the dyslexic reader 2006 - issue 41

VOL. 41 DOUBLE ISSUE Davis Dyslexia Association International ISSUE 1 & 2 • 2006

Dys lex ic Read er• •́ •́~The

News & Feature Articles

The Engelbrecht Controlled Study ofDavis Methods in South Africa . . . . .1

Dyscalculia: Lifting the Lid . . . . . . . . . .1

The Story of Happy Horace . . . . . . . . .3

Visual-Experiential Home

Schooling Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

More on Foreign Language

Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Why Education is Important to Me . .14

The “Quilts” of Education . . . . . . . . .15

Dyslexic in English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Have Tools–Will Time Travel . . . . . . . .18

Regular Features

In the Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

New Facilitators . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24-29

Davis Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31

In This Double Issue

(Cont’d on p. 12)

(Cont’d on p. 10)

The Engelbrecht Controlled Study of Davis Methods in South AfricaIn 2004, for her master’s degree inpsychology, South African educatorRené Engelbrecht conducted a controlled study of the efficacy ofDavis methods for children with reading problems. The purpose of thestudy was to scientifically test theclaims of the Davis DyslexiaAssociation International, that theDavis programme, and especially theOrientation Counseling and SymbolMastery techniques, can improve thereading ability and psychological well-being of individuals with dyslexia.

In the introduction to her thesis,Englebrecht describes her motivation

The motivation for thisstudy was not to belittle

other methods ofintervention regarding

individuals with a readingdisorder but to determine

whether the Davisprogramme is a significant

and scientifically validalternative form of

intervention.

and purpose in choosing to research theDavis method.

“Since a reading disorder canhave such a negative influence on anindividual’s reading ability, academicperformance and psychological functioning–and in many instancesphonic instruction, which is mostlyused as form of intervention, does notalways deliver successful results, scientific research of the Davis programme seemed founded. Positiveresults would mean that individualswith a learning problem as well aslearners at risk would at least have an

Dyscalculia: Lifting the Lid by Richard Whitehead, DDA-UK Director

Dictionary.com defines the termDyscalculia as: “Impairment ofthe ability to solve mathematical problems, usually resulting from braindysfunction.” It is probably as wide-spread as dyslexia and yet, curiously, isfar less in the public awareness than itsliteracy cousin.

Sometimes, the same person canhave both dyslexic and dyscalculicsymptoms. Other learners may, by contrast, have highly developed literacy but poor numeracy skills, or vice versa.Like dyslexics, dyscalculics oftendevelop survival strategies such as rote learning techniques, “do-it-for-me”strategies and, of course, the pocketcalculator. These serve to mask theirlearning difficulty from prying eyes.Generally speaking, there are fewereyes prying at dyscalculic difficulties

than at dyslexic difficulties, so thestrategies tend to work.

Dyscalculics often have a relateddifficulty with telling the time, using acalendar, and therefore also with timemanagement.

Alongside the Davis Dyslexia

THE DYSLEXIC READER

The Dyslexic Reader is published quarterly by Davis Dyslexia Association International (DDAI), 1601 Bayshore Hwy.,Suite 245, 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: AliceDavis, Abigail Marshall, Maria Fagioli & Dee White. 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: [email protected] 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 registered trademarks of Ronald D. Davis. Copyright © 2004 by DDAI, unless otherwise noted.All rights reserved.

I am writing to thank you for the great work you didthis summer with one of my students. She was strugglinglast year in third grade, but this year I wouldn’t have knowthere had been a problem because she is so able to readand understand what she’s reading.

We just had a meeting today about her special needsand your workshop was brought to my attention by theparent. Obviously, we were all very interested in theinformation she shared as there are so many others that I could be helping by using some of these strategies.

This little one is so precious to me! She lovesschool now and especially loves reading! So again,thank you so much for all you did for her this summer!Please share!

Sharon Tatman, Fourth Grade Teacher

Copyright 2001 Randy Glasbergen. www.glasbergen.com

Dear DDAI:

In the Mail: I sit down to do my spell reading like a first grader but age57 and am flooded with frustration and joy at the same time.Frustration–recognizing 50 years of struggle, tightness, fear–I am able to release now and the tears begin to flow. This istruly the most important process in my life right now.

I want it to rush for some reason. I want to be done withit. I don't know why, because each step, each word reveals somuch to me. I guess it's because I feel like a little girl againhaving to sit here and work but I really want to go out andplay. But here I am with these words going through one letterat a time. Sitting in this beautiful house there are so manythings to play with but yet I sit. I guess it's that feeling of sitting and reading and not getting anywhere, but now it’sdifferent. It’s time to cry the tears and let go.

I can sit with the words now and actually see them the way they are and remember how to spell them, and comprehend. I have the power now and it can be fun. I canread all the wonderful books that have been written, the classics that I hear everyone referring to. I can do it, but firstI have to go letter by letter, word by word, tear by tear.

Janine Miller, 57, artist

Give a hungryman a fish andhe eats for a

”

day, teach a hungryman how to fish andhe eats for a lifetime.

“

Confucius551– 479 b.c.

THE DYSLEXIC READER

used his imagination to work out how things worked was fantastic forlearning about things and stuff in theworld, but it didn’t seem to work atall with letters and spelling.

Just as soon as he thought heunderstood bits of the meaning ofthese strange squiggles and dots andlines, their meaning seemed to changeand nothing made any sense. Horacegot very confused and sad becauseeveryone else seemed to find it all soeasy. He thought to himself, “I mustbe a bit, sort of broken in my head. Imust have a bit that doesn’t workproperly.”

What Horace decided to do wasto carry on with the bits of life he wasgood at and to accept that he wouldnever be able to do writing and stufflike that.

This was OK for a while, but asHorace grew up and wanted to join inand be the same as others, the more heneeded to do writing. But he couldn’t.

Horace ended up in all sorts oftrouble because he didn’t fill in theforms to pay the tax man. He didn’tunderstand he had to pay money todrive a car on the road so the policewanted to talk to him about that. “Ohdear,” thought Horace, “not only am I half stupid but I’m a bad person too.I hate this bit of me that doesn’t workproperly. I have to do something. Thisjust isn’t good enough. I want to be awhole person, a good person. I wantto work properly. What can I do?”

Just as soon as Horace haddetermined to make a change in hislife he started to talk to people and he found out that lots of people werelike him. This made him feel a bitbetter and soon he met with a kindand wise teacher who explained thetruth to him.

“Perhaps it’s like this,” said the teacher, “this bit of you that youhate, the bit that causes you to be sadbecause you think it doesn’t workproperly, well, what if that same bitof you is the bit that is so good at seeing how things work? The same

bit that gives you a big imagination?The same bit that makes you good ateverything you are good at? Howcould you hate it then?”

“Well,” said Horace, thinkingdeeply about what the teacher hadsaid, “what makes you think it’s thesame bit?”

“Ahh,” said the teacher. “That’ssimple. It’s because you are so goodat thinking in a way that works outhow things like doors and bicycleswork that you haven’t learnt to thinkin a way that is good for finding out

The Story of Happy Horace Ian Richardson’ssculpturesby Ian Richardson, Sculptor, Storyteller and

Davis Facilitator in Blaisdon Longhope, UK

Continued on p. 4

“Wow” thought Horace, “all that stuffto learn about and a school to teachme about it. What could be better?”

When Horace got to school histeachers tried to teach him about letters,the alphabet and spelling. Horace triedand tried, but he tried to see thesethings and understand them in thesame way that he understood doorhinges or bicycle wheels.

This way of thinking, whereHorace made pictures in his head and

Once upon a time there was a littleboy called Horace. All of Horace’sfriends called him Happy Horacebecause he was so joyful in his world.He loved all the things in the world.Toddling about he would come acrossstuff and things. He found them allvery interesting.

Horace would find that a doorfor instance would swing. He couldsee how the door hung on hinges and swung round and how the latchlatched into the door frame to keep it shut. He could see how the wheelsof his bicycle came on and off theirframe, how the chain made the wheelgo around, and how that made thebike go along. Horace loved stuffbecause he understood stuff.

Imagine howexcited Horace

was when hefound out thathe was goingto school! Aplace to dolearning.

THE DYSLEXIC READER

by Nancy D. Kress, Davis Facilitator and HomeEducator, Glendale, Arizona

Visual–Experiential HomeSchooling Programs

Home schooling offers the opportunityto customize an education to theneeds and goals of the student, and iteliminates the comparing of studentsin a classroom. (Ideal situation forthat genius with “the gift” who hasn’tlearned to adjust to the other 85% ofstudents who process informationwell in the classroom setting.) Buthow does one begin to home school?Where do you acquire curriculum,and what curriculum is right?

With 13 years experience homeeducating my children, now aged 26,19, and 15, I know only a tiny crumbof the possibilities--and I know eachneeded a different approach and different life experiences in preparationfor their life’s callings. Upon discoverythat I was a picture thinker and mychildren all were more in the picturethan linear comprehension mode, Isought to find programs that madeschool a joy with more visual/experiential learning and flexibility toequip the social/creative/decorator/

dancer, the actor/musician, and themilitary/visionary/dreamer withassignments that would excite themand make them learn the “necessities”along the way. We did some “un-schooling” (the decorator took asemester of schoolwork without atextbook–she had to redecorate thebathroom, completing: measuring,envisioning, figuring, planning, estimating/purchasing supplies, painting, sewing shower door overdrapes, selecting wall accessories,etc.) projects that use real-life applications of economy, mathematics,research, etc.

I seriously examined and usedmany curriculum offerings andlearned the following about these programs and curricula available tohome educators:

KONOS Curriculum andAdvanced Training Institute (You must

go through a rigorous acceptanceprocess for ATI) both use UnitApproach, which integrates most ofthe subjects into units about variousthings based on desirable charactertraits and these tend to be very visual/experiential. The problem with theunit-based approach for most parentsis the amount of parent time involved,but the value is you can teach multiplelevels and then have experiential discovery assignments that are ability-appropriate to your spectrumof children. Both of these curriculumshave really great academics as theyuse academic truths to verify thevalidity of the character trait beingstudied.

http://www.konos.com/ http://ati.iblp.org/ati

A Beka for home school, AcceleratedChristian Ed. (ACE) and AlphaOmega are all workbook approach,whether the student is solely in theworkbook or shown things on a video(or computer screen as in Alpha Omega’s“Switched on Schoolhouse”), becausethe videos are based on the workbooks.Bob Jones (published by the BobJones University for use in ChristianSchools, used by many home educators)has a video program and the textbooksare meant to be used exactly like aregular school setup, so the video isexactly like a classroom–but if youare going to bring “school” into yourhome, why homeschool? You couldgo to work and pay for a privateschool. Christian Light Publications’plan is solely textbook based. I havenot seen Bill Bennet’s K-12, butArizona began offering it over theinternet recently to students who will“register” (therefore allow the state toget federal education funds for them).

how squiggles and lines and dots andall that stuff works. Your picturethinking has crowded out your wordythinking.”

“What you need is a switch, soyou can give your wordy bit a chanceto work and your picture bit to relax

til its time to switch back again.”“What do you think about what

I have said?” asked the teacher. “Wow,” said Horace, “that all

sounds like it makes sense. Where do I get a switch?”

“Oh” said the teacher, “youalready have a switch. First, if you

like, I’'ll show you how to use it, then the wordy stuff will start to make sense.”

“Can it be so simple?” askedHorace.

“Yes,” answered the teacher. “I’m glad I met you,” said

Horace.v

Happy Horace (cont’d from p. 3)

THE DYSLEXIC READER

I assume it is workbook on CDs withinternet daily check-in like AlphaOmega’s “Switched On Schoolhouse.”

“School of Tomorrow” uses ACEcurriculum, and “American LibertyAcademy” uses a selection of manyof the texts mentioned above–SaxonMath is its chosen math curriculum.Both of these keep track of your workand grant accredited high schooldegrees. Several of the curricula listedabove have degree programs in whichyou may register and will keep records(especially if you are working onlineor video) and they issue accreditedHigh School degrees, but KONOSand ATI do not.

Interestingly, while many scholarships are based on high schoolgrades and degrees, most collegeacceptance is based on the ACT or SATscores and your application essay. Manythat require a high school degree willaccept equivalency degree test results(GED) or waive that requirement withan appeal and high SAT scores. Ourlocal Community Colleges don’trequire SAT or ACT exams, and willaccept you with an intake exam andplace you according to your testresults. Both my older children tookcollege courses while still high schoolage–the son who just graduated highschool has 78 college credits. If youtell them you are dyslexic and don’tdo well on timed tests, you take thetimed test the first time in the class-room with the others, then if you arenot happy with the results you mayretake the test (with no time limit) ona computer that times your responsesand gives immediate results. Call yourlocal Community College to see whatthe process is and what alternativesare available, what documentation isrequired, etc.

Whatever curriculum you usewith a visual-experiential, a step-by-step math program is advised, and Ifound Math-U-See to be best, thoughmy dyslexic son has often “lost” whathe seemed to learn because the programhas them learn something, then moveon shortly. Saxon math has a greatdeal of repetition, so I would adviseMath-U-See for the younger grades(lots of manipulatives) and then just

purchase the Algebra Manipulativesand a Teacher manual for referencewhen the student moves to the uppergrades (7th or 8th) and begin usingthe Saxon Algebra 1/2 book, as itcontinues to “bring back” for reviewthose concepts taught months earlier.Also helpful are Calculadder math drills(a multi-level CD of reproducibles isavailable, for those students that havedifficulty with math facts) and the bookSEE AND LEARN MULTIPLICATIONBY HEART by Lucie Cossett, fromCanada.

Something else I have foundhelpful with my dyslexic son andhave even used with a couple of myDavis Dyslexia Correction clientswho didn't have a selected cursivewriting sample they would like to takeon as their own “handwriting font,” isa computer software program called“Startwrite.” It reminds me of theCalculadder Master CD, in that youprint out whatever you want andneed. It's great to print out the samplefor either manuscript printing or achoice of several cursive fonts andthen follow Ron Davis’ handwritinginstructions in The Gift of Learning.You must visit the website and see foryourself: www.startwrite.com

As the homeschooling marketexpands, the curriculum offerings are

multiplying. The best opportunity tosee what’s new and get a curriculumin your hands before purchasing is to attend a state or regional HomeSchooling Convention. These are generally held in spring and summer,but some areas have mid-school-yearconferences, as well. Visit the vendersarea to see and touch the materials.

Home School Legal DefenseAssociation (HSLDA), offers homeschoolers legal representation,advisement, and serves to notify homeschoolers when laws arechanging or have changed to affecttheir homeschooling. HSLDA alsomaintains a very extensive website of information, state organizations,support groups, etc. To find information about homeschoolingconventions, visit the website to linkto your local organizations, then contact them to request conventionand conference information.www.hslda.org

One more thing about homeschooling. I tell new home-schooling parents you aren’t reallyhome educating if you don’t feel likecrying several times a week the firstfew weeks. Character flaws of bothteacher and student flare up. It takestime to find the right “rhythm” to fitthe education into the home and thestudent to the program.

Also, remember that householdchores are learning experiences for thestudent, so don’t “add” homeschoolingto your schedule and stress yourself.Trade out your teaching time for thestudent’s “housework experientiallearning” time. The first complimentmy daughter gave me after she movedout was that the best thing she learnedfrom me was how to efficiently andcompletely clean a bathroom, becauseeveryone is happy to have a roommatewho cleans the bathroom! v

Nancy D. Kress Glendale, AZ USA(623) 203-1890www.dyslexiacorrector.com,www.iammykidsteacher.com

THE DYSLEXIC READER

by Laura Zink de Diaz, Davis Facilitatorin Mt. Vernon, Washington

More on Foreign Language Instruction

While Total Physical Response (TPR)is widely known among foreign lan-guage teachers, not very many makeextensive use of the method. Mostrecognize it as a painless way to easestudents into language study at thebeginning stages of a “first year” class,but leave it behind after the first fewweeks of the first year of instruction.Many assume that TPR is “commands”and that it can’t be used to teachabstract vocabulary orcomplex grammar.To my mind, TPRmakes good sense atany stage of languageinstruction, but Idon’t necessarilyfault teachers whouse it less than Iwould, because thereare many factorsoutside the controlof teachers that cankeep them fromusing teachingstrategies they finduseful. As parents, we simply need to know whether or not the foreignlanguage program available to ourchildren will be responsive to theirneeds. And the best way to find out issimply to ask. Secondary level teachersand school administrators are usuallydelighted to talk with parents abouttheir program offerings. So just makean appointment, and ask a few politequestions. But just in case the news isdisappointing, ask at least a full yearbefore your child plans to sign up forforeign language instruction.

It’s hard to know what questionsto ask if you don’t have a knowledge,base, so the first step is to learn a littleabout language learning.

Armed with the good informationyou’ll glean from the websites of TPRexperts, your meeting with your localschool’s foreign language teacher will

be very productive. To get you started,here are a few questions that can berevealing:• What textbook or program hasbeen adopted for foreign classes?May I please see it?If the teacher brings out a fat textbookwith workbook, DVDs, CD-ROMsand cassette tapes, you can be suitablyimpressed with the expenditure, butdon’t be over-awed. A quick look

through the bookwill reveal itsorganization, and itwon’t be hard todiscover whetherits approach isgrammar-based.Many textbooksclaim that theirfocus is on “proficiency,” notgrammar, implyingthat the focus willbe on speaking.Unfortunately, thisdoesn’t mean that

instruction and assessment aren’torganized around grammar concepts.Look at what constitutes the lessonsand the kinds of activities and exercisesin each chapter – there is where you’llfind the real focus of instruction.

A number of schools around thecountry have opted for a compromise,purchasing what are commonly referredto as TPR Storytelling programs.These are put out by several smallerpublishing companies. They provide a textbook and curriculum for theteacher to follow. Instruction relies onthe storytelling process, which provideslanguage in a meaningful context, andthe use of hand signals and modifiedTPR. I call these programs a compromisebecause they provide harried teacherswith a framework and lessons, notunlike a standard textbook, whileincluding strategies and activities that

• Visit the website of Dr. JamesAsher:

www.tpr-world.comDr. Asher is the originator ofTotal Physical Response. At hiswebsite you can become moreknowledgeable about what themethod is, how and why it works.You’ll find a list of Dr. Asher’sworkshop and presentation dates at:www.tpr-world.com/workshops.html

• Visit the website of Dr. StephenKrashen:

www.sdkrashen.comDr. Krashen is the originator of amethod of language instructionknow as The Natural Approach.Many aspects of The NaturalApproach are compatible withTPR. Dr. Krashen’s hypothesesabout how the brain acquires asecond language have never beendisproved. If Dr. Krashen comesto your town, sign up to attendhis one-day workshop – he’s avery informative and entertaining speaker!• If Berty Segal Cook is offeringa workshop in your area, don’tpass up a chance to hear herspeak. Berty Segal Cook has beentraining foreign language andESL teachers in TPR since themid-1970s. Her workshops arepacked with information, andsince she’s a very entertainingspeaker, you’ll actually have fun!You can check her scheduledworkshops at:

www.tprsource.com

Total Physical Response(TPR) Experts

As parents, we simplyneed to know whether

or not the foreignlanguage program

available to our childrenwill be responsive totheir needs. And thebest way to find out

is simply to ask.

are appealing and comprehensible to a wider spectrum of students. If yourschool’s foreign language departmenthas adopted this kind of program, it’sa good sign that the staff has thoughtcarefully about how to make languagelearning accessible to ALL students.• How do you teach the past tense?This is a very loaded question that canreveal a lot about the instructional

THE DYSLEXIC READER

program in the school. Instructionalmaterials are secondary to what actuallygoes on in the classroom. The teachermay simply have you turn to page 92in the workbook so you can see howclearly the conjugations are displayedin tables. But let’s hope not. A teachermight tell you that students get lots of written and oral practice drills inthe past tense forms, to help withmemorization. If I were asking thisquestion, I’d be thrilled to hear theteacher kindly tell me tenses aren’ttaught directly until after studentshave been exposed to them in storiesand activities in class. I’d be delightedto hear a short lecture on the limitationsof teaching conjugation in isolation. AndI’d be excited if the teacher suggestedthat activities that help students internalize the forms of the languageare more effective than memorizing.I’d hope to hear about activities, games,projects, movies, books, magazines,speakers – anything other than worksheets and drills.

At this stage of the conversationit may be unnecessary to ask muchmore. It may be very clear that thetextbook determines instruction,which is usually bad news. Or it maybe apparent that you’ve found a trulyprofessional teacher who looks everywhere for as many differentways to engage learners as there arekids in her classroom. That would bevery good news indeed! But if you’restill not sure, try asking this:• How extensively do you use TPRin instruction?Most teachers will say they use it. Inthat case, an excellent next questionwould be, how do you use TPR toteach the use of indirect object pronouns? If the teacher tells you that TPR is only good for teachingcommands, there’s no need for furtherdiscussion–the teacher’s familiarity is very limited, and you can sweetlythank him or her for taking time totalk with you, and end the interview.

Here are a few additional questions you might ask:• How does instruction accommodatedifferent learning styles?Most teachers are well enough versedin learning styles to give you some

examples of how they provide activitiesfor visual, auditory or hands-on learners.Listen for references to integration ofdrawing, music, and the five senses.

What if you ask all these questions and the answers suggest thatthe local foreign language programisn’t well suited to your child’s learningstyle? If your school doesn’t offer a“brain friendly” language curriculum,there are a few things you can do togive your child sufficient backgroundknowledge about a year BEFORE shesigns up for a traditional course. • The year before your child wouldordinarily enroll in the language program at school, get a copy of The Rosetta Stone.

The Rosetta Stone is a CD-Romprogram available in many languages.The program can be viewed on-line atwww.rosettastone.com. The programallows considerable flexibility. Lessonsconsist of 10 screens, each showing fourphotos. When the four photos appear,one of them is named. The learnerclicks on the one she thinks is beingnamed. By a process of elimination, theright answer is quickly ascertained,and the learner moves to the nextscreen. A lesson contains 18 to 20 discrete words or concepts, whichmeans that each is re-entered quite afew times in the course of the lesson.The program can be set to focus onlistening, reading, speaking, writing,or combinations of those skills.

The Rosetta Stone contains noovert grammar instruction. You learnthe syntax and grammar of the language by hearing it in context, asthe discrete vocabulary items areplaced in phrases and sentences, ratherthan appearing in isolation. This is, ofcourse, how we talk. If your child

Howard Gardner'swork has beenmarked by a desirenot to just describethe world but to help to create theconditions to change it.

• How does instruction integrateHoward Gardner’s “multiple intelligences?Gardner’s book Frames of Mind,posits that while traditional schoolingfocuses on linguistic and mathematicalprowess, there are several other kindsof intelligence, including spatial,musical, inter- and intra-personal, andothers. There’s a good chance that ateacher who is familiar with Gardner’swork will apply it in her lesson planning. You can learn more aboutHoward Gardner at:www.howardgardner.com/

• How many students at the schoolenroll in foreign language classes?If ONLY the college bound enroll(under 30% of the student population)the chances are that instruction will behighly traditional and analytical. Themore varied the population taking language classes, the more teacherswill include “brain-friendly” types ofinstruction to accommodate theirneeds.• What kinds of projects areassigned to foreign language students?If writing tasks are heavy in the first year, chances are good that theprogram is very traditional and grammar based. Ask to see samples of student work, and look for the integration of drawing and art intowriting projects. Look also for projects that focus on speaking, suchas skits, interviews and surveys.Generally, project-based instruction is useful in foreign language classes,since it allows all students to creatework they can be proud of, regardlessof their level of proficiency.

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works through The Rosetta Stonebefore enrolling in a traditional foreign language class, he’ll enter that class already knowing a lot ofvocabulary and grammar. This shouldmake what goes on in class muchmore comprehensible and manageable.

Or,

• The year before your child plans to enroll in a traditional foreign language class, get him TheLearnables. The Learnables can beobtained at www.learnables.com. Thisis a less expensive program than TheRosetta Stone since for the most part itis not computer based. Each level ofThe Learnables is sold as a book withaccompanying audio CD-Rom. Thebooks contain only drawings, no words.There are 100 repetitions in each audiolesson, and as each item is said, it ispreceded by a number. The studentfollows along in the book, looking atthe numbered drawings which providethe context for understanding what shehears. Each lesson introduces a limitednumber of discrete vocabulary items,but they are re-entered many times, inphrases and sentences. Often the lessons are organized so that a storytheme emerges as the learner listens.There is no repeating, only listening.Every other lesson is followed by ashort multiple choice quiz.

The Learnables is available inseveral languages. Four levels areavailable for most but not all languages, and there are reading comprehension and grammar booksavailable to accompany the basic program. All materials are comprehension-based, that is to say, there is no direct instruction ingrammar. These materials are lessinteresting for young people to use, if only because line drawings, evenwhen enhanced with color, are lessappealing to the brain than color photos. However, I’ve used thesematerials in high school classes wherethey were very effective. Studentsoccasionally complained that listeningto the audio recording was boring, butall were just as quick to admit that itwas practically impossible not to learn

the material covered in the lessons. Aswith The Rosetta Stone, if your childworks through several levels of TheLearnables the year before she enrollsin a traditional foreign language class,she’ll have enough vocabulary, andsense of grammar and syntax to makethe class work more comprehensible.

Once your child has a vocabularyof a few hundred words, it’s time tosupplement what he’s been doing.• Check out the foreign language section of the public library.

Many libraries carry at least afew children’s books, magazines ornewspapers in other languages. Eventhose that don’t can often obtain materials for you via inter-libraryloan. If you can get some readingmaterials this way, allow your child to simply browse these materials –don’t turn them into work!• Start renting DVDs that come withthe option of watching a versiondubbed in another language.

Many DVDs now include the Spanishor French version (still the most commonly taught languages in theU.S.). Let your child see the movie or show in English first, because it’seasiest to understand another languagewhen you’re familiar with the context.Then you can play it a second time in,for example, Spanish; or in Spanishwith English subtitles; or in Englishwith Spanish subtitles; or for a realchampion: with the sound off andSpanish subtitles on! If you speak thelanguage, or are learning along withyour child, you can preview the program, listening for words youknow your child has learned. Whenshe watches, simply ask him to tellyou any time she hears a word sherecognizes while you write it down. If

a word catches his attention, you andshe can look it up later, to satisfy yourcuriosity. But for heaven’s sake don’tinterrupt the program to do that, orpretty soon, she won’t want to watchany more! • Surf the internet for things to readand do in another language.

There is plenty! Downloadable booksto read, portals to kid-friendly activitiesin other countries, games, puzzles…There are also many sites for educatorsthat provide worksheets – grammardrills, spelling tests, fill-in-the-blankquizzes on vocabulary. I’d recommendyou stay away from anything thatlooks like it came from or could beused in a traditional classroom unlessyour child has reached a point wherethat kind of work appeals to him.He’ll have plenty of worksheets tocomplete once she enrolls in a traditional foreign language programat school!

All of these activities and materials can help prepare your childfor greater success in a traditional,grammar-based language program.Foreign language is an elective coursein most high schools. As a result,many foreign language teachers arehappy to provide support for strugglingstudents – every child enrolled is precious to them! Don’t ask them tosell out their academic standards; butdo encourage your child to establish agood relationship with the teacher, andto ask for reasonable accommodationswhen they are needed. Many teachersare willing to allow students with special gifts to “show what theyknow” in projects that match theirlearning style. v

THE DYSLEXIC READER

Fragile XQ: We have an eleven-year-old sonwith Fragile X (a genetic disorderthat causes mental impairment). Wehad him tested by a psychologist andwere told that in order to havedyslexia, one has to be in the normalIQ range. Our son falls in the mild tomoderate mental impairment range.Does anyone know if he CAN havedyslexia?

A: This really is a matter of labelingthat has nothing to do with the issueof how to help your son. Dyslexiahas historically been defined assomething that affects children whohave normal or above-normal intelligence, but most educators nowbelieve that most children who havedifficulties learning to read will benefit from the same types of interventions. In other words, thetechniques that are used to help achild who is dyslexic arethe same that should beused to help a child withdeficient reading skills forother reasons. So whetheror not your son is labeledwith “dyslexia” – it islikely that your son will benefit fromthe same types of programs.

I do not know whether the Davisprogram will help your son. The bestway to find out is to have your sonevaluated by a Davis provider; youcan also explain to the provider aboutyour son's Fragile X syndrome. Thestandard Davis Dyslexia Correctionprogram is very fast-paced, and achild with other mental impairmentssimply might not be able to keep up.If your son reads at or below 2ndgrade level, because of his othermental impairments, it might be moreappropriate to get the Davis Reading

Program for Young Learners, or foryou to work at home with your sonusing the Davis Young Learner Kitfor Home Use.

But again, a Facilitator is thebest person to determine both whetheryour son is a good candidate for Davistechniques, and which programwould be best for him. Informationabout your child’s IQ testing would behelpful, but IQ tests can be misleading.The Facilitator will probably relymostly on observing the way yourson responds and communicateswhen they meet, as that will be agood indication as to how the Davisprogram is likely to go.

New Vocabulary WordsQ: I was at the Fundamentals Coursein Burlingame a few weeks ago. Iunderstand the strategies presented inthe workshop, but am unclear as towhat happens for kids once they gothrough the orientation counseling,alphabet and word mastery and thenthe Spell-Reading and Sweep-Sweep-Spell strategies. How are theytaught to approach new vocabularywords, especially when no one is withthem – or does some of this just clickonce they have reached a certainpoint in the reading continuum?

A: The steps of Davis SymbolMastery can be used for any word.One of the reasons we place suchimportance on fully mastering theorder of letters in the alphabet is thatit helps greatly with dictionary skills–it is easier to look up words if youhave an innate sense of alphabeticalorder for each letter. Mastery of thealphabet makes the guide words at thetop of the page (e.g., “gain-gamble”)immediately understandable. The student knows almost intuitively whether or not the word“gallery” will be found on that page.

Mastery of the pronunciation

key gives the student immediatefeedback on the correct pronunciationof the word - and of course the dictionary provides an explanation of meaning. So with the dictionary,we have the three crucial elements of the word–what it looks like, whatit means, what it sounds like.

A student who has reached thepoint post-program where reading isfluent and triggers are eliminatedmay need to do no more than look up the word and read the definition;the student who still has uncertaintyor confusion will know that it isimportant to have a visual image ofthe meaning to go along with theword, and can always incorporateclay modeling into his study routine.

Modern technology, fortunately,has made this process even easier, withready access to online dictionarieslike http://m-w.com.

An integral goal and philosophyof the Davis program is self-sufficiency–the student does not have to worryabout what will happen when there isno one with him–a dictionary willalways suffice.

I don’t want to paint the wrongpicture for you: I don’t mean to suggest that the Davis programmeans that a student will end up

looking up just about everynew word in the dictionary.You are correct in yourassumption that something“just clicks” at some pointduring or after the program–it certainly seems that way.

I personally feel that, at leastwith older children, the Davis programis enabling the child to use the information that was taught in earlyyears of schooling, but which wasnot understandable due to confusionor disorientation. So the child has notlost the decoding strategies that weretaught pre-Davis; on the contrary,Davis may be the key that enablesthe child to understand and use thestrategies that were once so elusive.

The bottom line is that Davisproduces self-sufficient and empowered learners: they read andlearn much the same way as other

by Abigail Marshall

THE DYSLEXIC READER

Engelbrecht study (cont’d from p. 1)

v Argentina

Silvana Ines RossiBuenos Aires+54 (114) 865 3898

v Australia

Brenda Gayle BairdBrisbane+61 (07) 3299 3994

Sally BeulkeMelbourne +61 (03) 5727 3517

Mary DavieLilli Pilli, NSW+61 (02) 9526 1505

Jan GormanEastwood/Sydney+61 (02) 9804 1184

Gail HallinanNaremburn/Sydney+61 (02) 9405 2800

Barbara HoiMosman/Sydney +61 (02) 9968 1093

Linda HoubenSydney +61 438 440 177

Eileen McCarthyManly/Sydney +61 (02) 9977 2061

Marianne MullallyCrows Nest, Sydney+61 (02) 9436 3766

Mark O’BrienPort Macquarie/Sydney+61 (02) 6582 3633

John ReillyBerala/Sydney+61 (02) 9649 4299

Michelle RoachSydney +61 (02) 9680 1610

Heidi RosePennington/Adelaide +61 (08) 8240 1834

v Austria

Annette DietrichWien +43 (01) 888 90 25

Jacinta FennessyWien +43 (01) 774 98 22

Ina Barbara Hallermann Riezlern +43 5517 20012

InternationalDavis Dyslexia

Correction®

ProvidersThe Davis Dyslexia

Correction program isnow available from more

than 418 Facilitatorsaround the world. For updates, call:

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

www.dyslexia.com/providers.htm

alternative intervention programme at theirdisposal. The purpose of this study was toconstruct a personality profile of the childwith a reading problem, to ascertain whetherthe Davis programme could improve thereading ability of children over a short periodof time and, if their reading problems didimprove, whether this could have a beneficialeffect on their psychological functioning.”

Control and Experimental GroupsTwenty Afrikaans-speaking students in grade5 to 7 from a school for children with specialeducational needs in the Western Cape (SouthAfrica) were randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. These children had all previously been diagnosedwith a reading disorder. The participants from both groups were then pre-evaluated by means of four measuring-instruments todetermine their reading and spelling levels,and parents as well as educators were askedto complete psychological questionnairesbeforehand so that changes in the participants’psychological functioning could be ascertained.

The ten participants of the experimental

group were then subjected to an interventionprogramme based on certain Davis techniques.This intervention was comprised of sevenweekly sessions of two hours each.

Engelbrecht worked with the experimentalgroup using Davis methods as described inthe book The Gift of Dyslexia. The interventionstrategies included Davis OrientationCounseling, Davis Symbol Mastery, DavisReading Exercises, and CoordinationTherapy [Koosh Ball exercises]. The controlgroup received no intervention.

The deduction to be made is thatthe Davis programme not only

improves participants’psychological functioning but

that this can be maintained, andover time, it can even have an

escalating positive effecton individuals.

level – they are able to decode simplewords, but they never gain reading fluencybecause they cannot remember or recognizewords on sight. These students do not “growout” of the problem, and often they are

labeled as “unteachable”because the traditionalstrategies – like studyingword lists or phonics –don’t help.

Davis DyslexiaCorrection directly addressesall the issues that dyseideticdyslexics experience, oftenresulting in extremely rapidprogress. Our methods recognize and address theunderlying issues whichcause perceptual confusion,

enabling the student to develop a consistentmental picture of words, rather than sometimes “seeing” the letters out of orderor reversed. We also use techniques whichtrain the eyes and brain to scan words properly, developing a part of the braincalled the “visual word form area” which is essential to fluent reading.v

non-dyslexic students. Over time, they beginto notice and become more aware of thestructure and morphology of words–so newwords are often recognized when the contextand word structure give strong clues as tomeaning.

Dyseidetic Dyslexia

Q: My son was recentlydiagnosed as a dyseideticdyslexic. The school does notwant to accept that he hasthis form of dyslexia. Theysay that his brain is immatureand it will go away withtime. What can I do to help him?

A: “Dyseidetic” dyslexiameans that your child has difficulty withvisual perception and memory of words,rather than a problem understanding phonicsor phonetic decoding. That is, he is likely toexperience reversals and transpositions whenreading and writing, and cannot remembercommon sight words.

Children with this form of dyslexiaoften get stuck at about third grade reading

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v Austria (cont’d)

Marika KaufmannLochau +43 (05574) 446 98

Christa SalcherWien +43 (01) 888 61 44

v Bahrain

Sameera Sadiq Al BaharnaManama +973 555 201

v Belgium

Ann Devloo-DelvaVeurne +32 (058) 31 63 52

Peggy PoppeBorgerhout (Antwerpen)+32 (03) 236 54 24

Edith RotenbergHoutain-St. Siméon/Liège+ 32 (04) 374-27-87

Viki VandevenneBonheiden+32 (0473) 30 41 51

v Brazil

Ana LimaRio De Janeiro+55 (021) 2295-1505

v Canada

Wayne Aadelstone-HasselNorth Vancouver+1 (604) 988-7680

Rocky Point AcademyStacey Borger-SmithLawrence Smith, Jr.Calgary+1 (866) 685-0067 (Toll-Free)+1 (403) 685-0067

Darlene BrownSmithers/Prince Rupert+1 (250) 847-3463

Paddy CarsonEdmonton/Alberta+1 (780) 489-6225

Debra D’AversaLeamington, Ontario+1 (519) 322-1297

Sandy FarrellHudson, Quebec+1 (450) 458-4777

Terri FedorchukDryden, Ontario+1 (807) 223-7769

Renée FiglarzMontreal, Quebec+1 (514) 815-7827

Sher GoerzenMaple Ridge/Vancouver+1 (604) 290-5063

Gerry GrantSupervisor-SpecialistWorkshop PresenterWaterloo/Toronto+1 (800) 981-6433 (Toll-Free)+1 (519) 221-8484

Sue HallWest Vancouver+1 (604) 921-1084

After the intervention the participants ofboth groups were again evaluated by meansof the same four measuring-instruments andthe parents and educators were asked to complete the psychological questionnaireonce again. The parents and educators werealso asked to complete demographic questionnaires set by the researcher; a structured interview based on a similar questionnaire was conducted with participantsin the experimental group. This informationwas used to draw up a psychological profileof children with a reading disorder. Dataanalysis was done by means of two non-parametric tests, namely the Mann-Whitney U Test and the WilcoxonSigned-Rank Test.

Positive ResultsIn three of the four reading and spelling testssignificant positive results (p <0.05) wereobtained as compared to the control group.There had also been an improvement as far as thefourth test was concerned. Although thisimprovement was not statistically significant,it was an improvement compared to the control group. Significant improvement inpsychological functioning was found in thefollowing 12 of 17 sub-tests: anxious/depressed,somatic complaints, thought problems, rule-breaking behaviour, aggressive behaviour,internalising problems, externalising problems,total problems, affective problems, anxietyproblems, oppositional-defiant problems, andbehavioural problems.

Staying PowerFollow-up tests were performed 12 weekslater and the results showed that the improvement had been maintained eventhough 70% of the participants had not keptup with the program on their own. In fact, thepsychological results were even better thanbefore. In three of the five sub-tests, in whichthere had not been a significant improvementafter the intervention, there was now a significant improvement, namely attentionproblems, somatic problems, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems.

According to Englebrecht, “The deduction to be made is that the Davisprogramme not only improves participants’psychological functioning but that this can bemaintained, and over time, it can even havean escalating positive effect on individuals.”

Englebrecht writes, “Although the Davis programme is

supposed to be presented over a period of a week and other techniques are included,this study proved that within less than 14hours participants improved significantly. It indicates that this programme can deliverpositive results in a short period of timewhich means it is time-efficient and couldalso be cost–efficient. Even if it does notwork for every individual it could at leastprove to be of enormous help to many individuals with a reading problem. Not allthe participants improved to an equal extentbut Davis's claim of 90% success is supportedby the scores of the Schonell Silent-Readingtest. Furthermore 80% of the participantsimproved in the ESSI Reading and SpellingTests.”

This study shows that over the shortterm the Davis techniques had a positiveeffect on the reading and spelling ability ofthe participants and on their psychologicalfunctioning. The effect was furthermore sustained after the intervention.

Time to grant the Davis method its “Rightful Place”In conclusion, Englebrecht states,

“The motivation for this study was not to belittle other methods of interventionregarding individuals with a reading disorder but to determine whether the Davisprogramme is a significant and scientificallyvalid alternative form of intervention. Itcould help a large group of individuals toovercome their reading problems which isknown to bear down on life as a whole.This should be more than enough reason to allow the Davis programme its rightfulplace in the educational and scientific community.”v

Englebrecht’s thesis is available at: www.reneengelbrecht.co.za/ReneEngelbrechtThesis.pdf

This is an abbreviated version of theauthor's thesis for a master's degree in psychology.The degree was awarded the author in April 2005by Stellenbosch University (South Africa). Shedoes private tutoring and remedial work at presentand has lectured in a temporary capacity at theuniversity.

Information regarding the thesis (measuringinstruments, the demographic questionnaires andother results, etc.) can be obtained from theauthor at [email protected] [email protected]. Her website is www.rene-engelbrecht.co.za

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v Canada (cont’d)

D’vorah HoffmanToronto+1 (416) 398-6779

Sue JutsonVancouver, B.C.+1 (604) 732-1516

Mary Ann KettlewellLondon, Ontario+1 (519) 652-0252

Carol LivermoreOttawa, Ontario +1 (800) 394-1535 [Toll Free]

Julie LockeTruro, Nova Scotia +1 (902) 895-9015

Yuko Kimura McCulloch, Ph.D.Vancouver, B.C. +1 (604) 222-2258

Helen McGilivrayOakville/Toronto +1 (905) 464-4798

Susan Nikolic-VicenticNewmarket/Toronto+1 (905) 953-0033

Brenda OsadchyMedicine Hat, Alberta +1 (403) 529-7902

Tina PanaritisMontreal, Quebec+ 1 (514) 690-9164

Sharon RobertsWaterloo/Toronto +1 (519) 746-8422

Kendra RodychSaskatoon/Saskatchewan +1 (306) 955-2972 or (306) 230-8961

Sharon SchachterThornhill, Ontario+1 (905) 764-6774

Catherine SmithOakville/Toronto+1 (905) 844-41441-888-569-1113 toll-free

Edwina StoneWhitehorse, Yukon+1 (867) 393-4489

Kim J. Willson-RymerOakville/Toronto+1 (905) 825-3153

v China

Livia WongHong Kong+852-2810-0282

v Costa Rica

Maria Elena Guth BlancoSan Jose+506 296-4078

Marcela RodriguezAlajuela +506 442-8090

v CyprusAlexis MouzourisLimassol +357 25 382 090

Correction Programme, Davis Facilitatorsare trained to provide an intensive, one-to-oneDavis Maths Mastery Programme for thedyscalculic learner. Through our work withchildren and adults with maths difficulties,we know that these difficulties stem not frombrain dysfunction, as Dictionary.com suggests,but from the same perceptual talent that cangive rise to dyslexia.

Dyslexic and dyscalculic learners haveseveral perceptual abilities in common, oneof which tends to be proficient non-verbalthinking (“thinking in pictures or with feelings”). In order to understand and solvemathematical problems, the dyscalculiclearner needs to have a clear mental imagefor the meaning of every symbol that theproblem contains.

Literacy pupils are frequently taught the“alphabet song” as a means of memorisingthe alphabet. In later life, dyslexic learnersfrequently find themselves dependent on this technique as a “prop” whenever theyneed to find an entry in a dictionary or telephone directory.

For the dyscalculic learner, the timestables can serve the same function. It is possible to rote-learn times tables, therebygiving the impression of “knowing” them,without having any understanding of the reasons why they are true. To the observer,the rote-learnt information masks the underlying learning difficulty. But the difficulty is still there.

To me as a Davis Facilitator, theprocess of uncovering and decoding mathematical symbols and functions for the dyscalculic learner is one of the mostexciting jobs on Earth. Throughout the ages, philosophers have been fascinated by the beauty and elegant simplicity ofmathematical truths. Enabling a person toperceive these truths for the first time can be likened to the feeling that an eye surgeonmust get when observing a patient’s excitement after a successful cataract operation.

All mathematical symbols and functionsare rooted in foundation concepts which constitute the very fabric of our universe. Ina Davis Maths Mastery Programme, we startwith a creative process called Davis ConceptMastery, with which we work through theconcepts of change, consequence, cause,effect, before, after, time, sequence, order

and disorder. Every one of these concepts isessential to a person if they are to fullyunderstand the nature of mathematical truth.

From there, a series of clay-based exercises provide an experiential understandingof all the arithmetical functions and symbols.A series of carefully sequenced paper-and-pencil exercises build proficiency and confidence at solving equations on paper.Finally, a clay-based technique known asDavis Symbol Mastery enables any confusingwords in mathematical story problems to befully understood.

When a person has fully mastered thebasic arithmetical functions and can interpreta maths story problem with ease, a DavisMaths Mastery Programme has achieved its goal.

Yet clay-based learning does not haveto stop at the point when a learning difficultyhas been resolved. All learners can benefitfrom experiential mastery of even the mostadvanced mathematical processes, includingalgebra, number bases and trigonometry. v

Dyscalculia . . . (cont’d from p. 1)

The math problem 12 x 30, for example, couldthrow up any of the following confusions:

• a person doesn’t have a mental image forthe quantity represented by 12, or for thatrepresented by 30;

• a person does have a mental image forthese quantities, but doesn’t associate them with the numerals 12 and 30;

• a person doesn’t have a mental image forthe meaning of multiplication;

• a person has a mental image for the meaning of multiplication but doesn’t knowthat this is what the symbol x represents;

• a person doesn’t understand the principleof place value – that a number in the tenscolumn represents ten times as big a quantity as a number in the units column;

• a person doesn’t grasp the principle that an equation is about starting out with onenumber, changing something, and findingout what number we arrive at as a result of the change.

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v France

Christine BleusSaint Jean de Gonville/Genève+33 450 56 40 48

Corinne CouelleMarsannay-le-bois/Dijon +33 (0380) 357 953

Jennifer DelrieuVoisins le Bretonneux/Paris+33 (01) 30 44 19 91

Françoise MagarianLegny/Lyon+33 (0474) 72 43 13

Carol Nelson-PollardParis +33 (01) 46 51 72 63

Odile PugetAnnecy/Geneva+ 33 (04) 50 41 82 67

Guilaine Batoz Saint-MartinLa Bastidonne/Marseille+33 (0490) 08 98 56

v Germany/Deutschland

Theresia AdlerBannewitz +49 (0351) 40 34 224

Ute BreithauptLangenselbold+49 (06184) 93 84 88

Ellen EbertAmmern +49 (03601) 813-660

Cornelia GarbeBerlin+49 (030) 61 65 91 25

Astrid Grosse-MönchBuxtehude+49 (04161) 702 90 70

Das Legasthenie InstitutIoannis TzivanakisSpecialist TrainerWorkshop PresenterDDA-Deutschland DirectorWilfried BährHamburg+49 (040) 25 17 86 23

Christine HeinrichHeubach/Ulm+49 (07173) 716 793

Sonja HeinrichSupervisor-SpecialistDLS Workshop PresenterDDA-Deutschland DirectorGarbsen/Hannover+49 (040) 25 17 86 23

Kirsten HohageNürnberg+49 (0911) 54 85 234

Ingrid HuthBerlin +49 (0179) 896 8007

Christine JacobLörrach +49 (07621) 134 60

Rainer KnoblochRöthenbach/Nürnberg +49 (09120) 18 14 84

Inge Koch-GassmannBuggingen+49 (07631) 23 29

The UnwrittenInside this pencil there is a graveyardFull of forgotten wordsWords that are waiting to be rememberedWords that are waiting to be exploded outWords that are waiting to be rememberedAnd written on paperIf that will ever happen.

By Cameron McKee, age 11˛ Written last year. Cameron is a student in New Zealand who recently completed a Davis Dyslexia Correction Program with Kerrie Palma.

Talents that make one exceptionalAt times there are born individuals,who challenge life’s boundaries; its beliefs.Who reach far beyond the conventional,through diverse though comprehensive realms of thinking.Who view their lives from a different perspective,interpret, what we the norm, can’t see.The epitome of youthful exuberance,whose hallmark, is their unique class of gifts.Adapting to life and its challenges.Not hindered, by fear or defeat.Surpassing each hurdle much stronger.By rousing with conviction their will, to succeed.Perseverance is a trait not uncommon with such.Insightful wisdom, far reaching, yet another.Possessing a sensitivity that’s unrivaled,by their tenacity, their spirit, their heart.In combination, this world prospers.Guarantees; new horizons are scaled.It’s their unparalleled convictions that ignite,the driving force behind future innovation.Yet simply,for all that are blessed to have known them; this world,becomes a happier place.

By Susan Lucente-Rizzo

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v Germany/Deutschland (cont’d)

Angelika KohnSteinheim-Kleinbottwar+49 (07148) 66 08

Marianne KranzerKönigsfeld+49 (07725) 72 26

Anneliese Kunz-DanhauserRosenheim+49 (08031) 632 29

Sabine La DueStuttgart+49 (0711) 479 1000

Gundula PatzlaffStuttgart+49 (0711) 23 64 86 0

Margit PlegerWetter/Dortmund +49 (02335) 84 87 60

Ursula Rackur-BastianIdstein/Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis/Wiesbaden+49 (06126) 565 01

Colette ReimannLandshut+49 (0871) 770 994

Ursula RittlerStuttgart+49 (0711) 47 18 50

Petra SaegerStorkow+49 (03987) 52106

Phoebe SchafschetzyHamburg+49 (040) 392 589

Gabriela ScholterSupervisor-SpecialistStuttgart+49 (0711) 578 28 33

Inge StarckBattenberg/Eder+49 (06452) 93 28 88

Beate Tiletzek Waldkraiburg+49 (08638) 88 17 89

Andrea ToloczykiHavixbeck/Münster+49 (02507) 57 04 84

Ulrike von Kutzleben-HausenDeisslingen+49 (07420) 33 46

Dr. Angelika WeidemannUlm +49 (0731) 931 46 46

Susanne WildPaar +49 (08205) 959 08 28

Gabriele WirtzStuttgart +49 (0711) 55 17 18

v Greece

Zoe DeliakidouThessaloniki +30 2310 434510 or +30 6934 662438

Irma Vierstra-VourvachakisRethymnon/Crete+30 283105 8201 or 69766 40292

Tyler came to New HopeLearning Centers, Inc. inMay of 2001 with his grandmother and father forhelp with reading difficulties.He worked with facilitatorDarlene Bishop and completedthe Davis Dyslexia Correction®

Program the summer after4th grade. Tyler was one ofthose clients who wasn’tafraid to let others know thathe has dyslexia. As a matterof fact, when in the 7th grade,he wrote a school paper abouthis struggle, his success, andhis dream. We hope you enjoyit as much as we did.

The Staff at New HopeLearning Centers, Inc.

To get somewhere in life is not easy. Being dyslexic,my education has taught me that with hard work, I can achieve my goal of being a mechanic.

Not seeing words and letters the same as myother classmates has been a big problem for me.Many of my classmates thought I was dumb becauseI couldn’t read very well. I was teased all the timeand for five years I hated going to school. Then myparents and grandmother found out I was dyslexic.My dad and grandma took me to Milwaukee to betested the summer between fourth and fifth grade.I spent a week in Milwaukee learning how to read ina different way because I was dyslexic.

I worked very hard the whole summer and the next three years to learn how to read. Witheducation I have gone from not being able to readvery well to reading two books this summer with my grandma.

Some day I will be a mechanic because now Ican read instructions, directions, road signs and itfeels good.

I was born with dyslexia. I see things differentthan other kids. With hard work I learned how toread. I know now that with hard work I can do whatI want to do. This makes me feel good.

Why Education isImportant to Me

Written by Tyler

Not long agoI was like youWith no idea of what to do

Wait one minutelet us be clearThere’s an answerit starts right here

All of my life lost in a daze Thought to myself “It’s just a phase”

Unable to speakUnable to seeTired of living with ADD

Everyone suffers when I’m not hereLost in my headisolated by fear

Hearing your words nodding my head I have no idea what has been said

I sought a cure and doctor’s care They gave memeds!instead of repair

High as a kite low self esteem All that is real

feels like a dream No hope in sight such confusion Until I found NEW SOLUTIONS

No more spinning inside my head I’m listening now and know what’s said

All of the noise that made me shout I’m in control I’ve shut it out

I have a gift and you will see I get ‘on point’I’ve been set FREE!

Words cannot and do not do this program justice . . .

A poem by Lori Kalish, Davis program graduate Sept. 8, 2005

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v Iceland

Áslaug ÁsgeirsdóttirMosfellsbaer+354 565-2537

Sigrún Jónina BaldursdóttirSnaefellsbae+354 586 8180

Gudrún BenediktsdóttirHafnarfirdi+354 545 0103 or +354 822 0910

Gudbjörg EmilsdóttirKópavogur+354 554 3452

Hólmfridur GudmundsdóttirGardabae +354 895-0252

Svava Hlin HákonardEskifjordur +354 862 1518

Sigrun HauksdóttirKópavogur+ 354 895 6148

Sigurborg SvalaGudmundsdóttirMosfellsbaer+354 566-8657

Stefanía Halldórsdóttir WadeKopavogur +354 564 2890

Nora KornbluehReykjavik+354-562-1295

Ingibjörg IngolfsdóttirMosfellsbaer +354 899-2747

Sigrún JensdóttirMosfellsbaer +354 897 4437

Valgerdur JónsdóttirKópavogur +354 863 2005

Sturla KristjanssonHafnarfjordur+354 845 6956

Ásta OlafsdóttirVopnafjordur+354 473-1164

Erla OlgeirsdóttirAkranes +354 694 3339

Thor Elis PálssonReykjavík +354 533-2772

Hugrún SvavarsdóttirMosfellsbær+354 698-6465

Thorbjörg SigurdardóttirReykjavík+354 862 2021

Kolbeinn SigurjónssonMosfellsbær+354 566 6664 / 661-8654

v India

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

The “Quilts” of Educationby Kim Carson, Licensed Davis® Facilitator &Davis Learning Strategies Mentor & Presenter

Each classroom across the world has childrenwho represent many walks of life throughtheir varied learning styles, ethnic and environmental backgrounds, culture, andpersonalities. This part of teaching makesthe job very challenging, but yet utmostrewarding. The “challenging” side of thisprompted Sharon Pfeiffer, co-developer ofthe Davis LearningStrategies®, to create aset of strategies thatwould meet the needs ofall children placed beforeher. These strategies arebased on theory and principles from the DavisDyslexia CorrectionProgram, but are adaptedfor implementation to a full classroom targeting grades K-3.

A decade later, the Davis LearningStrategies are being implemented in classrooms across the United States andabroad. Two workshops taught in theMidwest this past summer proved that thevaried student representation does not

change, even though the “students” are nowteachers themselves. Age, experience, andgeographic location are not limited by thiscoursework.

A Davis Learning Strategies® workshoptaught in Brookings, South Dakota last summer included the widest range of ageand experience from its participants. Theyoungest student Ali Karpuk, a 22-year-oldrecent college graduate, was ready to embarkon her first classroom of elementary students.Contrast that with the next student, CloretaEisenbraun. Cloreta, a 56-year teaching veteran (yes, 56 years!), came to learn thenew strategies as well. “I can never be too

old to learn,” explainedEisenbraun to the class.

A few weeks later, in Bloomington,Minnesota, a new set ofteachers gathered toextend their knowledge.Although the age rangewas not so great in thisworkshop, the geographiclocations were far ranging.

One teacher traveled from Craig City SchoolDistrict located in Alaska; whereas anothercame from Hong Kong. All gathered withthe same goal of learning how to best reachtheir students, much like the pieces of aquilt that come together to provide warmthand shelter. v

Ali Karpuk and Cloreta Eisenbraun.

What anamazingworkspacefor DavisAlphabetMastery!New DavisFacilitator LisaKlooss doingAlphabet Masterywith Masaitribesman, SimonNovember, inLaikipia, NorthernKenya.

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v Ireland

Paula HoranMullingar+353-444-1613

Sister Antoinette KeelanDublin+353 (01) 884 4996

Maggie O’MearaClonmel, Co. Tipperary+353 (87) 415 70 99

v Israel

Luba AlibashRamat Hasharon/Tel Aviv+972 (09) 772-9888 or(052) 272-9532

Mira AshooshKiron +972 (03) 635-0973

Goldie GiladKfar Saba/Tel Aviv+972 (09) 765 1185

Eliana HarpazMa’Ale Adumim+972 (02) 590-2110 or 054-441-0789

Baruch KassiffKfar-Saba+972 (09) 767-3638

Eve ResnickKfar Saba/Tel Aviv+972 (09) 766 2140

Judith SchwarczDDA-Israel DirectorSupervisor-SpecialistPearl ZarskyRa’anana/Tel Aviv+972 (09) 772 9888

v Italy

Elisa De FeliceRoma +39 (06) 507 3570

Piera Angiola MaglioliOcchieppo Inferiore / Biella+33 (09) 687 8713

Silvia WalterBagno a Ripoli Florence +39 (055) 621 0541

Rafaella ZingerleCorvara In Badia+39 (0471) 836 871

v Kenya

Debbie ShahNairobi +254 20 577 493

v LebanonSamar Riad SaabBeirut +961 3 700 206

v Malaysia

Hilary CraigKuala Lumpur+603 2096 1342

v Mexico

Dinorah Stella GarcíaGalvánTampico+52 (833) 228 6694

My mother always says that when yousearch, you always eventually find what youare looking for. And this is how it was.After a few struggles in the army andsearches for a military or civil solution, wefound something: The Center for DyslexiaCorrection using the Davis Method. Thetruth is that I was not sure if it would reallyhelp, but this was the only solution I found.The problem was that the program in theCenter lasts a week, and I was a soldier, taking a training course. But after findingsome convincing arguments, many conversations with one of my officers, and a million telephone calls, I was given permission to try out the Center on Sunday,and if it went well, to start the program thatsame week. Then I was to return to mytraining course and test the results.

This is how I arrived at the Center,accompanied by my corrective instructionteacher, who knew Judith Schwarcz (theCenter’s manager and main facilitator).Judith and Aviva (my teacher) started testingme with many strange things: standing onone foot, catching balls, reading stories,moving imaginary cakes, etc. After a verylong day, that finished around midnight, wedecided to take the program, and I receivedpermission from the base commander for aspecial vacation of seven days to completethe program. (All this took three days, whenthe regulations state that two months areneeded in order to get special leave.)

Dyslexic in Englishby Dvir Waldfogel – Dyslexic

The following story was shared at theFundamentals of Davis Dyslexia CorrectionWorkshop which DDA-Israel held inRa’anana, Israel September 2005.

Until a few weeks ago, I would have definedmyself as a dyslexic, but not really dyslexic,one who cannot read or write–but dyslexicin languages, “dyslexic in English.”

My dyslexia was discovered when I wasin high school (9th grade), and was expressedmainly in difficulties in understanding theEnglish language. After four years of corrective instruction, I was able to learn therules of the language and reach a level of fivepoints (the most advanced level) in theEnglish Matriculation Examinations, and inthe exam itself I received 85% (a high markfor me, considering that I had started from55%). At this point, I thought that that was it, that the problem had been solved, that everything was all right and I could carry on.But it turned out not to be like that…

The next time I encountered difficultieswas in the army. I started a course forinfantry officers, finished the first stage(training base 1), and during the secondstage (corps training), it happened.

We had to learn how to use a certainmap in order to orient ourselves and navigateduring the day and at night. This was the firsttime in my entire military service (one yearand eight months) that I had to use this map.All the rest of my company understood howto use the map after a few treks, but I did not.It took me a long time to realize that theproblem was mine, and even longer to understand that the reason for my problemwas my dyslexia (which I had thought was“over”). When I finally understood the reasonfor my problem, my superior officers told methat if I did not learn how to read the map, Iwould not complete my officers training. Buthow could I solve the problem? How doesone correct dyslexia?

Dvir Waldfogel with workshop participants.

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v Mexico (cont’d)

Cathy Calderón de la BarcaFundamentals PresenterMéxico D.F.+52 (55) 5520 1883 or 5282 4196

Hilda Fabiola Herrera CantuCuliacan, Sinaloa +52 81 6677 15 01 19

La Puerta de las LetrasMaría Silvia Flores SalinasSupervisor-SpecialistDLS Workshop Presenter

Graciela Trevino GonzalezOlga Zambrano de CarrilloDDA-Mexico DirectorGarza GarcíaMonterrey+52 (81) 8335 9435

Laura LammogliaTampico, Tamaulipas +52 (833) 213 4126

Alejandra Garcia MedinaCuajimalpa, Mexico, D.F+52 (55) 5813 9554

Sociedad de ConsultatoriaOrganizacionalMaria Eugenia GutierrezMaria Lourdes GutierrezMexico D.F.+52 (55) 5595 8442

Lucero PalafoxVeracruz+52 (022) 99 351302

Ana Elana Payro OgarrioCorregidora, Queretaro

+52 442 228 1264

v Netherlands

Karin BakkerenBreda +31 (076) 514 4889

Ineke BlomDorpstraat+31 (020) 436-1484

Lot BlomUtrecht +31 (030) 271 0005

Hester BrouwerGroningen+31 (050) 52 61 146

Lieneke CharpentierNieuwegein+31 (030) 60 41 539

Hester CnossenVeghel+31 (041) 337 5835

Monique CommandeurSterksel+31 (06) 13 94 97 54

Alexandra De GoedeAerdenhout+31 (023) 524 3263

Mine de RanitzDriebergen+31 (0343) 521 348

Christien De SmitSluis +31 (0117) 461 963

Leonardus D’HooreSluis +31 (0117) 56 29 40

Afterwards, I would return to the trainingcourse, and do a test to see whether the pro-gram had really helped me overcome theproblem in map reading.

Then the course started. We started thenormal program, and along the way Judith(with whom I had formed a special relationship) discovered more and moreaspects of dyslexia in me, and started working with me on addi-tional programs, and apart from all these wealso worked on reading the map. So from a35-hour program, it turned into a 50-hour program.

I gradually discovered that I was notonly “dyslexic in English”, as I had thought,but that I was a 20 year old with aspects of dyslexia, some ADD, a problem with estimating time and space, but apart fromthat all was fine!

After a week, Ihad all the tools that the Davis method couldprovide, and also a new friend (Judith) and a new home (TheDyslexia CorrectionCenter).

To tell the truth, Ifelt the improvement, Iknew it would help me,but I had to test it. I was lucky, and in thatweek I was required totake a test includingnavigation, running,climbing a rope, andtarget practice. I understood that this wasa good opportunity to test myself, and this iswhat I did. During the test, I used the tools Ihad acquired. The result was that I got five out of fivecoordinates in navigation, I managed for thefirst time (with maximum points) to climbsix meters up a rope, and I even hit six outof six in target practice. This proved to methat the method really works. Later, I passedthe navigation exam and finished the officer-training course and received my new rank in a memorable ceremony in the Founders’Square in Training Base 1.

During all this time, I searched for othersituations in which I could use the tools tohelp me in other things, and as I said earlier,if you search you find in the end, and so I did.

In one case, I had to skip using a rope,

and I remembered that Judith had said thatthis is difficult when disoriented, so I orientedmyself and it worked. Instead of skipping 10or 15 times, I managed to skip nearly 80. Inanother case, I saw how the use of the tools

helped aiming and hit-ting in the shootingrange. In another case,my ability to noticedetails improved inreading, in writing andin general.

But the thing thatsurprised me most wasmy ability to remain oriented when emotional.I found myself in manysituations when I wasvery emotional (from arejection committee tofights with friends), andusing the tools enabledme to remain calm andfocused, to talk calmlyas if nothing had

happened. I had not had this ability before,and this had causedseveral unpleasant situations in the past.

All this happened in just two months!So what next?I will continue using all the tools,

and I am sure they will help me in more situations that I cannot yet imagine.

All that remains is to thank my officersfor giving me permission to take the program,my teacher Aviva for helping me over theyears (and probably in the future too), myparents for agreeing to do everything for me(even paying when necessary), and finally,Judith (and all the facilitators at theDyslexia Correction Center) who haveenabled me to be like everyone else, or even better! v

One of Dvir’s clay models for mastering navigational maps.

But the thing that surprisedme most was my ability to

remain oriented whenemotional. I found myselfin many situations when

I was very emotional, andusing the tools enabled meto remain calm and focused,to talk calmly as if nothinghad happened . . . All this

happened in just twomonths!

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v Netherlands (cont’d)

Saskia Dijkstra Amsterdam +31 (020) 463-2753

Marijke Eelkman Rooda-BosGouda +31 (0182) 517-316

Johanna FokkensBeilen +31 (0593) 540 14

Ina GausSantpoort-Zuid+33 (023) 538-3927

Pérola GonçalvesAmsterdam+31 (020) 636 3637

Jan GubbelsMaastricht+31 (043) 36 39 999

Sue Hillier-SmithBreukelen+31 (0346) 265 059

Judith HolzapfelDeventer +31 (0570) 619 553

Will HuntjensHorn +31 (0475) 589 238

Mia JenniskensEindhoven+31 (040) 245 9458

Trudy JolingLaren +31 (035) 531 00 66

Helen KapteinMiddleburg+31 (0118) 64 37 73

Marie KoopmanBilthoven+31 (030) 228 4014

Carry KulingHeemstede+31 (0235) 287 782

Edith Kweekel-GöldiSoest +31 (035) 601 0611

Imelda LamakerHilversum+31 (035) 621 7309

Yvie Leenaars-de RooÿBavel+31 (0161) 433 449

ZeiZei LerninstitutDrs. Siegerdina MandemaSpecialist TrainerAdvanced WorkshopPresenterDLS Workshop PresenterDDA-Nederland DirectorRobin TempleSpecialist TrainerWorkshop PresenterMaria Hoop+31 (0475) 302 203

Sjan MelsenArnhem+31 (026) 442 69 98

Marianne OosterbaanZeist +31 (030) 691 7309

Ineke PijpGroningen+31 (050) 542 0817

Have Tools–WillTime Travelby Laura Zink de DiazFacilitator, Mount Vernon, Washington

Laura provides Davis Programs in Englishand Spanish. Since her trip to Colombia inJune, she has also worked with clients inQuito, Ecuador and San Juan, Puerto Rico,and is contemplating moving her practice toSouth America.

In the summer of 1971 I was a student at the University of Washington, majoring inSpanish and preparing to spend a semesterin Colombia attending the “UIS,” IndustrialUniversity of Santander, in a city calledBucaramanga. Shortly before my scheduleddeparture the trip was nearly canceled, whenwe learned that the students at the UIS werestaging a moratorium, effectively shuttingdown the university. Not realizing that student strikes are a time-honored traditionat the UIS, I was determined to go in spiteof the moratorium, because–calculated–itmight end at any minute . . . So off I went.

Of course, the moratorium didn’t end. Ispent several months in Bucaramanga, takinghastily organized independent study classes,teaching English to the university secretariesand at private schools around the town, andloving every minute of it. When the semesterended, there was no college credit, and theUIS was still closed. But by then I’d foundthe language, people, and life in general sodelightful, there was simply no way I wasready to return home. So I stepped onto aBerlinas del Fonce mini-bus, headed up intohigher reaches of the Andes and over theChicamocha Pass to Bogotá, the capital, toseek my fortune as an English teacher. Ofcourse, nobody finds fame or fortune in aclassroom. But I did spend two years inBogotá teaching and learning. I look backon the years I spent in Colombia as perhapsthe best time of my life.

Eventually, I returned home, with everyintention of moving back to Colombia forgood. Life had other plans for me, and thatdream never materialized. Nevertheless, mytime there gave me a fluency in the language that has served me well, even in myown country. I worked as a translator andinterpreter in Redmond for a time; then in the

Colombia at a glance

National name: República deColombia

President: Alvaro Uribe (2002)

Land area: 401,042 sq mi (1,038,699 sq km); total area: 439,736 sq mi(1,138,910 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 43,593,035(growth rate: 1.5%); birth rate:20.5/1000; infant mortality rate:20.4/1000; life expectancy: 72.0; density per sq mi: 109

Capital and largest city (2003 est.):Santafé de Bogotá, 6,837,800

Other large cities: Cali, 2,283,200;Medellín, 1,957,800; Barranquilla,1,330,400; Cartagena, 901,500,Bucaramanga (city), 553,046

Monetary unit: Colombian Peso

Language: Spanish

Ethnicity/race: mestizo 58%, white20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixedblack-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%

Religion: Roman Catholic 90%

Literacy rate: 93% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004est.): $281.1 billion; per capita $6,600.Real growth rate: 3.6%. Inflation:5.9%. Unemployment: 13.6%. Arable land: 2%.

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v Netherlands (cont’d)

Fleur van de Polder-PatonSchiedam+31 (010) 471 58 67

Petra Pouw-LegêneBeek +31 (046) 437 4907

Karin RietbergHolten+31 (0548) 364 286

Lydia RogowskiHelmond+31 (0492) 513 169

Hanneke SchoemakerWageningen+31 (0317) 412 437

Tonny StorHeerhugowaard+31 (072) 57 22 771

Karima P.A. TurkatteAmsterdam+31 (020) 696 4379

Mieke van DeldenLeek +31 (059) 4514985Agnes van den

Homberg-JacobsAmerica Limburg+31 (077) 464 23 22

Annette van der BaanAmsterdam+31 (020) 420-5501

Hetty van der WellOss +31 (041) 263 6403

Annemarie van HofUtrecht +31 (030) 65 86 700

Drs. Marian J.A. vanLeeuwen/Woudenberg+31 (033) 286 3506

Sjakkelien van LierDeventer +31 (0570) 600 008

Juchke van RoozendaalOss +31 (0412) 690 312

Willem Van UlsenGroningen+31 (050) 542 3941

Tienke Veenstra-SierhsmaMeppel +31 (0522) 254 453

Lia VermeulenHuizen +31 (062) 3671530

Christien VosTolbert+31 (0594) 511 607

Lucie Wauben-CrutsElsloo +31 (046) 437 0329

Christa WiersmaDen Haag+31 (070) 355 3388

Gerda Witte-KuijsHeerhugowaard+31 (072) 571 3163

Astrid Zanen-vander BlijAerdenhout+31 (023) 524 3485

shops, once inside you’d think you were inan upscale U.S. suburb.

When the family returned, I slippedinto the car with Gustavo (dad), Claudia(mom), and the three children: Nicolás, my16 year old client, Andrea, and Alejandra,his two younger sisters. “What kind of foodwould you like, Laura? Chinese, Italian,American, we can get anything you want…?”My mind’s eye had been time traveling allday, so I said, “How about a place thatserves traditional Colombian food?”

They took me to a colonial stylerestaurant. Like many eateries inBucaramanga, at La Puerta del Sol, the open design gives you the feeling thatyou’re sitting outside, in a garden. It’s veryhot in Bucaramanga, and the humidity islike a unwanted embrace, so sitting virtuallyoutside after the sun went down, surroundedby small trees, flowering plants and softlanterns, was a relief. Our table was near asmall water fountain and throughout dinnerwe listened to a chirping chorus of tinyfrogs living in the greenery around its base.Arepas, the fat Colombian version of thetortilla, deep fried yuca, the cassava rootthat’s oh, so much tastier than french fries,roasted goat meat, chicken, beef and pork,all were brought to the table and more. Somany flavors! And so many memories tiedto them! Like the refajo, I’d long forgotten:half beer, half Colombiana, a local softdrink. Refajo was invented decades ago for “the ladies,” to soften beer’s mean oldmasculine kick, so overpowering for usdainty creatures….

I love speaking Spanish – the sound ofthe language is precious to me. Languageand culture are deeply interconnected, and Ifind I like who I become when I speak

international department at the now defunctRainier Bank in Seattle, and eventually,recalling how much I’d loved my work inBucaramanga and Bogotá, I became a language teacher. I traveled to many countries, Spanish-speaking and otherwise,but never back to Colombia. We all accumulate a few regrets in the course of our lives, and this was one of mine.

Until last May, when the phone rang.On the other end was a fellow from Miamiwho wanted to speak in Spanish. His nephewin Bucaramanga had experienced learningdifficulties since kindergarten. The firstquestion was whether I’d do a program inSpanish. The second was whether I’d bewilling to do it in Colombia. The opportunityto go back to a place that had been so formative of the rest of my life – and test myskill in another language as well – it wasdaunting, but irresistible. I got on a plane.

I didn’t recognize ANY part ofBucaramanga once I arrived. It was probablya city of about 100,000 in the early 1970s.Today, the “greater metropolitan area” ofBucaramanga is close to a million and ahalf. In 34 years the city has transformedfrom a sleepy provincial capital to the fifthlargest city in the country, and it seemedthere was hardly a building standing thatexisted when I was there. Even the airporthad been moved.

My clients put me up at the “ClubCampestre de Bucaramanga,” a countryclub celebrating the 75th anniversary of itsfounding. The hotel room was from an agewhen investors worried less about howmany “units” could be crammed into astructure, and more about elegance. Theroom was large, comfortable, with gorgeouswooden accents and furnishings. A cable TVoffered channels in English, Italian, Frenchand German as well as Spanish. The roomlooked out over the pool, and beyond, atmiles of lush vegetation, overlapping in verdant waves up the sides of the deep tropical mountains around the city. Myclients allowed me to rest and freshen up for a while and would return later to takeme out to dinner with the whole family.

At one time the “Club” was outsidethe city limits. Today it is an oasis with golfcourse, pools, tennis courts, ballrooms,restaurants, and hotel, nearly surrounded bywhat’s now a very modern city. A couple ofblocks away is a huge, American-style mall.But for the Spanish names on some of the

A family photo: Claudia (mom), and the threechildren, Nicolás, my 16-year-old client,Andrea, and Alejandra.

v New Zealand

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

Jennifer ChurtonAuckland+64 (09) 360 4941

Bronwyn JeffsChristchurch+64 (03) 344 2526

Raewyn MathesonInglewood+64 (027) 411 8350

Margot HewittNorth Canterbury+64 (03) 315 7722

Shelley McMeekenDunedin +64 3 456 5058

Sandra MoetraWhangarei+64 (09) 435 6822

Kerrie PalmaRodney+64 (09) 425 5941

Jocelyn PrintKaikoura+64 (03) 319 6711

Lorna Timms Christchurch +64 3 359 8556

v Oman

Patricia Lynne HodgeMuscat +968 698 596

v Philippines

Imelda CasugaBaguio City +63 (744) 42 29 01

v Portugal

Rita Alambre Dos SantosLisboa 1000-115+351 (21) 781-6090

v Republic of SingaporePhaik Sue ChinSingapore+65 6773 4070

Constance ChuaSingapore +65 6873 3873

v South AfricaSara KramerCapetown+27 (021) 671 4634

v Spain

María Campo MartínezMurguía, Álava +34 (0945) 46 25 85

Silvia María SabatésRodrigoMadrid +34 (091) 636 31 44

THE DYSLEXIC READER

In this peacefulenvironment Nicolásworked his waythrough a great program. He’d givenup a good part of hismid-year vacation towork with me. Schoolis challenging inColombia. Highschool students mustjuggle more subjectsthan US students do,

and not all classes meet every day, so muchlearning must be done outside of class.Students must also pass a calculus class toget a high school diploma, a much higherstandard than we hold students to in the U.S. When mid-year vacations come, students are ready for a break, so it was no small indication of his motivation thatNicolás had chosen to spend a week of hisvacation in a small room with some clay, a dictionary, and me.

A very quiet young man is Nico; attimes I was unsure how well I was doing myjob. He’d go deep into the clay, and as heworked, I’d sometimes see a smile, or a

silent laugh, and know that he was somewhere I couldn’t go and he’d neverdescribe. He did everything we ask of aclient, sometimes with ease, and sometimesrelying heavily on the tools, always very quietly. By the third day, Claudia told methat she felt he was different, in some way,not sure yet just how…. His sisters, too, had commented that he seemed different,

Spanish. It’s not thatI’m a different person–perhaps somehow Ijust feel more fullymyself in Spanish, ifthat’s possible…. Butto suddenly be thrustinto this linguisticplace was simultaneously joyand torture. I wasamazed I could speakat all, as I disorientedinto old sounds, old flavors, memories ofold friends…. I kept hearing words I’d notheard or used in thirty years, and a rhythmand cadence I realized I’d never heard inany other Latin American country–and had always missed. I was immersed in aSpanish that itself felt like Release, likecoming home after years in exile. AlthoughI think I was often silent, trying to stay onpoint, taking it all in, we talked a great deal,about the changes in the city, the country,the kids’ lives, Nicolás’ situation. Gettingcomfortable with one another. A charmingevening, yet for me, overwhelming in moreways than I’d expected.

For the next few days, the ClubCampestre offered us a small room locatedbehind a stage in one of the ballrooms,where we completed Nicolás’ assessmentand program. It had an air conditionerabove the door, a blessing in Bucaramanga,and we were rarely interrupted. Wheneverwe needed a break we could wander intothe lobby or onto the patio to listen to thebirds. The lobby and patio restaurant areroofed, but open to the air on two sides. Aflock of birds nest in one of the large busheson the patio just outside the restaurant. Allday long, the younger ones swoop from thetrees outside, into the building, making agrand loop or two, seemingly scraping theceiling, and then tear back out again.Sometimes, as we sat at a table in the patiorestaurant, a bird would flit in, hop onto theback of a chair, and then, slyly, onto thetable, cocking his head to check for straycrumbs before a waiter would rush over toshoo him away with a flicking napkin.Nicolás’ parents had chosen this placebecause they felt it would be more tranquilthan a hotel in the bustling downtown areaof Bucaramanga, with delivery trucks shifting gears, and honking horns all day.They chose well.

It was no small indication ofhis motivation that Nicoláshad chosen to spend a week

of his vacation in a smallroom with some clay, a

dictionary, and me.

Much of Girón, a small colonial town not farfrom Bucaramanga, is preserved as it was inthe late 1800s. The streets are cobblestone andbrick; the buildings white-washed, with deepbrown wooden doors, and window framesadorned with wooden or metal grillwork.

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v Switzerland/CH

Tinka Altwegg-ScheffmacherVeronika BeelerSt. Gallen+41 (071) 222 07 79

Monika AmreinZurich +41 (01) 341 8264

Lerninstitut BaselBonny BeuretSpecialist TrainerAdv. Workshop PresenterDLS Workshop PresenterDDA-CH DirectorRuth Froels +41 (061) 272 24 00

Regula Bacchetta-BischofbergerHorw /Luzern +41 (041) 340 2136

Priska BaumgartnerWettingen +41 (056) 426 28 88

Mieke Blommers-FriederichsBasel +41 (061) 378 9060

Michelle BonardiCastel S. Pietro, Ticino+41 (091) 630 23 41

Vicki BrignoliLumino+41 (091) 829 05 36

Anne Cécile ClercFribourg+41 (026) 322 36 24

Carole DubossonVeyras/Sierre+41 (027) 452 62 02

Ursula FischbacherOrpund+41 (032) 355 23 26

Edith ForsterEttenhausen+41 (052) 365 45 54

Heidi Gander-BelzDLS Workshop PresenterMonchaltorf+41 (01) 948 1410

Katharina GrenacherBern +41 (031) 382 00 29

Elisabeth GutGrut +41 (044) 932 3242

Ursula Hirzel EglerStäfa +41 (01) 926 2895

Christa JaegerRiehen +41 (061) 641 4667

Ina KretzerBasel+41 (061) 278 98 88

Consuelo LangLumino +41 (091) 829 05 36

Claudia LendiSt. Gallen+41 (071) 288 41 85

Erika Meier-SchmidBonstetten+41 (01) 700 10 38

maybe… happier? Hard to put your fingeron it, with such a quiet fellow…. After hisprogram, I stayed to work with anotheryoung man, a little older than Nico, andcrossed my fingers. Nicolás went off to hisgrandfather’s farm to grab a few days’ breakbefore school started up again.

Shortly before I came home, Nicolás,Gustavo and Claudia took me for a drive toGirón, a small town nearby, much of it preserved as it was inthe late 1800s. Thestreets are cobblestoneand brick; the buildingswhite-washed, withdeep brown woodendoors, and windowframes adorned withwooden or metal grillwork. By law, no signs may stand outfrom the walls, so street and business namesare gracefully painted on the facades of thebuildings. The only artifacts to stick out fromthe walls are balconies and delicate streetlamps. To walk into the historical section of Girón is to take a step into a Colombianpast much more distant than my own.

It was a Sunday evening when wedrove through, me with my face pasted tothe window. Nearly all shops were closed,and most restaurants too, but people wereout, walking or sitting on benches in theparks, talking, relaxing in the cool of theevening. As we drove past the white-washedrow houses, many doors were open to let inthe evening breeze; some had pulled chairsout onto the narrow sidewalk to smoke acigarette, and watch people like me ride by in awe of the serenity of this place. I pictured myself working the clay withclients in an aged office with very high ceilings, the worn blades of a venerable fanslowly rotating above us, virtually silent….

Gustavo and Claudia took me back toPalonegro airport when it was time for meto return home. Tears all around amongnew-found friends, and suddenly I was backin a very different world, speaking again alanguage I always find somewhat harsh incomparison. A day later, home in MountVernon, I worried. So far away, too far for acasual phone call…. Laura, let go, havefaith in Nicolás and the tools…. I forcedmyself back into the rhythm of my life here.And discovered that in my absence, the newSpanish pages I’d posted on my website just

before I went to Colombia, were attractingfar more visitors than the English. An emailfrom Ecuador led to a client in Quito, and Imade arrangements for another trip.

Finally, one August day an emailarrived from Gustavo. He and Claudia hadattended a conference with Nicolás’ teachersand school principal. They both knew he hadnot done well the previous term, which hadended a handful of days before his Davis

program. And thismeeting was about thatterm. So, no surprises–except . . . Gustavowrote, “Laura, thatwas a day when wewished you could havebeen here, to receive ahug!”

The teachers were excited. Nicolaswas like a different student. Before, herarely asked questions in class. Now hishand was up regularly. He didn’t take muchinterest in class discussions; now he did.Before, he disliked group work. Now hecontributed. Their comment, “it seems thatNicolás has emerged from the bubble helived in before.” And how, they asked, didthis happen? Claudia and Gustavo eagerlytold them about the Davis method, givingthem a packet of information I had leftbehind. Everyone agreed that with thesechanges in Nicolás, it was important forteachers and parents to work as a team tosupport this growth and encourage its continuation. And Nicolás, seeing theirapproval and enthusiasm, declared himselfprepared to charge up his batteries and dowhatever was necessary to pass the year.

Far away, in Mount Vernon,Washington, I did a little dance, and allowedmyself the luxury of disorienting into aworld of tropical greens. It had been a wonderful gift to experience once again thebeauty of the Andean world, the kindnessand generosity of people from a vibrant andfascinating culture, and the comfortingsounds of a language that took root in myheart so long ago. But the best gift of allwas to get word that Nicolás is using thetools and happier in his life and studies.There’s really nothing better than being aDavis facilitator – unless it’s to be one a fewdegrees above the equator, under a venera-ble ceiling fan, breathing Spanish in theAndes.v

It seems that Nicolás hasemerged from the bubble

he lived in before.

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v Switzerland/CH (cont’d)

Christine NoisetRenens/Lausanne +41 (021) 634 35 10 or(079) 332 2775

Jürg PeterSupervisor-SpecialistDornach+41 (061) 701 39 16

Véronique PfeifferZürich +41 (01) 342 22 61

Elisabeth RabergerBaden +41 (056) 209 17 76

Hilary RhodesChesieres-Villars+41 (024) 495 38 20

Regine RothMohlin/Basel+41 (061) 851 2685

Doris Rubli-Osterwalder St. Gallen +41 (071) 245 56 90

Benita RuckliSigigen +41 (041) 495 04 09 or (079) 719 31 18

Elisabeth Rudolf von RohrOlten +41 (062) 293 46 66

Lotti Salivisberg Basel +41 (061) 263 33 44

Sonja SartorWinterthur+41 (052) 242 4015

Maya Semle-MuraroStäfa +41 (079) 704 03 07

Claudia TavernaSent +41 (081) 864 9115

Andreas VillainZürich +41 (076) 371 84 32

Catherine WarnerGeneva +41 (022) 321 70 42

Margit ZahndEttingen+41 (079) 256 86 65

v United Arab Emirates

Linda RademanDubai +9714 348 1687

v United Kingdom

Nicky Bennett-BaggsGt. Gaddesden, Herts+44 (01442) 252 517

Kate Blow Southampton, Hants +44 (02380) 704 734

Jo Broughton Hitchin, Herts +44 (0)1462 435 166

Sue BullenAyrshire, Scotland+44 (01292) 591 797

Susan DuguidLondon+44 (020) 8878 9652

Liebe Frau Ebert,Nun ist es Zeit, dass ich “Danke”sagefür fünf tolle und interessante Tage.Es hat mir riesig viel Spaß gemacht,wir haben häufig gemeinsam gelacht.Mit Knete zu arbeiten, ging richtig gut,Sie machten mir immer wieder Mut.Obwohl die Erkältung vieles erschwerte,gaben Sie Hilfen, dass ich zur Orientierung zurückkehrte.Grenzenlos war Ihre Geduld und Ihre Freundlichkeit,Buchstaben und Lesen sind für mich jetzt fast eine Kleinigkeit.“HERAKAPLUFOMIBL”- dieses Wort habe ich erfunden,drei Dinge sind damit verbunden.Die Davis-Methode ist für mich ein Segen,durch sie wird vieles leichter in meinem Leben.Den Grundstein legten Sie hier,nun liegt das Gelingen ganz bei mir.Der Abschied fällt mir schon recht schwer,aber ich freue mich, denn ich weiß jetzt viel mehr.Telefonisch bleiben wir eng verbunden.Ich wünsche Ihnen mit den Legasthenikern noch erfolgreiche Stunden.

Zur lieben Erinnerung an Christopher Groß

Dear Mrs. Ebert,Now it is time to say thank you for five great and interesting daysI had lots of funWe laughed a lot togetherWorking with clay worked really wellYou would always give me new courageAlthough my cold gave me some hard timesYou helped me getting back my orientationNO limits to your patience and friendlinessLetters and reading now are a (Kleinigkeit is a very small something) to me“HERAKAPLUFOMIBL” - I created this wordthree things are in thisthe Davis method is a blessing to meit makes many things easier in my lifeyou put the ground stone(Grundstein is the first stone for building a house)Now the job to finishing success is mineSaying good bye is difficult now for meBut I am happy because I know so much moreWe will be closely connected via telephoneI wish you more successful hours with dyslexics

With a dear memory,Christopher Groß

A special thank you for five special daysA rhyming letter composed for Ellen Ebert by

Christopher Groß at the end of his Davis Program.

THE DYSLEXIC READER

vUnited Kingdom (cont’d)

Dyslexia Correction CentreGeorgina DunlopJane E.M. HeywoodDLS Workshop PresenterAscot, Berkshire+44 (01344) 622 115

Christine EastKingsbridge, Devon+44 (01548) 856 045

Hilary FarmerOxford, Oxon+44 (01865) 326 464

Nichola FarnumLondon +44 (0208) 977 6699

Maureen FloridoHarleston, Norfolk+44 (01379) 853 810

Carol ForsterDLS Workshop PresenterGloucester+44 (01452) 331 573

Axel GudmundssonLondon +44 (020) 8341-7703

Tessa Halliwell Barrow upon Soar, Leics+44 (01509) 412 695

Annemette Hoegh-BanksBerkhamsted, Herts+44 1442 872185

Phyllida HowlettHaverfordwest,Pembrokeshire +44 (01437) 766 806

Angela JamesReading, Berkshire+44 (0118) 947 6545

Liz JollyFareham, Hants+44 (01329) 235 420

Lisa KloossLondon +44 (0208) 960 9406

Keryn MiddletonBarking, Essex, +44 (0208) 507 9164

Madeleine MilesDereham, Norfolk+44 (01362) 861 136

Fionna PilgrimKeighley, West Yorkshire +44 (01535) 661 801

Maxine PiperCarterton, Oxon+44 (01993) 840 291

Elenica Nina PitoskaLondon +44 (020) 8451 4025

Rebecca RossTonbridge, Kent +44 (01892) 838 109

Pauline RoylePoulton-le-Fylde, Lancs+44 (01253) 899 875

Ian RichardsonBlaisdon Longhope, Glos+44 (0145) 283 0056

Janice ScholesLiversedge, West Yorkshire+44 (01274) 874 712

Based on the Davis DyslexiaCorrection methods, this Kit enables parents and tutors ofchildren, ages 5-7, to home-teachand help young learners 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 learning

problem• improve sight word recognition and

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

Young Learner Kitfor Home-Use

••

DA

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D Y S L EX

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®

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 childrento master 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

vUnited Kingdom (cont’d)

Nigel SharpIsle of Wight +44 (01983) 401 670

Judith ShawSupervisor-SpecialistSt. Leonards onSea/Hastings, East Sussex +44 (01424) 447 077

Dyslexia KentMargarita WhiteheadDDA DirectorRichard WhiteheadDDA DirectorDLS Workshop PresenterFundamentals PresenterStaplehurst, Kent+44 (01580) 890 321

Lynne SmithBrighton, East Sussex+44 (01273) 723 920

Barbara TimminsSolihull+44 (015) 6477 2657

Drs. Renée van der VloodtDavis SpecialistReigate, Surrey+44 (01737) 240 116

Evelyn WhiteWalton-on-Thames, Surrey+44 (01932) 230 624

Rachel WilliamsonHassocks, West Sussex+44 (01444) 245 260

v United States

AlabamaPaula MoreheadBirmingham+1 (205) 408-4420

ArizonaDr. Edith FritzPhoenix+1 (602) 274-7738

Nancy KressGlendale/Phoenix+1 (623) 203-1890

John F. Mertz, Jr.Tucson+1 (877) 219-0613 (Toll Free)+1 (520) 219-0613

Jeannette MyersSedona+1 (928) 204-1963

CaliforniaReading Research CouncilDyslexia Correction CenterDr. Fatima Ali, FounderAlice Davis, DDAI Director,Ray DavisRonald D. Davis, FounderSharon Pfeiffer,Specialist TrainerDLS Workshop PresenterDee Weldon WhiteLexie White Strain Burlingame/San Francisco +1 (800) 729-8990 (Toll Free) +1 (650) 692-8990

Janet ConferRancho SantaMargarita/San Clemente+1 (949) 589-6394

PAGE 24 THE DYSLEXIC READER

Maria Elena Guth Blanco “In my centerwe provide services for students with learningdifferences: Educational evaluations (K-9), one on one remedial tutoring (K-5). TallerPedagegico de Mani Guth, Rohrmoser, Pavas,San Jose, Costa Rica Apdo 1226-2050. +506 296-4078. [email protected]

Marcela RodriguezOcampo “During my studiesin Education, I always had a special interest in subjectsthat were related to learningdisabilities. Then life surprisedme with a super special sonthat was diagnosed withdyslexia. Seeking help for my

boy, I found the Davis Method, which caught myattention because it breaks from the traditionalways to treat dyslexia. We traveled to Monterreyto take the program. After that, the progress inmy son was amazing. So I decided to take thecourses to become a Davis Facilitator. I feel thatI can understand my clients by my personalexperience and I wish to help them develop their natural abilities so they can learn to solveproblems in their educational process and in their lives with lots of confidence in themselves.”Centro de Desarrollo de Habilidades, 200 Metrossur Universidad Adventista de La Ceiba,Alajuela, Costa Rica. [email protected]

Irma Vierstra “I have myown practice as a clinical psychologist in Crete. I waslooking for a method with animmediate effect and that wouldbe interesting to my son who isdyslexic. In The Gift ofDyslexia I recognized many of

my son’s symptoms. I decided to follow theDavis Facilitator training in the Netherlands andapplied the method in Greek to my son. By usingthe tools, my son could retrieve information fromhis memory that he could not before. His writingand spelling (Greek, English, Dutch) becamemuch better. The results are so obvious thatteachers tell other parents about it.” DyslexiaCorrection Centre, Sifi Vlastou 14 &Dimakopoulou 92, Rethymnon 74100, Greece.+30 283 105-8201 or +30 697 [email protected]

Newly Licensed Davis Facilitators,Specialists and Presenters

A special welcome to our first Davis Facilitators in Costa Rica!

Karin Rietberg “Why aDavis Facilitator? Our daughterhas dyslexia. She also hasproblems with writing and hasdyspraxia. When the book TheGift of Dyslexia came my way,all the pieces fell together.Amazing! I saw the change in

her. That’s why!” Broekweg 24, Holten 7451MJ, Nederland. +31 548 364 286. [email protected]

Ina Gaus “For the past three years I have beenworking as an art therapist at two schools forSpecial Education and I have a therapy roomnext to my house. Shortly I could not fully helpchildren with dyslexia. This changed from themoment I started to work with the Davis methods.For many years I have been working with ceramics.With Davis I am back into the clay!” Olga vonGotschlaan 11, Santpoort-Zuid 2082 HV,Nederland. +33 023 538-3927. [email protected]

Eliana Harpaz “I am completing my B.A. degree at the Hebrew University ofJerusalem in CognitiveSciences and Geography.During my Israel NationalService I worked with learningdisabled children from disadvantaged families. I

discovered the Davis method when trying to helpa 17-year-old student who could not read. Theprogram at DDA-Israel changed her life. Thismotivated me to study to become a DavisFacilitator in parallel with my academic studies.My goal is to help bring the Davis method to thedisadvantaged in Israel.” 18 Hatiltan St., #4,Ma’Ale Adumim 98533, Israel. +972-2- 590-2110or +972-54-4410-789. [email protected]

Maxine Piper “My twodyslexic boys were the catalystto my becoming a DavisFacilitator. They were so miserable at school; I had tofind something to help! After a one-week programme, myeldest son had changed back to

the loveable, easygoing boy he used to be, beforeschool. That was enough for me to take a closerlook. I attended the Fundamentals Workshop and

v United States/California (cont’d)

Richard A. HarmelMarina Del Rey/Los Angeles+1 (310) 823-8900

David HirstRiverside+1 (951) 653-9251 or(909) 241-6079

Angela Dean Educators Nicole MeltonKaren Thorworth-PongsDiamond Bar+1 (909) 229-5251

Michelle PalinSanta Cruz+1 (831) 419-8338

Cheryl RodriguesSunnyvale/San Jose+1 (408) 983-0968

Dwight UnderhillEl Cerrito/Berkeley+1 (510) 559-7869

ColoradoTerry DeMeoLittleton/Denver+1 (303) 850-7668

Erin PrattBoulder +1 (303) 775-6464

Crystal PunchCentennial/Denver +1 (303) 850-0581

Janet SlavenskiDenver+1 (303) 431-0027

Kristi ThompsonDLS Workshop PresenterWalsh +1 (719) 324-9256

FloridaRandom (Randee)GarretsonLutz/Tampa/St. Petersburg+1 (813) 956-0502

Alice J. PrattJacksonville+1 (904) 389-9251

Rita & Eugene Von BonNavarre+1 (850) 939-2313

GeorgiaMartha PayneSuwanee+1 (404) 886-2720

Scott TimmWoodstock/Atlanta+1 (866) 255-9028 (Toll-Free)

HawaiiVickie Kozuki-Ah YouEwa Beach/Honolulu+1 (808) 685-1122

IllinoisKim AinisChicago +1 (312) 360-0805

IndianaJodi R. BaughCloverdale/Indianapolis+1 (765) 526-2121

PAGE 25THE DYSLEXIC READER

felt compelled to continue each stage of the training as my interest and understanding of theDavis methods grew. It has been fun, fascinatingand extremely useful, on a personal level, and inhelping others. Both boys are now happier atschool! There is no doubt in my mind that if adyslexic wants to make a change in their livesthis is the way for them to gain an understandingof their individual talent and reach their potential.Alternative Routes! 49 The Cresent, Carterton,Oxfordshire, OX18 3SQ, United Kingdom. +44-0800-026-3000 or [email protected]

Rebecca Ross “I am currently working in aschool for children with special needs and havetwo young children of my own. My interest inDavis stems from a friend’s struggle to find helpwith his dyslexia. After searching on the InternetI found the Davis web site and subsequently wentto one of Ron’s lectures. Blown away by it Idecided to train myself.” 67 Green Lane, PaddockWood Tonbridge, Kent, TN12 6BF UnitedKingdom. +44 01892 838 [email protected]

Piera Angiola MaglioliPsycho-pedagogist, family andindividual counselling, DavisFacilitator for children andadults. Via San Clemente 29Occhieppo, Inferiore, Italy, BI1389. +33 (9) 687-8713. [email protected]

Cheryl Rodrigues “I teach3-5 year olds in a MontessoriSchool in the Bay Area. Overthe past year, I have thoroughlyenjoyed the DLS and Facilitatortraining and come to realize itsimmense potential. I now lookforward to being instrumental inbringing about positive changes

in individuals and helping them enjoy their tal-ents. It is a great honor and privilege to be a partof the Davis worldwide network. I’d like to thankmy husband, Glen, son, Wendell, family andfriends for their support. This has been a thoughtand life changing process for me.” 1145 MiramarWay #59, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, USA. +1 (408) 983-0968. [email protected]

Carolyn Tyler We live inexciting times. It’s awesome tobe a part of progress for thehuman family. As HoraceMann once said: “Be ashamedto die, until you have achievedsome victory for humanity.”Launch into Learning, 68

Laurel Street, Fairhaven, MA 02719 USA. +1 (508) 994-4577. [email protected]

Mira Ashoosh “I am a certified librarian with a specialtyin database management andextensive training in art andarcheology. I work in the education system. My introductionto Davis was in 2000 through a

5-day correction program that Judith Schwarczgave my son. Before my son reached the center,he had tried many different recognized programswith only slight improvement. With the DavisProgram, I found that in a creative atmospherethat suited his learning style, my son could learn.A big change occurred when both my husbandand I were able to transfer responsibility to ourson. This was achieved with fun and no pressure.I immediately became attached to the Davismethod. I want to help other children reach theirtrue potential with a method that is fun, creativeand pleasurable. Using the Davis holisticapproach, I know I can achieve this.” 155 Levi Eshkol Street, Kiron 5540, Israel. +972 (3) 635 0973. [email protected]

Anne-Cecile Clerc Perolles24, Fribourg CH-1700,Switzerland. + 41 (079) [email protected]

Bronwyn Jeffs is a motherof two children, one dyslexic,and a husband who is alsodyslexic. “The book The Gift ofDyslexia was the stepping-stoneto changing our family’s life.Along with licensed FacilitatorLorna Timms, Specialist

Trainer Catherine Churton, and the inspirationalAlice and Ron Davis. I am proud to be aFacilitator of such a rewarding and fulfilling program. And I look forward to helping anyonethat is willing to make a change in their life.”321 Trices Road, Prebbleton 8153. New Zealand.+64 (03) 344-2526. [email protected]

v United States/Indiana (cont’d)

Myrna BurkholderGoshen/South Bend+1 (574) 533-7455

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

KansasCarole CoulterOverland Park/Kansas City+1 (913) 831-0388

KentuckyRochelle AbnerWinchester+1 (859) 513-2662

LouisianaWendy Ware GilleyBaton Rouge+1 (225) 751-8741

Christina MartinSlidell/New Orleans +1 (985) 646-2201

MassachussettsCarolyn TylerFairhaven+1 (508) 994-4577

MichiganNicki CatesSaint Clair Shores/Detroit+1 (586) 801-0772

Sandra McPhallGrandville+1 (616) 534-1345

Ann MinkelSix Lakes/Grand Rapids+1 (989) 365-3925

Dean SchalowManistee+1 (800) 794-3060 (Toll-Free)

Michele WellmanAlma/Lansing/Grand Rapids+1 (989) 463-5276

MinnesotaCindy BauerPlymouth/Minneapolis+1 (612) 483-3460

Cyndi DenesonSupervisor-Specialist Workshop PresenterBloomington/Minneapolis+1 (888) 890-5380 (Toll-Free)+1 (952) 820-4673

Bernadette Peterson Maple Grove+1 (763) 229-4550

Virginia PutzkeCold Spring/St. Cloud+1 (320)-685-7977

Mississippi M. Elizabeth CookVicksburg/Jackson+1 (866) 632-2900 (Toll Free)+1 (601) 636-2900

MissouriCathy CookColumbia+1 (573) 819-6010 or 886-8917

PAGE 26 THE DYSLEXIC READER

Jocelyn Print “I am marriedand have three children. I cameupon Davis after three years ofsearching for someone whounderstood our son who hasdyslexia. Seeing the change inour son encouraged me toaddress my own dyslexia.

Having completed the course myself I am lookingforward to helping people both young and oldusing the Davis tools in my home. Learning canbe fun.” 180 Inland Road, R.D. 4, Kaikoura,New Zealand. +64 (03) [email protected]

Sigrun Baldursdottir “I ama qualified Elementary teacherand have been teaching fortwelve years. I’ve worked a lotwith children who are dyslexic.I’ve always felt I wasn’t helpingthem as much as I wanted to andthat there was something missing.

Now I’ve found what has been missing in Davis.”Lesblind.com, Snæfellsbær 360, Iceland. +354 586-8180. [email protected]

Leslie McLean “I am a corrected adult dyslexic and themother of dyslexic children. Ihave been a private homeschoolteacher for eight years. Idiscovered the Davis Methods

when looking for help for my daughter. I amexcited about opening a learning center to helpother dyslexics take control over their learningdisability and correct it forever.” New SolutionsLearning Center, 3101 Hobbs #200, Amarillo,TX 79109, U.S. +1 (877) 331-4099 or (806) 331-4099. [email protected]

Julie Locke is the firstlicensed Davis Facilitator inAtlantic Canada. Julie receivedher B.A., B. Ed. from theUniversity of New Brunswick.She has worked with numerousstudents as a teacher, and saw

the need for a program that gets to the root of any learning difficulties. The Davis DyslexiaCorrection Program, obtained by her relative,produced overwhelming results, which gave Juliethe motivation to become a Davis Facilitator.Julie looks forward to guiding her clients to asolution. Maritime Dyslexia Correction Centre,35 Inglis Place, Truro Nova Scotia B2N 4B5,Canada. +1 (902) [email protected]

Nigel Sharp “My interest indyslexia was fuelled by myoverwhelming desire to help mystepson, Sean. I read a numberof books about it and then happened upon The Gift of

Dyslexia by Ron Davis. Here was the answer andthat’s how it all started. From reading the book,watching the video and undergoing the trainingto now I have been on a voyage of self-discovery.Being ADHD myself, I have an affinity withhyperactive children and have already experiencedsuccess in this area. Together with my talent formathematics I look forward to expanding theseyoung people’s minds and making their livesmore palatable. Working from home, my partnerand I create a warm and inviting atmospherewhere people can discover the joy of Davisworking for them.” MissinLink, “Riverbank” 7Copse End Sandown, Isle of Wight, PO36 9PZ,England. +44 (0198) 340-1670. [email protected]

Carole Dubosson Route deRiondaz 8, Veyras CH-3960,Switzerland. +41 (027) [email protected]

Francoise Magarian“My career as a teacher andpsychologist in elementaryschools, in France and abroad,prepared me to be open to theDavis theory. Step-by-step Idiscovered the depth of the

method and the importance of change for theclients and their family. It is a great challenge forme to do my best to make the client discover therichness of their talent and improve their learningskills.” Le Bourg, Legny 69620, France. +33 (047) [email protected]

Carol Livermore “With abackground in early childhoodeducation and working withchildren in both English andFrench literacy programs I wondered why some obviouslybright children struggled with

reading. The Gift of Dyslexia helped answer myquestions. Being a Davis Facilitator enables me toshare my passion for helping people reach theirfull potential.” The Dyslexia Advantage, 11Conductor Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, K2S 1C5,Canada. +1 (800) [email protected]

v United States/Missouri (cont’d)

Patricia HenryKansas City+1 (816) 361 6563

MontanaAshley BenjaminFort Benton+1 (406) 734-5420or (406) 781-4642

Kimberly BezansonMissoula +1 (406) 541-3076 or 499-0220

Elsie JohnsonKalispel +(406) 257-8556

Linda Jo PriceBozeman+1 (406) 586-8218

Nancy SittonWhitefish +1 (406) 863-9844

Robin ZealWhitefish+1 (406) 862-6210

NebraskaShawn CarlsonLincoln+1 (402) 420-1025

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) 746-5037

Nancy CimprichElmer/Philadelphia+1 (856) 358-3102

Charlotte FosterSupervisor-SpecialistBernardsville/Newark+1 (908) 766-5399

New YorkLisa AndersonSeneca Falls +1 (315)568-3166 or (800) 234-6922

Ann HassigGouverneur+1 (315) 287-0531

Hadar Lily HellmanNew York City +1 (212) 781-3689 or +1 (718) 614-8240

Wendy RitchieHilton/Rochester+1 (585) 233-4364

North CarolinaGerri W. CoxDLS Workshop PresenterShallotte/Wilmington+1 (910) 754-9559

PAGE 27THE DYSLEXIC READER

Mary Davie “As a trainedteacher I chose to home schoolmy children as my youngerbright son began to have difficulties at school. Nothingin my training enabled me tohelp my son. A friend recommended The Gift of

Dyslexia by Ron Davis. I recognized much aboutmyself, family and former pupils. I found logicalanswers to questions, which had been raised afterteaching my son and many former pupils. Aftermy son completed a programme, I was inspiredto train as a Facilitator myself. The journey hasbeen fascinating. I am excited to provide programmes for talented picture-thinking dyslexics. I feel privileged to be part of a journey which will allow them to go forward to meet their true potential.” 34 Beckton Place,Lilli Pilli, NSW 2229, Australia. +61 (029) 526-1505. [email protected]

Andrea ToloczykiHangwerweg 10, D-48329Havixbeck, Germany. +49 (0250) [email protected]

Lisa Anderson “I have aBA and MS in Education withyears of experience teachinghigh school students. I am amother of 3 boys. Having oneof them, a dyslexic, hasbrought me into contact withthe Davis Program. I have

spent a lot of time and money researching variousprograms over the years to help my son succeed.After attending a meeting with my son’s specialeducation committee, it became obvious to methat there were limits to their abilities in helpingmy son become successful in school. It was thenthat my son’s teacher handed me the book, TheGift of Dyslexia. I went home that night and readit from cover to cover. I then went on the website, Dyslexia.com, and found a local Facilitator.My son received the program and for the firsttime in his life made progress in his reading. I am extremely eager and excited about theopportunity to provide other children and adultsthe necessary tools that will allow them to learn.New Beginnings Learning Center, 2360 Rt. 89,Seneca Falls, NY 13148. +1 (315) [email protected]

Regula Bacchetta-Bischofberger “Through mylegasthenic (dyslexic) son I gotto know the Davis Method. As a former teacher and a business-

woman I saw the worth of this method not onlyfor the school part but also for daily work andbusiness world. Because of these experiences I also like to work with children and adults onmathematical and other problems.”Kastanienbaumstrasse 5, Horw/Luzern-6048,Switzerland. +41 (041) 340-2136. [email protected]

Gabriele Wirtz “For a longtime I have looked for the causeand a solution of the studyingproblems of my children. Ifinally discovered the DavisMethod. Three of my childrenjoined in a Davis Program. Theresults were so impressive that I decided to become a Davis

Facilitator. I am looking forward to being able tohelp many children, teenagers, and adults withstudying problems. This is a useful continuationof my educational job as a teacher.”Nauheimerstr. 54, Stuttgart –70372, Germany.+49 (0711) 55 17 18. [email protected]

Christine Heinrich “As amother of a severely dyslexicdaughter I came across theDavis Method three years ago.This program made such a bigdifference to my daughter’ssocial and educational life andit just hit me. I enjoyed verymuch my education and I want

to thank DDA-CH. The insights of Ron Davisenable us to guide our clients through their journeyto overcome their learning disabilities and tobenefit from their talents. I am looking forwardto becoming a Davis Facilitator and help as manypeople as possible. Hochbergstr. 9, Heubach ,D-73540, Germany. +49 (07173) 716 793. [email protected]

Ellen Ebert “I am a motherof three. Our youngest son isdyslexic and has ADD. Duringmy search for good help forhim, without medications, Ifound The Gift of Dyslexia,read it, applied in February

2004 and became EXCITED! Because of thisexperience I developed the strong wish to also beable to help other dyslexics. About half a yearlater I began the interesting training with DDA-Germany in Hamburg.” Am langen rasen 1,Ammern bei Muhlhausen/Thuringen, Germany99974. [email protected]

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v United States/North Carolina (cont’d)

Tina KirbySanford/Fayetteville+1 (919) 499-0774

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

Jean MoserWinston-Salem+1 (336) 765-6310

OhioLorraine CharbonneauMason/Cincinnati/Dayton+1 (513) 850-1895

Sandra KornLiberty Township/ Cincinnati+1 (513) 779-9118

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

OregonGary IvesPortland +1 (503) 238-7449

PennsylvaniaMarcia MaustBerlin/Pittsburgh+1 (814) 267-6694

South DakotaKim CarsonDLS Workshop PresenterBrookings/Sioux Falls +1 (605) 692-1785

Carina LittleWatertown +1 (605) 886-8415

TexasKellie Antrim-BrownFt. Worth+1 (877) 230-2622 (Toll Free)+1 (817) 989-0783

Glyndene BurnsLubbock +1 (806) 781-4891

Janalee BealsBedford/Dallas/Ft. Worth+1 (877) 439-7539 (Toll Free)

Success Learning CenterRhonda ClemonsDLS Workshop PresenterColleen MillslagleDLS Workshop PresenterTyler/Dallas+1 (866) 531-2446 (Toll Free)+1 (903) 531-2446

Shari ChuHelotes /San Antonio +1 (210) 414-0116

Susan LewisLubbock +1 (806) 771-1385

Leslie McLeanAmarillo+1 (806) 331-4099 or +1 (877) 331-4099 (Toll Free)

Amanda MeyerBurleson/Ft. Worth+1 (817) 426-4442

Dorothy OwenSupervisor-SpecialistPlano/Dallas +1 (972) 447-8327 or+1 (866) 822-2441 (Toll Free)

Janet Slavenski “My background is in teaching and I have a degree in EarlyChildhood Development. I was made aware of the Davisprogram by a friend withwhom I shared my daughters

learning problem. She told me that she put twoof her children through the program and wasthrilled with their progress and success. Her success story peaked my interest; I read The Giftof Dyslexia and enrolled in the Davis FacilitatorTraining Program. I now look forward to sharingthe Davis tools with clients of all ages.” Toolsfor Learning, 4065 Eaton Street, Denver, CO80212, USA. +1 (303) [email protected]

Sandra McPhall “I wasintroduced to the DavisProgram through my sister.She had brought her daughterthrough the program and was very satisfied with theoutcome. As a result, I attendedthe workshops, became

licensed, and provided a program for my son.What a difference this has made in his life. Beinga dyslexic myself I immediately understood thebasis and practicality of the program and how itfits hand in glove with the thought process of adyslexic thinker. My life would have been completely different had this program beenavailable for me as a child. As a nutritional consultant and a provider of natural remedies, Imade every effort to provide nutritional supportfor my son who needed to focus at school.Supplements were not able to bring about thistype of learning success for him. The mostrewarding aspect of the program for me occursin two areas; when I explain to dyslexics thatthey do not have a learning problem, they justlearn differently than others, and secondly whenclients experience the ‘ah-ha’ that occurs sometime during the program. It is my desire to provide the Davis program to all dyslexicsseeking help so that others don’t have to sufferthrough school or work. I currently have a homeoffice where I offer nutritional counseling. I willoffer the Davis program from my home officeserving Western Michigan. New Chapter learning, 4083 Eagle Rock Court SW,Grandville, MI 49418, USA. +1 (616) 534-1385. [email protected]

Martha Payne “It’s a verysad thing to love learning andhate school, but that’s my story.Although I was considered tohave been successful in school,school was never a place thatheld a warm place in my heart. I

performed well enough, but, sadly, my educationconsisted of finding compulsive solutions tomake it appear as though I was really learningsomething. After graduating from college I saidthat I would never go back to school. I had beendiagnosed in high school as dyslexic andalthough I knew what my problem was, I had noidea of how to correct my dyslexia other than tocreate more coping skills. After learning of theDavis Method and going through my own DavisProgram in May 2004, I was inspired to becomea facilitator myself. The Davis Method works. Iwant to show other dyslexics that real learning ispossible and that education can be enjoyed ratherthan endured.” Learning Connections, LLC. 88Highgrove Drive, Suwanee, GA 30024, USA. +1 (404) 886-2720. [email protected].

Glenna Giveans has aMasters degree in reading education and is certified as alearning disabilities specialist.After teaching in elementaryand middle schools with theOrton-Gillingham phonicsmethod for 30 years, she found

in The Gift of Dyslexia an explanation for theconfusions and misperceptions her students wereexperiencing in their academic and personal lives.This led her on an exciting odyssey of Davistraining, from California to New Jersey, all theway to Iceland, and the UK. With each DavisPresenter, Specialist, fellow Facilitator-in-Training,and student that Glenna met along the way, sheencountered new challenges and inspiration in theDavis Methods. She now looks forward to sharingthis rich background with many more childrenand adults, providing opportunities for them todiscover their own success in reading, writing,and math. Learning to Learn, 23 Union Street,Lebanon, NH 03766, USA. +1 (603) [email protected]

Lisa Klooss “My own dyslexiahas always intrigued me a lotand made me think of what Iwanted to do to help myself andothers regarding dyslexia. Mymain aim was to put a stop tohaving children in schools that

are suffering because they are dyslexic and misunderstood. I felt that what I was looking fordidn’t exist and started thinking of putting myown ideas together. Until I was given the book

THE DYSLEXIC READER

v United States/Texas (cont’d)

Paula Roberts Tyler +1 (903) 570-3427Casey Linwick-RouzerSugar Land/Houston+1 (832) 724-0492

Laura WarrenDLS Workshop PresenterLubbock +1 (806) 771-7292

VirginiaDonna KouriMontpelier/Richmond+1 (804) 883-8867

Angela OdomDLS Workshop PresenterMidlothian/Richmond+1 (804) 833-8858

Jamie Worley Yorktown/Williamsburg +1 (757) 867-1164

WashingtonJackie BlackArlington/Everett1-866-218-1614 (Toll-Free)

Aleta ClarkAuburn/Tacoma+1 (253) 854-9377

Carol HernDLS Workshop PresenterSpokane

Mary Ethel KelloggDLS Workshop PresenterSpokane

Rebecca LueraFall City/Seattle+1 (800) 818-9056 (Toll-Free)+1 (425) 222-4163

Renie Royce SmithSpokane & Everett+1-800-371-6028 (Toll-Free)+1 (509) 443-1737

Ruth Ann YoungbergBellingham+1 (360) 752-5723

Laura Zink de DíazMount Vernon/Everett+1 (360) 848-9792

West VirginiaGale LongElkview/Charleston+1 (888) 517-7830 (Toll Free)+1 (304) 965-7400

WisconsinNew Hope LearningCenters, Inc.Darlene BishopMargaret Hayes Milwaukee+1 (888) 890-5380 (Toll Free)+1 (262) 255-3900

vThis Directory is current as of March 1, 2006. It is

subject to change. Betweennewsletter issues, new

Facilitators are added, andoccasionally, some becomeinactive. However, the Davis

Providers list atwww.dyslexia.comis always up to date.

The Davis Facilitator TrainingProgram requires approximately400 hours of course work.

The Davis Specialist TrainingProgram requires extensiveexperience providing Davisprograms and an additional 260hours of training. Specialists andFacilitators are subject to annualre-licensing based upon case review and adherence to the DDAI Standards of Practice.

Davis Learning StrategiesMentors and WorkshopPresenters are experiencedteachers and trainers with 2-3 years of specialized training andexperience mentoring classroomteachers of children 5-9 years of age.

For information about trainingand a full directory of Davisproviders, go on the web to:

www.dyslexia.com/providers.htm

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

Davis TrainingPrograms

The Gift of Dyslexia. That was it! I immediately knewI wanted to became a Davis Facilitator and contactedDDA-UK. After receiving my own program by Renéevan der Vloodt, in my mother tongue Dutch, my worldhad changed enormously for the better! I continued todo the Facilitator course. During which time I hadchanged my career and followed my motivations. Iam now working full time with autistic adults in a daycentre setting and learn so much from them. Myknowledge of the Davis methods (and DLS) hashelped a lot in my work and vice versa. I would liketo continue giving my full support to Dyslexia Africaand Debbie Shah, in making the dream come true ofhaving DLS in all African schools. Moreover, to pro-vide dyslexics with a fun learning method with whichthey are able to excel and regain their self-esteem andmotivation to learn. It has been a fantastic experienceto see dyslexics discover their positive sides and overcoming the difficult ones by using their gifts. Ihave enjoyed my journey tremendously and would like to thank everybody who made this possible.”40 Bracewell Road, London W10 6AF, United Kingdom.+44 (020) 8960 9406. [email protected]

New Fundamentals Workshop Presenters

Richard Whitehead, Director ofDDA-UK. Staplehurst, Kent, UnitedKingdom. +44 (01580) 892 [email protected]

Lorna Timms is a Davis Facilitatorin Christchurch, New Zealand. Herprofessional background is in adulteducation and curriculum development.“I am delighted and honored tobecome a licensed FundamentalsWorkshop Presenter. I feel very privileged to have received such

outstanding support in this process. I would like tothank Alice, Ron, Cyndi Deneson and CatherineChurton for all their time, guidance and encouragementthey have given me. I am grateful for their endlesssource of knowledge and wisdom. Thank you.”Christchurch, New Zealand. [email protected]+64 (03) 359 8556.

New Davis Supervisor-Specialist

Judith Shaw has 15 yearsexperience of helping dyslexicsto achieve success. She has avaried educational and workbackground including the teachingof Art and English and supportingstudents with dyslexia in Further

and Higher Education. “I am delighted to bedoing the Specialist work–training more peoplein the skills so that they can bring positivechanges in so many people's lives.” East Sussex,United Kingdom. [email protected]+44 (01424) 447 077 or (07909) 612 564.

My life would have beencompletely different had this

program been available forme as a child.

–Sandra McPhallNew Davis Facilitator in Michigan

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 easily

fit 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 classroom

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

Materials include:• Detailed Manual with suggested year-long guides, black-

line masters, and numerous tips for each implementingeach Strategy 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. (Classroommaterials 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

7-8 April: United States (Lamar, Colorado)Instructor: Kristi ThompsonContact: Kristi ThompsonEmail: [email protected]: +1 (719) 324-9256

19-21 May & 24-26 November: Switzerland (Basel)Instructor: Heidi Gander-BelzContact: Gabi LichtenhahnEmail: [email protected]: +41 61 273 81 85

16-17 June: United Kingdom (Ascot, Berkshire)Instructor: Jane HeywoodEmail: [email protected]: +44 (01580) 892 928

26-27 June: United States (Kalispell, Montana)Instructors: Carol Hern & Ethel KelloggContact: Paula McCarthyEmail: [email protected]: +1-888-805-7216

24-25 July: United States (Tyler, Texas)Instructors: Rhonda Clemons & Colleen MillslagleContact: Success Learning CenterEmail: [email protected]: +1 (903) 531-2446

24-25 July: Canada (Oakville, Ontario)Email: [email protected]: +1-888-805-7216

Visit www.davislearn.com for additional workshop dates.

2006 DATES & LOCATIONS

“It is so exciting to be on the cutting edge of something so radically life changing for so many. I am overwhelmed by this entire concept and thepotential of it all. Thank you for your commitment to this program that is so important to so many. You have done a tremendous job, and your manualand training are excellent.”

–CK, Teacher and Vice Principal, DePaul School, Jacksonville, Florida

THE 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

AUSTRALIA17 - 20 JulyMelbournePresenter: Lorna TimmsEmail: [email protected]: +64 (09) 361 6115

DEUTSCHLAND29 April - 2 MayStuttgartPresenter: Ioannis TzivanakisLanguage: German/EnglishEmail: [email protected]: +49 (040) 25 17 86 22

22 - 25 JuneGöttingenPresenter: Ioannis TzivanakisLanguage: GermanEmail: [email protected]: +49 (040) 25 17 86 22

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

GREECE14 - 17 JuneAthensPresenter: Ioannis TzivanakisLanguage: English/GreekEmail: [email protected]: +49 (040) 25 17 86 22

NEW ZEALAND7 - 10 AugustAucklandPresenter: Lorna TimmsEmail: [email protected]: +64 (09) 361 6115

SWITZERLAND28 - 31 October: BaselPresenter: Bonny BeuretEmail: [email protected]: English/FrenchTel: +41 (061) 273 81 85

9 - 12 November: BaselPresenter: Bonny BeuretEmail: [email protected]: GermanTel: +41 (061) 273 81 85

UNITED KINGDOM9 - 12 MayAddington, Nr. Maidstone KentPresenter: Richard Whitehead Email: [email protected]: +44 (01580) 892 928

UNITED STATES15 - 18 MayBoston, MassachussettsPresenter: Cyndi [email protected]: +1 (866) 822-2441 toll-free

2006 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 ADDsymptoms)

FUNDAMENTALS WORKSHOP OUTLINE

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

10 - 13 JulySan Francisco, CaliforniaPresenter: Richard WhiteheadEmail: [email protected]: +1 (888) 805-7216 toll-free

18 - 21 SeptemberWashington, D.C.Presenter: Gerry [email protected]: +1 (866) 822-2441 toll-free

6 - 9 NovemberDallas-Ft. Worth, TexasPresenter: Gerry [email protected]: +1 (866) 822-2441 toll-free

All workshopsconducted in

English unlessnoted otherwise

Continued on page 22

The Dys•lex •́ic Read •́er1601 Old Bayshore Highway, Suite 245Burlingame, CA 94010

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDBURLINGAME, CA

PERMIT NO.14

~

DDA-PacificPO BOX 46023Herne BayAuckland, New ZealandTel: +64 (09) 361 6115Fax: +64 (09) 361 6114E-mail: [email protected]

DDA-CHFreie Strasse 81CH 4001 BaselSWITZERLANDTel: 41 (061) 273 81 85 Fax: 41 (061) 272 42 41E-mail: [email protected]

DDA-DeutschlandWandsbecker Chausee 132D-22089 Hamburg GERMANYTel: 49 (040) 25 17 86 22 Fax: 49 (040) 25 17 86 24E-mail: [email protected]

DDA-Israel20 Ha’shahafim St.Ra’anana 43724 ISRAELTel: 972 (0523) 693 384 or (0)9 774 7979Fax: 972 (09) 772-9889E-mail: [email protected]

DDA- MéxicoRío Volga #308 oteColonia del Valle66220 Garza Garcia N.LMEXICO Tel/Fax: 52 (81) 8335-9435 or 52 (81) 8356-8389E-mail: [email protected]

DDA-NederlandKerkweg 38a 6105 CG Maria Hoop, NEDERLANDTel: 31 (0475) 302 203 Fax: 31 (0475) 301 381E-mail: [email protected]

DDA-UKSlaney Place Headcorn RoadStaplehurst, Kent TN12 0DJ.Tel: +44 (01580) 892 928 Fax: +44 (01580) 890 321E-mail: [email protected]

DDAI-Int’l, Canada & USA1601 Bayshore Highway, Ste 245Burlingame, CA 94010Tel: 1-888-805-7216 Fax: 1 (650) 692-7075E-mail: [email protected]

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

See page 23 for more workshop details.

Enrollment limited v Classes fill Early v 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

29 April - 2 May Stuttgart Germany9-12 May Addington, Kent UK15-18 May Boston, MA USA14-17 June Athens Greece22-25 June Göttingen Germany10-13 July San Francisco, CA USA17-20 July Melbourne Australia7-10 August Auckland New Zealand18-21 Sept Washington, D.C. USA28-31 October Basel Switzerland6-9 November Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX USA9-12 November Basel Switzerland

2006 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

the dyslexic reader 2006 - issue 41

Documents

total physical response

berty segal cook

discrete vocabulary items

foreign language classes

davis symbol mastery

foreign language instruction

doesnt work properly

orientation counseling