West Yorkshire+44 (0) 8000 272657

to DI and other reading programs favored bythe directors of Reading First.

Moving ahead, this year’s report is entitled Reading First Impact Study: InterimReport, and is available for download on-line.It’s 211 pages long, but its findings are

succinctly expressed in the executive summary:“On average, across the18 participating sites,estimated impacts onstudent reading com- prehension test scoreswere not statisticallysignificant.”This is the most

damning of the findings. But there’s more:“On average, Reading First increasedinstructional time spent on the five essentialcomponents of reading instruction promotedby the program (phonemic awareness, phonics,vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension).”

So this stunning lack of impact wasachieved not only by insisting that schoolsuse only the programs the Reading Firstdirectors recommended, but also by increasinginstructional time. Reading First schoolsdevote an extra 100 minutes per day to reading,the equivalent of an extra six weeks each year.It is virtually inconceivable that an extra 100minutes per day could be devoted to readinginstruction without obtaining any significantimpact, no matter what programs were inuse! I suspect that school children couldspend that same amount of time reading and

The entrance to the US Department ofEducation’s No Child Left Behind building.

(Cont’d next page)

For those of you who’ve always feltthere was a disturbing odor of snake-oil in the unremitting use of thephrase “scientifically-based readingresearch” by supporters of the NoChild Left Behind Act, you now haveconfirmation that your sense of smell is just fine.

In April of this year, the US Departmentof Education released a report on ReadingFirst, the major ingredient in the NCLBrecipe for ensuring that all children read atgrade level by the end of the third grade.This comes almost a year after the Office ofthe Inspector General (OIG) issued a report(May 2007) accusing several people centralto the development of Reading First of conflict of interest.

In case you missed it, or have forgottenthe details, the OIG’s report revealed thatindividuals with significant professional and orfinancial connectionsto some of theinstructional materialsfavored by ReadingFirst directors wereinvolved in the grantapproval process. Forexample, at least threeindividuals with ties tothe Direct Instruction(DI) approach to reading pedagogy were named to the peerreview panel, which evaluated state applications for Reading First funding.According to the OIG report, the individualsin question were involved in reviewing 23state applications for Reading First grantmoney and served on seven of the 16 subpanels that reviewed state applications.One of them led five of the panels.

To make a long and sordid story short,when the applications that states submittedincluded other approaches to reading instruction, they were often denied, in somecases repeatedly, until they were re-written toinclude use of Direct Instruction–a violation of a federal prohibition against endorsementby the government of specific curricula. Inaddition, it’s alleged that the subversion of thepanel’s work in this way made a lot of moneyfor those panel members with financial ties

The list of defects of Reading First would fill this entire issue.They start with the unprovenassumption that phonemic

awareness, phonics, vocabulary,fluency, and comprehension are the “five essential components of reading instruction.”

“

The Beginning of the End of Reading FirstLaura Zink de Díaz, Davis Facilitator in Bogotá, Colombia

PAGE 20 THE DYSLEXIC READER

�United Kingdom (cont’d)Nigel SharpIsle of Wight +44 (0) 8000 272657Judith ShawSupervisor-SpecialistSt. Leonards onSea/Hastings, East Sussex +44 (01424) 447 077Elizabeth Shepherd Crowborough, East Sussex +44 (0189) 266-1052Lynne SmithBrighton, East Sussex+44 (01273) 723 920 Anna StephensRipley Derbyshire+44 (01773) 746 277Drs. Renée van der VloodtSupervisor-SpecialistReigate, Surrey+44 (01737) 240 116Frank WalkerGreasby Wirral/Liverpool+44 (0151) 678 14 99Evelyn WhiteWalton-on-Thames, Surrey+44 (01932) 230 624The Learning PeopleMargarita WhiteheadDDA DirectorRichard WhiteheadDDA DirectorDLS Presenter-MentorFundamentals PresenterCanterbury, Kent+44 (01227) 738 972Rachel WilliamsonHassocks, West Sussex+44 (0) 8000 272657

� United States

AlabamaLisa SprattHuntsville +1 (256) 426-4066ArizonaDr. Edith FritzPhoenix+1 (602) 274-7738Nancy KressPhoenix+1 (480) 544-5031ArkansasRebecca LandesMulberry / Fort Smith +1 (479) 997-1996CaliforniaReading Research CouncilDyslexia Correction CenterDr. Fatima Ali, FounderRay DavisRonald D. Davis, FounderBurlingame/San Francisco +1 (800) 729-8990 (Toll Free) +1 (650) 692-8990Janet ConferRancho Santa Margarita+1 (949) 589-6394Anette FullerWalnut Creek+1 (925) 639-7846Richard A. HarmelMarina Del Rey/Los Angeles+1 (310) 823-8900

re-reading Captain Underpants to bettereffect than slogging through the directinstruction drills imposed on them in mostReading First schools! Another finding:“Average impacts on reading comprehensionand classroom instruction did not changesystematically over time as sites gained experience with Reading First.”

So, practice did not make perfect. And:“Study sites that received their Reading Firstgrants later in the federal funding process(January to August 2004) experienced positiveand statistically significant impacts both onthe time first and second grade teachers spenton the five essential components of readinginstruction and on first and second gradereading comprehension.” (executive summary,p. ix)

Essentially, the longer a school followedReading First guidelines, the worse their students performed on tests of reading comprehension.

As I was putting together this column,more delicious news: June 21, 2008, AlysonKlein, reported at edweek.org that ReadingFirst would be “eliminated under a fiscal 2009spending measure approved unanimously…by a House Appropriations subcommittee.”Representative David R. Obey, chairman ofthe House Appropriations Committee, citedas the basis for this decision the results of theimpact study and “mismanagement, conflictsof interest, and cronyism, as documented bythe inspector general.”

The list of defects of Reading Firstwould fill this entire issue. They start withthe unproven assumption that phonemicawareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension are the “five essentialcomponents of reading instruction.” Thisrecipe for reading came from the NationalReading Panel report of 2000, which concluded that phonics is the answer to thedifficulties of all types of struggling readers.(The panel members came to this conclusionby–surprise!– excluding from their reviewany study that didn’t focus on phonics.) Andthen there’s the classic example of fuzzymath buried in the goal of the program: thatall children should “read at grade level by the

end of third grade.” Since grade level isdefined as the average of the scores of allstudents in a particular grade, it’s a LakeWoebegone-esque fantasy to expect all children to read “at grade level,” no matterwhat grade you look at.

But these are topics for an entire volumeon the history of education reform in theUnited States. For now, I’m content to seethat the truth about the snake oil is finallycoming to light. �

References & further Information1. Reading First Impact Study: Interim Report.Complete report available as downloadable PDFdocument at:http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20084016/index.asp2. Bracey, Gerald. “DIBELS Earns Bracey RottenApple Award” Available on-line at:http://susanohanian.org/anti-dibels/node/963. Garan, Elaine M. “Beyond the Smoke andMirrors: A Critique of the National ReadingPanel Report on Phonics.” Available on-line at:www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0103gar.htm4. Klein, Alyson. “House Panel Would Kill“Reading First” Funding.” Education Week.Available on-line at: http://tinyurl.com/3jekqq5. Medige, Bernadette. “Nonsense Words thatSent Your Kid to Summer School” Buffalo News,August 11, 2007. Available on-line at: susanohan-ian.org/show_nclb_outrages.html?id=3051

“Granting the care and completeness with which themethod [was designed] ...(phonics) must be pronouncedintensely artificial and adult inits conceptions, and destructiveof right habits of reading and of using language generally.

The phonic elements are made to precede theword, the word is made to precede the idea,and the sentence comes last of all, just theopposite of the natural procedure. Besides, toburden the young pupil with the cumbersometechnique of such a method and to so fill hismind with the dead products of adult analysisis a crime against childhood which cannotlong be suffered. Even if perfectly attained, its ideal has not taught the child to read, and is most likely to permanently unfit him forintelligent natural reading.”

–The Psychology and Pedagogy of Reading byEdmund Huey, first published in 1908. p. 284 of the 1968 edition.

SSoommee TThhiinnggss DDoonn’’tt CChhaannggee.. .. ..

Edmund Huey

“It is virtually inconceivable that an extra 100 minutes per day could be devoted to readinginstruction without obtaining any significant impact.”

PAGE 21THE DYSLEXIC READER

� United States/California (cont’d)David HirstRiverside+1 (951) 653-9251 or(909) 241-6079Angela Dean Educators Nicole MeltonKaren Thorworth-PongsDiamond Bar+1 (909) 861-5251Cheryl RodriguesSunnyvale/San Jose+1 (408) 983-0968David Carlos RosenSan Rafael+1 (415) 479-1700Dwight UnderhillEl Cerrito/Berkeley+1 (510) 559-7869Dee Weldon WhiteLexie White StrainMenlo Park+1 (650) 388-6808

ColoradoAnnie GarciaWheat Ridge / Denver+1 (303) 423-3397Crystal PunchDLS MentorCentennial/Denver +1 (303) 850-0581Kristi ThompsonDLS Presenter-MentorWalsh +1 (719) 324-9256FloridaTerry DeMeoMiami +1 (305) 567-0611Random (Randee)GarretsonLutz/Tampa/St. Petersburg+1 (813) 956-0502 Tina KirbyNavarre +1 (850) 218-5956Rita Von BonNavarre +1 (850) 934-1389GeorgiaBonny BeuretSupervisor-SpecialistAdvanced WorkshopPresenterSavannah+1 (912) 239 9339Lesa HallPooler/Savannah+1 (912) 330-8577Martha PayneSuwanee+1 (404) 886-2720Scott TimmWoodstock/Atlanta+1 (866) 255-9028 (Toll-Free)

HawaiiVickie Kozuki-Ah YouEwa Beach/Honolulu+1 (808) 664-9608

IdahoCarma SutherlandRexburg +1 (208) 356-3944

La Fidelidad de Uchi

Hace un año tuve la buenísima suerte de trabajar con una niña muy querida, LucíaGutiérrez. Hizo muy bien su programa, conmucho entusiasmo, y cuando se fue, sentí esaeterna tristeza de profesora, la de ver irse tanbuena alumna después de tan poco tiempo.Pero al mismo tiempo tenía la confianza deque a Lucía le iría muy bien. Durante muchosmeses no volví a saber de la niña, lo que tomécomo indicio de que todo debía estar bien.

Hace pocos meses, habiendo trasladadomi consultorio a un sitio con suficiente parqueo para varios clientes al mismo tiempo, empecé a ofrecerles un servicio queantes no podía: Pizza y Plastlina. Una vez almes mis clientes pueden asistir a una sesiónen grupo. Durante la primera media horacomemos pizza y charlamos, y despuésdedicamos una hora a la creación en plastilinade modelos de palabras detonantes. El primermes, apareció Lucía – o Uchi, como la llamansus papás–y nadie más. El segundo mes denuevo asistió Lucía. El tercer mes, otra vezLucía. ¡Qué niña más fiel!, pensé.

Lucía es una joven muy inteligente y esexcelente conversadora. Hemos conversadovarias veces de su colegio bilingüe (inglés/español), y de sus amigas y actividades.Inclusive hemos charlado de la situaciónpolítica aquí en Colombia. Y también hemoshablado de cierta intervención que su colegio

requiere – clases de “phonics” en inglés conuna profesora privada. Lucía adora su cole-gio, pero en el colegio no entienden muy biensu estilo disléxico de aprendizaje... Cuandopregunté a Lucía si las lecciones de “phonics”le estaban ayudando, admitió que en realidadno, pero es algo que le obligan a hacer. Nadiele obliga a asistir a Pizza y Plastilina, sinembargo viene cada mes. A estas alturas, laverdad es que si no viniera, ¡la echaría muchode menos!

Hace poco su mamá me mencionó quedurante las vacaciones Lucía había leídoindependientemente un libro completo, ¡de176 páginas – y en inglés! ¡Qué chévere! Mepareció que esto merecía una mención en TheDyslexic Reader, así que les pedí permiso aLucía y sus padres. Estuvieron de acuerdo, ya continuación la carta con sus comentarios.Primero, de los padres:

Apreciada Laura,Luego de que Lucía, que hoy tiene 11 años,hiciera el Método Davis hace un año, hemosnotado cambios maravillosos en todos losaspectos y una prueba de esto es el testimonioescrito por ella misma acerca del Método, quees una producción escrita de buena calidad.Antes del trabajo con los métodos Davis ellasimplemente se hubiera negado a escribircualquier cosa que no fuera obligada y encaso de lograr cualquier producción escrita,su calidad hubiera sido muy inferior tanto encontenido como en redacción y ortografía.

Para ella ha sido fundamental aprendera manejar su talento; no solamente ha tenidouna mejoría académica significativa, sinoque ha aprendido a disfrutar la lectura. En

Por Laura Zink de Díaz, Facilitadora Davis en Bogotá, Colombia

el cambio más importante…Lucía paulatinamente ha ido

haciéndose dueña de sí misma; haido mostrando mayor autonomíaen todos los aspectos de la vida

cotidiana.”

Lucía en agosto 2007, durante su ProgramaDavis.

“

PAGE 22 THE DYSLEXIC READER

IllinoisKim AinisChicago +1 (312) 360-0805Susan SmarjesseSpringfield+1 (217) 789-7323

IndianaJodi R. BaughCloverdale/Indianapolis+1 (765) 526-2121Myrna BurkholderGoshen/South Bend+1 (574) 533-7455Carol K. WilliamsJeffersonville+1 (651) 324-9156

IowaMary Kay FrasierDes Moines+1 (515) 270-0280

KentuckyRochelle AbnerWinchester+1 (859) 595-7870

MassachussettsKaren LoGiudiceNewburyport+1 (978) 337-7753Carolyn TylerFairhaven+1 (508) 994-4577

MichiganNicki CatesSaint Clair Shores/Detroit+1 (586) 801-0772Sandra McPhallGrandville/Grand Rapids+1 (616) 534-1385Dean SchalowManistee+1 (800) 794-3060 (Toll-Free)Michele WellmanMt. Pleasant/Lansing+1 (989) 772-3084MinnesotaCyndi DenesonSupervisor-Specialist Workshop PresenterEdina/Minneapolis+1 (888) 890-5380 (Toll-Free)+1 (952) 820-4673Bernadette Peterson Maple Grove+1 (763) 229-4550Alice J. PrattExcelsior/Minneapolis+1 (904) 389-9251MissouriCathy CookColumbia+1 (573) 819-6010 or 886-8917Gretchen FitzGeraldKansas City+1 (816) 806-8611MontanaKimberly BezansonMissoula +1 (406) 541-3076or 677-4014Elsie JohnsonManhatten +1 (406) 257-8556

estas vacaciones leyó por primera vez, completamente sola, un libro en inglésapropiado para su edad y nivel de escolaridad.Y… ¡lo disfruto! Fue una experiencia tanpositiva que nos pidió ir a una librería acomprar otro libro para leer en vacacionespero ahora en español. Ella escogió un librotitulado El niño con el pijama de rayas escritopor John Boyne. Es de 217 páginas, para niñosa partir de 13 años y se lo está leyendo feliz.

Además de todos estos cambios tan significativos, tanto en el ámbito académicocomo en la lectura y escritura recreativas, elcambio más importante para nosotros comopapas ha sido observar cómo Lucía paulatinamente ha ido haciéndose dueña desí misma; ha ido mostrando mayor autonomíaen todos los aspectos de la vida cotidiana.

Aunque Lucía continúa teniendo dificultades para organizarse, ahora

Yo estudio en el Colegio los Nogales.Es muy bueno y yo me diviertomucho. En mi colegio aprendomuchas cosas pero también la pasomuy bien, y en estas vacacionesme pusieron a leer un libro eninglés que se llama Shredderman Attack of the Tagger. Este libro megustó mucho porque es interesante,descriptivo y uno no puede parar deleer ya que el libro tiene tanto suspensoy por eso uno cada vez quiere seguir

Uchi, poniendo los últimos toques a un modeloque hizo en la sesión de Pizza y Plastilina enjulio, 2008.

No solamente ha tenido unamejoría académica significativa,sino que ha aprendido a disfrutar

la lectura.”

“podemos decir que es una niña feliz, segurade sí misma, cooperadora y responsable queya no se da por vencida fácilmente, por locual estamos seguros que con el trabajo constante, irá logrando mejorar en esteaspecto y en todos aquellos en los que ella se lo proponga.

Con todo nuestro afecto y gratitud,Juan Manuel Gutiérrez y Catalina Soto

Pronto Lucía hará un suplemento a suPrograma Davis que seguramente le ayudará aarreglar esas “dificultades para organizarse.”

En el e-mail al que iba adjunto su testimonio, los padres de Lucía comentaronque al escribirlo cayeron en cuenta que sin el ejercicio de mirar cómo era su hija un añoantes de tomar el Método y cómo es ahora,tal vez no hubieran sido concientes de toda lamejoría, porque los cambios son paulatinos,y a diario son poco perceptibles. Me pareceuna observación muy válida e importante parapersonas que consideran un Programa Davispara sus hijos. El proceso de internalizar lasherramientas Davis toma tiempo, igual comotoma tiempo internalizar las destrezas necesarias para volverse uno experto encualquier actividad intelectual o deportivo.Aquí no ofrecemos píldoras mágicas, pero síentregamos a nuestros clientes herramientasque con el tiempo pueden crear cambios positivos bastante dramáticos. ¡Sobre todo en personas con la fidelidad de Uchi! �

leyendo. Pero cuando me

pasaba que no entendíao que me confundía unapalabra, pensaba quecon Laura podría trabajarestas palabras detonantesy efectivamente descubríque el Método Davis enrealidad sí funciona.Además es divertido hacercosas con plastilina. Megusta mucho el MétodoDavis.

–Lucía Gutiérrez

Los comentarios de Lucía,respecto al libro que leyó y el Método Davis:

PAGE 23THE DYSLEXIC READER

NebraskaShawn CarlsonLincoln +1 (402) 420-1025

Elaine ThoendelChambers+1 (402) 482-5709

NevadaBarbara ClarkGardnerville/Carson City+1 (775) 265-1188

New HampshireGlenna GiveansLebanon+ 1 (603) 863-7877

Michele SiegmannMason/Manchester/Boston+1 (603) 878-6006

New JerseyLynn ChigounisMontclair +1 (973) 746-5037Charlotte FosterSupervisor-SpecialistBernardsville/Newark+1 (908) 766-5399

New YorkLisa AndersonSeneca Falls +1 (315)568-3166 or (800) 234-6922 Hadar HellmanForest Hills +1 (212) 781-3689Wendy RitchieHilton/Rochester+1 (585) 233-4364

North CarolinaGerri W. CoxDLS Presenter-MentorShallotte/Wilmington+1 (910) 754-9559

Ruth MillsPineville/Charlotte+1 (704) 541-1733

Jean MoserWinston-Salem+1 (336) 830-2390OhioLorraine CharbonneauMason/Cincinnati/Dayton+1 (513) 850-1895

Lisa ThatcherMount Vernon/Columbus+1 (740) 397-7060

OklahomaAshley GriceTulsa +1 (918) 779-7351 Rhonda LacyClinton +1 (580) 323-7323OregonRhonda ErstromVale +1 (541) 881-7817Kathy PozziOntario +1 (541) 881 6497Melissa SlominskiTigard /Portland+1 (503) 957-2998

Based on the Davis DyslexiaCorrection methods, this Kit enables parents of children, ages 5-7, to home-teach and help younglearners to:• focus attention• control energy levels• improve eye-hand coordination• learn the alphabet• learn basic punctuation• develop and strengthen pre-reading and basic reading skills

• prevent the potential of a learningproblem

• improve sight word recognition andcomprehension

• establish life-long “how-to-learn” skills.

Young Learner Kitfor Home-Use

The Kit includes:

• Instruction Manual • Sturdy nylon briefcase • Reusable modeling clay (2 lbs.) • Clay cutter • Webster’s Children’s Dictionary(hardcover)

• Punctuation Marks & Styles Booklet • Two Koosh Balls • Letter Recognition Cards • Laminated Alphabet Strip • Stop Signs for Reading Chart

The Davis Methods for Young Learners

Davis Focusing Strategies provide children with the self-directed ability to be physically and mentally focused on thelearning task at hand.

Davis Symbol Mastery enables children tomaster the alphabet letters, punctuationmarks and basic sight words with a simple,easy and fun alternative to pencil-paperactivities and drill.

Davis Reading Exercises improve accuracy with word recognition and comprehension.

The Kit is priced at $119.95(Shipping and Handling will be added)

To purchase a kit, use our secure on-lineordering at:www.dyslexia.com/bookstore

or call our toll-free number: 1-888-999-3324

Note: For older children (ages 8 and up), werecommend the Davis Symbol Mastery Kit.

The Young Learner Kit

PAGE 24 THE DYSLEXIC READER

PennsylvaniaMaude Le RouxGlen Mills+1 (484) 840-1529Marcia MaustBerlin/Pittsburgh+1 (814) 267-5765Rhode IslandLinda M. DanielsProvidence+1 (401) 301-7604South CarolinaAngela KeiferGreenville+1 (864) 420-1627South DakotaKim CarsonDLS Presenter-MentorBrookings/Sioux Falls +1 (605) 692-1785Carina LittleWatertown +1 (605) 886-8415Lillian “Lee” MilesSioux Falls+1 (605) 274-2294TennesseeJackie BlackDover1-866-218-1614 (Toll-Free)TexasKellie Antrim-BrownFt. Worth+1 (817) 989-0783Janalee BealsBedford/Dallas/Ft. Worth+1 (817) 354-2896Success Learning CenterRhonda ClemonsDLS Presenter-MentorColleen MillslagleDLS Presenter-MentorTyler/Dallas+1 (866) 531-2446 (Toll Free)+1 (903) 531-2446Shari ChuHelotes /San Antonio +1 (210) 414-0116Jodie HarberCedar Park/Austin+1 (512) 918-9247Lori JohnsonBoerne/San Antonio+1 (210) 843-8161 Leslie McLeanAmarillo+1 (806) 331-4099 or +1 (877) 331-4099 (Toll Free)Amanda MeyerBurleson/Ft. Worth+1 (817) 426-4442Dorothy OwenSupervisor-SpecialistIrving +1 (817) 919-6200Paula Roberts Tyler +1 (903) 570-3427Casey Linwick-RouzerSugar Land/Houston+1 (832) 724-0492Laura WarrenLubbock +1 (806) 790-7292VirginiaDonna KouriMontpelier/Richmond+1 (804) 883-8867

Marja Steijger “I’m themother of two dyslexic girls.While searching for a solutionto their problems, I read DeGave van Dyslexie. I am a picture thinker myself, so Iknew this was the solution.

I decided I wanted to help other kids too, so I changed my profession from veterinarian to Davis Facilitator.” Coen Boshuizenlaan 85, 1911 TC Ouderkerk a/d Amstel, Netherlands +31 (020) 496 52 53, marjasteijger@chello.nl

Jola Geldermans “DearColleagues, I am JolaGeldermans, Dutch, 46 yearsyoung. I am very happy to havefound the Davis Method. I am aLinguist (English and Spanish)and have studied psychology.I’ve worked a lot with children

(as a teacher in primary and secondary schools)and hope to get my diploma for remedial teaching(Master SEN) this summer. I’ve studied a lot, butI must say that Davis has taught me most of all.The Davis Method has shown me the essence oflearning. With this method I can help others feelconfident and make the best of their talents.”Strick van Linschotenstraat 69, 1943 KB,Beverwijk, Netherlands, +31 (0251) 210 607,bakker2034@zonnet.nl

Josephine Naikuni “I am ateacher by profession, marriedwith four children. Training to bea Davis Facilitator was a greatachievement. The results andconfidence gained by my clientsare simply amazing.” 00501, PO

Box 19002, Nairobi, Kenya. +254 (20) 604 347,+254 722 341 503, Josna88@gmail.com

Therese Rice-Schumacher“I deliver Davis DyslexiaCorrection Programs at home,in German, Spanish or French.”Inselstr. 26, CH-8610, Uster,Switzerland. Second businessaddress: Freiestr.14, CH-8032,Zurich, Switzerland.

+41 (052) 267 51 54, thereserice@bluewin.ch

Jutta Meissner “My whole life I always knewthat when I reached 40, I would find my profession.If someone had told me two years ago, that atsome time I would help dyslexic people, I never

Newly Licensed Davis FacilitatorsCongratulations to all the newest members of our growing

international community of Davis Program Providers!

would have believed it. Mychildren came into my life andalong with them, school problems. Eventually I foundDavis Dyslexia Correction andon the top of everything else,discovered my own talent. And

here I am as a brand new Davis Facilitator! Allowme to introduce myself: I’m Jutta Meissner, 42,married, with three children, and looking forwardto my new challenge!” Stuttgart, BW 70469Germany, +49 (711) 882 21 06,j.meissner@mac.com

Manja Bloemendal “I haveworked as a social worker andteacher (primary school andcontinuation school). I am nowworking as a Davis Facilitatorwith children and adults whohave dyslexia, dysgraphia and

AD/HD difficulties. I am also very interested inthe relationship between children and their parentsand how the parents support their children in theprocess of the Davis Program.” Banazir, vanBlankenburgstraat 28, 2517 XR Den Haag,Netherlands, +31 (64) 764 6555, +31 (70) 345 5252,manja.bloemendal@gmail.com

Cristina Maria Vieira graduated in 2001 inSpecial Education and rehabilitation (School ofHuman Motor Function, Portugal) with a MastersDegree in early intervention and developmentaldisorders (University of Santiago de Compostela,Spain). Since then she has worked with childrenand adolescents with learning disabilities, dyslexiaand developmental disorders. Cristina currentlyworks at Fundacão Renascer and is developing adoctoral thesis on assessment of the developmentof children. Fundacão Renascer, Rua Infante D.Pedro, No.12A, Lisboa 1700-243, Portugal, +35 (191) 921 4807, rubianes21@hotmail.com

Carly van den Akker “Inmy center I will help childrenand adults with their learningproblems, especially readingand mathematics. I am a teacherby profession. In the Davis

Method I’ve found the real root of dyslexia. It isan enormous thrill to work as a Davis Facilitator.”Gounodhof 6, 5481 PA Schijndel, Netherlands,+31 (06) 15 20 81 73, wiedes@orange.nl

PAGE 25THE DYSLEXIC READER

The Davis Facilitator TrainingProgram requires approximately 400hours of course work.

The Davis Specialist TrainingProgram requires extensive experienceproviding Davis programs and anadditional 260 hours of training.Specialists and Facilitators are subject toannual re-licensing based upon casereview and adherence to the DDAIStandards of Practice.

� United States/Virginia (cont’d)Angela OdomDLS Presenter-MentorMidlothian/Richmond+1 (804) 833-8858Jamie Worley Yorktown/Williamsburg +1 (757) 867-1164WashingtonAleta ClarkAuburn/Tacoma+1 (253) 854-9377Carol HernDLS Presenter-MentorSpokaneMary Ethel KelloggDLS Presenter-MentorSpokaneRebecca LueraFall City/Seattle+1 (800) 818-9056 (Toll-Free)+1 (425) 222-4163Nancy SittonMarysville +1 (360) 651-1241Renie Royce SmithSpokane & Everett+1-800-371-6028 (Toll-Free)+1 (509) 443-1737Ruth Ann YoungbergBellingham+1 (360) 752-5723West VirginiaGale LongElkview/Charleston+1 (888) 517-7830 (Toll Free)+1 (304) 965-7400WisconsinNew Hope Learning Centers, Inc.Darlene BishopMargaret Hayes Milwaukee+1 (888) 890-5380 (Toll Free)+1 (262) 255-3900Anne MataczynskiWausau +1 (715) 551-7144� UruguayMarcela PiffarettiMontevideo+598 (02) 600-6326

�

This Directory is current as ofAugust 1, 2008. It is subject tochange. Between newsletterissues, new Facilitators are

added, and occasionally, somebecome inactive. However, the Davis Providers list atwww.dyslexia.com is always up to date.

Davis Training Programs

Davis Learning Strategies Mentorsand Workshop Presenters areexperienced teachers and trainers with 2-3 years of specialized training andexperience mentoring classroomteachers of children 5-9 years of age.

For information about training and afull directory of Davis providers, go to:www.dyslexia.com/providers.htm

or call +1 (650) 692-7141 or +1-888-805-7216 toll-free in the USA.

PAGE 26 THE DYSLEXIC READER

Teachers, would you like to…• Improve the reading skills of all the children in your class regardless of their learning style?

• Manage your classroom more effectively?• Prevent the onset of learning disabilities?• Use research-based methods that are flexible and easilyfit into and enhance any existing curriculum?

This two-day workshop provides Primary Teachers (K-3)with unique and innovative strategies for improving reading instruction and classroom management, and equipsyoung learners with proven life long skills in “how to learn.”

Instruction includes:• Theory and Reasoning for each Strategy.• Video demonstrations of each Strategy and classroomimplementation suggestions.

• Supervised experiential practice on each Strategy.• Q&A and discussion about each Strategy.

Materials include:• Detailed Manual with suggested year-long guides, black-linemasters, and numerous tips for each implementing eachStrategy in various curriculum activities.

• Videotape or DVD demonstrating each classroom Strategy. • Teacher Kit: alphabet strip, letter recognition cards, clay,cutter, dictionary and two Koosh® balls. (Classroom materials sold separately)

Workshop hours: 9am-4pm with one hour lunch break.Cost: $595 per person (US only) Academic Units or CEUs (US and Canada only)Two Quarter Units are available through California StateUniversity. Cost is $54 per unit, plus $35 administrative fee.A written assignment, which can be completed before andduring the workshop, is required.

Would you like to bring a DLS workshop to your school/area?Call 1-888-805-7216, and ask for Paula McCarthy.

Basic Workshop forPrimary Teachers

“In the forefront of what I likedmost was how easily the Davisstrategies fit into many areas of Kindergarten curriculum. Itrelieved me of a paper-pencilapproach and gave me a hands-on,kinesthetic approach. It helpeddevelop the little finger muscles to move on to coordinate paper-pencil activities. Creating the alphabet over time also accomplished the development of ownership, responsibility, and a sense a pride in all the children. I believe allKindergarten children would benefit from Davis Learning Strategies.” –LB, Kindergarten Teacher, Mission San Jose Elementary School, Fremont, California

2008 DATES & LOCATIONSDate Location Telephone

United States

Aug. 5 - 6 Brookings, SD 1-605-692-1785

Aug. 7 - 8 Denver, CO 1-719-324-9256

Aug. 7 – 8 Brookings SD 1-605-692-1785

Aug. 14 - 15 Eugene, OR 1-866-531-2446

Sept. 25 - 26 Springfield, MA 1-866-531-2446

Oct. 2 - 3 Tyler, TX 1-866-531-2446

Oct. 6 - 7 Richmond, VA 1-804-833-8858

Nov. 6 - 7 Tyler, TX 1-866-531-2446

Nederland

Sept. 5 - 6 Maastricht/Sittard +31 (046) 437 4907

Oct. 10 - 11 Onna (Steenwijk) +31 (046) 437 4907

Switzerland

Aug 7 - 8 Zurich +41 (061) 273 81 85

Nov 8 - 9 Zurich +41 (061) 273 81 85

For more details, visit www.davislearn.com

PAGE 27THE DYSLEXIC READER

Come Learn andEXPERIENCE the DavisDyslexia CorrectionProcedures!Fundamentals of Davis Dyslexia Correction®

Workshop based on the best-selling book The Gift of Dyslexia by Ronald D. Davis

2008 FUNDAMENTALS WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

DAY ONE

Background and Development of the Davis DyslexiaCorrection® Procedures• Research and discovery. The “gifts” of dyslexia. Anatomy

and developmental stages of a learning disability.Overview of the steps for dyslexia correction.

Davis Perceptual Ability Assessment(a screening for dyslexic learning styles)• Demonstration and Practice SessionSymptoms Profile Interview (used to assess symptoms,strengths and weaknesses; set goals; establish motivation)• Demonstration and Practice Session

DAY THREE

Orientation Review Procedure(a method for checking orientation skills)• Demonstration & Practice SessionDavis Symbol Mastery® (the key to correcting dyslexia)• What is Symbol Mastery? Why clay?Mastering Basic Language Symbols• Demonstrations and Group ExercisesReading Improvement Exercises• Spell-Reading. Sweep-Sweep-Spell. Picture-at-

Punctuation

DAY FOURFine-Tuning Procedure (checking and adjustingorientation using balance)

Symbol Mastery Exercises for Words• Demonstrations• Group Exercises• Practice Sessions

Implementing the Davis Procedures

DAY TWO

Davis Orientation Counseling Procedures (methods tocontrol, monitor and turn off perceptual distortions)• What is Orientation? Demonstration & Practice SessionRelease Procedure (method to alleviate stress, headaches)Alignment (an alternative to Orientation Counseling)• What is Alignment? How is it used? Group DemonstrationDial-Setting Procedure (a method for controlling energylevels)

FUNDAMENTALS WORKSHOP OUTLINE

To register for US workshops call 1-888-805-7216 (toll-free)

For updated workshop schedules visit: www.dyslexia.com/train.htm

GERMANY2-5 October: HamburgPresenter: Ioannis TzivanakisLanguage: German/FrenchEmail: info@dyslexia.deTel: +49 (040) 25 17 86 22

MEXICO24-27 September: GuadalajaraPresenter: Cathy CalderónLanguage: SpanishEmail: davislatam@gmail.comTel: +52 (81) 8335-9435

NEDERLAND3-6 September: Amersfoort Presenter: Ioannis Tzivanakis/Robin TempleLanguage: English/DutchEmail: nederland@dyslexia.comTel: +31 (0475) 301 277

NEW ZEALAND7-10 September: ChristchurchPresenter: Lorna TimsLanguage: EnglishEmail: info@ddapacific.co.nzTelephone: +64 9 815 8626

UNITED KINGDOM18-22 August: Canterbury, KentPresenter: Richard WhiteheadLanguage: EnglishEmail: info@davislearningfoundation.org.ukTel: +44 (0) 1227 732 288

UNITED STATES

8-11 October: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TXPresenter: Gerry GrantLanguage: EnglishEmail: training@dyslexia.comTel: 1-888-392-1134 or 1-888-805-7216

Continued on page 22

The Dys•lex •́ic Read •́er1601 Old Bayshore Highway, Suite 260Burlingame, CA 94010

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

PRESORTEDSTANDARDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDBURLINGAME, CAPERMIT NO.14

~

DDA-PacificPO BOX 46023Herne BayAuckland, New ZealandPhone: +64 (09) 815-8626Fax: +64 (09) 815-8627E-mail: pacific@dyslexia.com

DDA-Israel20 Ha’shahafim St.Ra’anana 43724 ISRAELTel: 972 (0523) 693 384 or (0)9 774 7979Fax: 972 (09) 772-9889E-mail: Israel@dyslexia.com

DDA-DACHDeutschland-Austria-SwitzerlandWandsbecker Chausee 132D-22089 Hamburg GERMANYTel: 49 (040) 25 17 86 22 Fax: 49 (040) 25 17 86 24E-mail: germany@dyslexia.comSWITZERLANDTel: 41 (061) 273 81 85E-MAIL: ch@dyslexia.com

DDA- Latin AmericaCalzada del Valle #400 Local 8Colonia del ValleGarza García, Monterrey Nuevo LeónMÉXICO, CP 66220Tel: 52 (81) 8335-9435Email: spanish@dyslexia.com

DDA-NederlandKerkweg 38a 6105 CG Maria Hoop, NEDERLANDTel: 31 (0475) 302 203 Fax: 31 (0475) 301 381E-mail: holland@dyslexia.com

DDA-UKDavis Learning FoundationPO Box 972CanterburyKent CT1 9DNTel: +44 (0)1227 732 288Fax: +44 (0)1227 731 756E-mail: uk@dyslexia.com

DDAI-Int’l, Canada & USA1601 Bayshore Highway, Ste 260Burlingame, CA 94010Tel: 1-888-805-7216 Fax: 1 (650) 692-7075E-mail: ddai@dyslexia.com

For a detailed brochure on enrollment, prices, group rates, discounts, location, and further information, contact the DDA in your country.

Based on the best-selling bookThe Gift of Dyslexia by Ronald D. DavisThis 4-day workshop is an introduction to the basic theories,principles and application of all the procedures described inThe Gift of Dyslexia. Training is done with a combination oflectures, demonstrations, group practice, and question andanswer sessions. Attendance is limited to ensure the highestquality of training.

Who should attend:Everyone involved in helping dyslexic individuals over theage of eight.

Participants will learn:• How the Davis procedures were developed.• How to assess for the “gift of dyslexia.”• How to help dyslexics eliminate mistakes and focus attention.• The Davis Symbol Mastery tools for mastering reading.• How to incorporate and use proven methods for improving

reading, spelling, and motor coordination into a teaching,home school, tutoring, or therapeutic setting.

See page 27 for more workshop details.

Enrollment limited � Classes fill Early � Call 1-888-805-7216 or 650-692-7141For updated workshop schedules visit http://www.dyslexia.com/train.htmFor a full description of the Davis Facilitator Certification Program, ask for our booklet.

Fundamentals of Davis Dyslexia Correction Workshop

18 - 22 Aug. Canterbury, Kent UK

3 - 6 Sept. Amersfoort Nederland

7 - 10 Sept. Christchurch New Zealand

24 - 27 Sept. Guadalajara Mexico

2 - 5 Oct. Hamburg Germany

8 - 11 Oct. Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX USA

2008 International Schedule

U.S. Course Schedule• 8:30 - 9:00 Registration (first day)• 9:00 - 5:00 Daily (lunch break 12:00-1:30)

U.S. Fees and Discounts• $1175 per person

• $1125 for DDAI members or groups of two or more

• $1075 if paid in full 60 days in advance

• Advance registration and $200 deposit required

• Includes manual, one-year DDAI membership, verification of attendance, and Symbol Mastery Kit

• Academic units and CEUs available