Davis Dyslexia
Reading Program®

Dyslexic people can use disorientation in their thought and recognition process. When confused, they immediately experience a disorientation and begin to perceive thought as reality. This process is usually so rapid that it is unconscious. It can occur without apparent cause, and may last from a split second to hours at a time.

Dyslexics become disoriented during reading or writing, and their perception becomes altered. Ironically, this is the same mechanism that dyslexics have found useful for recognizing real-life objects and events in their environment before they began learning to read.

People who experience dyslexia are able to see, hear, feel and sense what they imagine as though it were real. They can view and interpret the world in creative and innovative ways. This ability to experience thought as reality is used to recognize objects in the environment. It can help develop artistic and kinesthetic talents. Before school, a dyslexic has little need for verbal/linear thought, so this thinking style may be underdeveloped when the child starts school.

Orientation Counseling

After an interview to determine the client's needs and goals, orientation counseling is completed to enable the student to purposely control disorientation. The mental "on-off" switch for disorientation is found through perceptual and kinesthetic exercises. Being oriented makes it easier to focus attention on written material. Reading exercises help identify trigger letters and words that cause disorientation, stumbling and confusion. Now that the student can control the perceptions, persistent reading mistakes can be identified and corrected.

Basic Symbol Mastery

Clay is used as a tool because it is a great medium for creativity. The creative process is essential to learning and mastery. Symbol Mastery effectively identifies and eliminates the confusions that trigger spontaneous disorientation. It is used to master the alphabet, in uppercase and lowercase letters, both forwards and backwards. Punctuation marks are mastered in much the same way, with full understanding of how they are used as "road signs" in reading.

Word Mastery

The three parts of a word - its meaning, its sound, and its written form - are created in clay using a dictionary. The student begins to master the "trigger words" common to most dyslexics as part of the program. These are continued later at home or during follow-up sessions until the entire list is completed. Any word or concept that causes confusion can be mastered in clay. Sometimes we are amazed at the creative ways even young children find to show the meanings of abstract terms.