My Story – And The Book That Changed My Career
I am a licensed Davis® Program Facilitator. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and history, and Teachers Certifications in Social Studies K-12 and Elementary Education. I had been an elementary and middle school classroom teacher for 16 years, and also served as an Enrichment teacher— working one-on-one and in small groups with children struggling to learn.
In 2000, I was challenged by a very bright, 8-year-old boy, who could not master reading despite interventions provided by both his teacher and myself. I tried all the specialized one-on-one reading support available at the time— phonics pages, flash cards, sight-word drills— nothing seemed to help. I was as frustrated as he was.
My Research into Dyslexia
This child was not diagnosed, but he had many of the symptoms that go along with the diagnosis. In my search for answers, I came across a book titled, The Gift of Dyslexia—Why some of the Smartest People Can’t Read…and How They Can Learn, by Ronald D. Davis, that instantly got my attention. I ordered the book and couldn’t put in down. Not only did it explain this boy’s symptoms, but other students who struggled, as well. Ron Davis discovered the “root” cause of most learning problems, and created a step-by-step plan to correct it.
Most dyslexics are primarily “picture-thinkers” who specialize in Non-Verbal processing; however, they are predominately taught to read with the sounds of letters and word-parts, rote memorization of 2-dimensional symbols, phonetic spelling rules, and methods that rely on Verbal processing.
My New Perspective
When we distinguish between Verbal and Non-Verbal Learners, something quite fascinating becomes clear: most of our current education system is built for Verbal Learners. Non-Verbal Learners often do not stand a chance in that arena.
Ron Davis’s theories and methods held the key to overcoming the challenges dyslexic, non-verbal learners face. They made so much sense to me, I began using his techniques with my struggling students getting amazing results. I soon decided to train with Davis to help more people— adults as well as children— overcome their challenges and realize the gifts and strengths of their learning style.
Learn more about Ron Davis and the History of the Davis® Methods.
In 2003, I became a licensed Davis® Program Facilitator, and founded New Perspectives In Leaning to finally help these bright, creative individuals overcome their challenges and experience success.
The Gift of Dyslexia
The Gift of Dyslexia challenged me to reconsider what I was taught about educating children and look at it from a new perspective.
My new perspective has helped hundreds of children and adults learn how to process the written word. In the years since, I’ve witnessed over and over, the “light” that goes on and the increase in self-esteem that follows when someone suddenly realizes that the way their brain works is neither wrong nor broken— it’s special and gifted. And they now have the tools to harness their nearly limitless creativity to work for them, even in the most traditional learning settings.
Not Just a Reading Problem
The more I’ve use this method, the more I’ve seen how the root causes of dyslexia are similar to the root causes of other attention and processing difficulties. I’ve witnessed how the Davis® Methods can naturally address the challenges and issues with ADD and ADHD that many people – both children and adults – have had to turn to medication for.
Ron Davis explains the connection between the visual-spatial learning style and the symptoms of ADD, ADHD, and difficulties with Handwriting and Math in his second book, The Gift of Learning.