Betsey,

If you are interested in working on your own with your child, the best place to share experiences is the Davis Discussion board at www.dyslexiatalk.com Here's a link to a recent thread from a mom who asked for guidance and then reported back with her results:
http://www.dyslexiatalk.com/messages/3/185138.html

If you are thinking of working with a licensed Davis Facilitator, this page on the Davis site has links to reports posted on various web sites:
http://www.dyslexia.com/science/clientreports.htm

Most Facilitators will be able to give you the names of some references so that you can get in touch with former clients.

I would note that I was very successful working with my own son about 15 years ago. He was age 11 at the time, and he became a very enthusiastic and avid reader with Davis techniques.

I worked with my daughter using the Davis methods from The Gift of Dyslexia nearly ten years ago - she was 8 years old at the time. She responded so dramatically, both in terms of self-esteem and academic skills, that I decided to become fully trained as a facilitator. She is now a senior in high school and scored in the 99th percentile in reading! I have seen many more similar results since then.
I live and work in southern NH, between Nashua and Keene.

You can read an additional comment on this method at:
http://www.mykidsupport.com/?q=node/606#comment-97

I have read about the Davis method and seen students improve in attention when using the method. However, there is much criticism in the educational community about these quick-cure money-making methods, especially the Davis method(look for "A Civilized Disagreement on the Efficacy of the Davis Dyslexia Method"). When students are truly dyslexic, all the research shows that they need visual, auditory, and kinesthetic training, as well as phoneme-grapheme correspondance, syllabicification, roots and affixes spelling rules and individualized training. Even the Davis foundation states that these things are needed to learn reading, spelling and written expression. Why? Because our language, both printed and spoken is based on a multitude of auditory and written rules that must be learned sequentially, and built upon as the child or young adult matures and develops.

I teach and tutor dyslexic children, youth and young adults using the Orton-Gillingham and visual and verbal methods. THese methods endure and keep the student competent in his or her skills for life. There is no substitute for real training.

I live and work in the South Shore area of Massachusetts. I am listed in mykidsuport.com. I welcome further commentary. And I can be reached at opus222@juno.com

Catherine

Another person has added a comment on the Davis Method. You can see it here:
http://www.mykidsupport.com/?q=node/618

I think what we need here is clarification of an aspect of a learning disability which the Davis Dyslexia Correction® Methods address.

I quote from a book by Henry Winkler ("The Fonz" from Happy Days television show), noted author of a series of children's books in which he depicts himself as a 4th grade dyslexic, Hank Zipzer. The experiences of the 4th grader are actually reflections of Winkler's elementary school years. Winkler writes:

I sat down at the desk chair and put on
my serious face. My homework face. My
game face. I turned to page seventy-five
and stared down at it. It had two columns
of words. I was supposed to circle the
ones that were spelled correctly.

As my eyes skimmed down the first column,
something strange happened. Well, actually,
not so strange, because it's something
that happens to me a lot. The words
started to swim around on the page. Not
so much swim. More like line dance.
I blinked and rubbed my eyes, trying to
get the words to stop moving. But when
I looked down again, the words were still
doing a square in the middle of the page.

Why does this always happen to me? Why
can't my brain work like everyone else's?

I got up and started doing jumping jacks.
I thought that maybe some exercise would
get the blood going and my mind would
be able to focus for once.

What these paragraphs are referring to is a condition which Ron Davis calls a disorientation. It is when the individual's perceptions do not match those of the physical environment. The brain does not get what the eyes are seeing, but what it thinks they are seeing. Likewise, the brain does not always get what the ears are hearing, but what it thinks they are hearing. The person's sense of balance can change, and the person's sense of time can either speed up or slow down.

Mr. Davis says, "Disorientation is a constant mental companion for a dyslexic child. Distorted perception can be as common as accurate perception throughout childhood."

Individuals with these kinds of crippling symptoms need to have a way to 'turn off' the disorientation so they can perceive print and hear words accurately. Once this tool is in place and the client has received all the benefits of a complete Davis Dyslexia Correction® Methods program, added instruction using the Orton-Gillingham/Wilson methods can be very helpful, if needed.

Besides being a fully licensed and certified Davis Dyslexia Correction® Methods Facilitator, I have Wilson Language Level I Certification and Wilson Language Level II Course A Certification. Thusly, I am well qualified to be familiar with the content of this excellent remedial program and all it has to offer.

Carolyn Tyler
Launch into Learning
68 Laurel St.
Fairhaven, MA 02719
Tel:508-994-4577
email: cwtdyslexia@aol.com
www.launchlive.net