The Davis Dyslexia Correction ® Program – Specifics
Basic Tools Established
During the initial five-day program, several tools are established to help the student: control the confusion /disorientation caused by their dyslexia, regulate their energy associated with ADD/ADHD, and release frustration /anxiety associated with their dyslexia.
Davis Orientation Counseling ® – This tool teaches dyslexic students how to recognize and control the mental state that leads to distorted and confused perceptions of letters, words and numerals. Through a simple mental technique, the students learn to turn off the thought processes that cause misperceptions. They are then able to restore their minds to a relaxed and focused state, suitable for reading and other studies. This will give the student the ability to know when perception is distorted—and how to correct it
Regulating Energy – Most dyslexics experience hyperactivity; physical and mental. This also leads to the inability to experience time accurately. Through establishing a personal energy dial, the student learns to adjust their energy appropriate to the task or activity at hand.
Release of Frustration/Anxiety – Because of the many challenges and struggles dyslexics experience daily and even hourly, they can quickly reach a threshold of frustration which makes learning overwhelming. When that threshold is reached, they can experience huge frustration and even physical symptoms such as anxiety, headaches, nausea, etc. This tool allows students to release this accumulated stress so they may then more easily work with the task at hand.
Words & Symbols that Trigger Confusion for Dyslexics
Alphabet – We explore and correct confusion about upper and lower case letters. Also addressed are areas such as letter reversals, sound vs. name of letter, and difficulty forming and writing letters.
Punctuation – Dyslexics find punctuation rules very difficult to understand and memorize. Our approach allows the student to master the basic symbols of punctuation in terms a dyslexic can more easily comprehend.
Spelling – We use a non-phonics approach that complements the dyslexic’s thinking style. It makes spelling easy and even fun!
Deciphering Sight Words – Because dyslexics are primarily visual thinkers, so-called “sight words” (such as to, a, as, and, the) are not easily deciphered or understood. There are 218 of these words in the English language, creating enormous gaps in comprehension for the dyslexic, not only in reading, but when listening to others talking to them. Again, we teach a visual approach to understand (not memorizing) these sight words.
Dysgraphia (writing) – Writing is one of the most complicated tasks for the dyslexic. Many issues make writing challenging: sequencing information, the spacing of letters and words, spelling, organizing paragraphs, etc. We address these issues, using methods that are complementary to the dyslexic student’s thinking/learning style.
Dyspraxia (balance and coordination) – Many dyslexics (because of their disorientation) experience difficulty with coordination and balance. They learn to overcome these difficulties using the tools they have acquired along with some simple exercises to strengthen coordination and balance.
Reading Exercises
Tracking Issues – Because dyslexics experience so much disorientation and confusion while reading, their eyes tend to wander all over the page, trying in various ways to make sense of what they are reading. We teach a simple exercise to relax that stress and allow the student to track left to right when they are reading. This will also strengthen their letter and word recognition.
Reading Comprehension – In the Davis Dyslexia Correction ® Program, reading comprehension is greatly strengthened by teaching students to use visual memory to effectively recall what they have read. This approach is a very simple, but highly effective approach to improving reading comprehension as well as better comprehending directions and instruction.
- Remembering and following directions and instructions
- Telling time
- Reading a calendar
- Identifying left from right
- Organizing and creating order in one’s environment
- Tying shoelaces
Additional Areas Addressed